RLST3609: Semester 1, 2023

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Units RLST3609 Semester 1 2023 [Normal day]

Unit outline_

RLST3609: Religion and the Medieval World

Semester 1, 2023 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

This unit covers the period from 500 to 1500 and asks whether the Western idea of the Middle Ages can be usefully applied to non-Western cultures of the era. It considers the development of Christianity in the first millennium alongside indigenous Paganisms, Judaism and Islam. In the second millennium it investigates Western Christian contacts with Buddhism, Confucian and Taoist culture, and the religions of India. The idea of a monolithic Christianity is destabilised through the lenses of Eastern Christianity (for example, the various Orthodox churches, Maronites, Melkites) and of heretical groups whose beliefs and practices attracted persecution, inquisition and crusade or holy war.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit	Studies in Religion
Credit points	6
Prerequisites ?	12 credit point at 2000 level in Studies in Religion
Corequisites ?	None
Prohibitions ?	RLST2605
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Carole Cusack, carole.cusack@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s)	Carole Cusack, carole.cusack@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Participation	Participation Prepare for tutorials, contribute to discussion, discussion board post	10%	Multiple weeks	Throughout semester
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Fieldwork Task Students identify, photograph and research an object, and present on it	25%	Multiple weeks	1000 word report and oral presentation
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Primary Source Analysis Early feedback assignment; write 500 words on two primary sources (1000wds)	25%	Week 04 Due date: 17 Mar 2023 at 23:59	1000 words including references
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Research Essay The Research Essay is an opportunity to do an immersive piece of research	40%	Week 10 Due date: 05 May 2023 at 23:59	2500 words including references
Outcomes assessed:

Assessment summary

More detail can be found on Canvas

Assessment criteria

More details can be found on Canvas

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

You may only use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator. If you do use these tools, you must acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section. The assessment instructions or unit outline will give guidance of the types of tools that are permitted and how the tools should be used.

Your final submitted work must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of generative AI tools that have been used in the assessment, and any material that forms part of your submission must be appropriately referenced. For guidance on how to acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the AI in Education Canvas site.

The unapproved use of these tools or unacknowledged use will be considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

Studiosity is permitted unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission as detailed on the Learning Hub’s Canvas page.

Outside assessment tasks, generative AI tools may be used to support your learning. The AI in Education Canvas site contains a number of productive ways that students are using AI to improve their learning.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	1.Which Middle-Ages? 2.What Medieval Religion?	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 01	Faith, Doubt and Atheism	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 02	1.Dominant Christianities: Catholicism and Orthodoxy. 2.Deviant Christianities: Arians, Pelagians and Nestorians	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 02	Defining Medieval Religion	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 03	1.Christian Conversion and Indigenous Cultures: Early Medieval. 2.Christian Conversion and Indigenous Cultures: Later Medieval	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 03	Official vs Unofficial Christianity	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 04	1. Judaism in the Middle Ages. 2. A Persecuting Society: Ghettoes, Forced Conversion, and Inquisition	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 04	Indigeneity and Colonialism	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 05	1. A Rival Monotheism: The Rise of Islam 2. Islamic Influence on Science, Philosophy and Theology	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 05	Anti-Semitism and Anti-Judaism	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 06	1.Medieval Japan: Shinto, Buddhism and Warrior Society 2.China: Missionary Buddhism and Neo-Confucianism	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 06	Attitudes to Early Islam	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 07	1.Later Medieval Heresy: Cathars, Waldensians and Lollards 2.Apocalypticism: Plague, Prophecy and War	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 07	Non-Western Medievalisms	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 08	1.Gender: Christian and Buddhist Nuns 2.Lay People: Anticlericalism and Authority	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 08	Living in the End Times	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 09	1.Folk Religion: Rituals, Charms, Witchcraft and Supernatural Beings 2.Holy Nature: Sacred Mountains and Shamans in China and Japan	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 09	Folk Religion East and West	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 10	1.Medieval Hinduism: Deities, Pilgrimages, Art and Architecture in India 2.Holy Sites: Cathedrals and Mosques as Places of Worship	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 10	Religious Architecture and Art	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 11	1.Medieval Religious Fakery: Texts, Relics and Legends 2.Experiential Religion: Mystery Plays, Whirling Dervishes and Kirtana	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 11	Music, Dance and Sacred Theatre	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 12	1.Taboos and Pollutions: Women, Sex and Death 2.Women Writers: Christine de Pisan, Anna Comnena, Murasaki Shikibu and Sei Shonagon	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 12	Women, Sex and Death	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 13	1.Comparative Medievalisms and the Global Middle Ages 2.Summary and Conclusions	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 13	A Global Middle Ages?	Tutorial (1 hr)

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. demonstrate a body of knowledge relevant to a range of religions and worldviews of the Middle Ages, and a firm grasp of the principles, practices and boundaries of the academic study of medieval religions;
LO2. demonstrate a high standard of oral, visual and written communication skills relevant to the study of medieval religions;
LO3. understand and practice the highest standards of ethical behavior associated with the non-confessional, unbiased and scholarly study of religions;
LO4. set appropriate goals for ongoing intellectual and professional development through fieldwork and written and oral assessments, and effectively self-evaluate performance;
LO5. exercise critical judgement and critical thinking to create new modes of understanding of the full range of religions present in the Middle Ages; and
LO6. demonstrate strong interpersonal and communication skills through project work and interdisciplinary learning.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

No changes have been made since this unit was last offered.

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Study commitment

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

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