Required in stage
Optional in stage
First term
Both terms
Not organised
This year
Next year
Alternating years
External
Prerequisites
Identical coursesSystematic and Hermeneutical Methods (B-KUL-A07L1A)
Cannot be taken as part of an examination contract
De Mey Peter (coordinator) | De Mey Peter | Polgar Nenad | Chivu Silviu (cooperator) Aims
1. Specialization in a particular discipline with a view to the provision of a constructive contribution to the study of theology;
2. Thorough acquaintance with the sources, problems and methods characteristic of one's own major and area of specialization;
3. The ability to apply both the knowledge acquired as well as the methods relevant to one's particular discipline in a manner which contributes to the reflection of the faithful within the Church;
4. Insight into the relationship between the study of theological and social-religious issues and the actual social context which is characterized by religious and ethical plurality and a multiplicity of fundamental life options;
5. The ability to conduct independent theological research, as well as to pass on the acquired attitudes, methods and knowledge;
6. The ability to set up a theological project: the formulation of a relevant research issue and the development of a method of argumentation pertaining to the formulated problematic;
7. The ability to comprehensively present one's research results.
- Students are aware of the diversity of legitimate methodological approaches to the study of individual theologians from the past and the present, to classical themes of Christian doctrine, and to the fields of philosophical theology, contextual theologies and theology of interreligious dialogue;
- Students are able to understand and discuss methodological approaches to the study of historical and contemporary theologians, classical treatises, Church documents, and their relationship to different contexts;
- Students are able to distinguish a variety of argumentative methods in the field of theological ethics and are able to critically discuss their implications for concrete ethical questions;
- Students are able to understand and discuss key texts on systematical and hermeneutical methods;
- Students are able to develop a constructive-critical attitude in their research towards the teaching of the Roman Catholic magisterium in the fields of ethics and systematic theology;
- Students develop a respectful attitude towards styles of argumentation used by theologians in other denominations and religions, as well as in non-Western contexts;
- Students are able to explain how a particular ethical topic or theological source can be studied through a variety of research methods.
Previous knowledge
Bachelor in Theology and Religious Studies.
Is included in these courses of study
Activities
4 ects. Systematic and Hermeneutical Methods (B-KUL-A07L1a)
EnglishFormat: Practical
26 
Second termDe Mey Peter | Polgar Nenad | Chivu Silviu (cooperator) Content
- How to study a historical theologian: Thomas Aquinas;
- How to study the work of a more contemporary ‘classic’;
- Making a constructive-critical analysis of Church documents in the field of theological ethics;
- Making a constructive-critical analysis of Church documents in the field of systematic theology;
- Analysing an ethical question through different sources of ethical argumentation;
- Contemporary methods to study the classical treatises of Christian doctrine;
- Hermeneutics and narrativity in ethical research;
- Methodologies of theological research in dialogue with contemporary philosophy;
- Methodologies of theological research in dialogue with other religions;
- Methodologies of theological research in dialogue with non-Western theologians;
Course material
At the start of the seminar the students will receive a reader with important (fragments of) articles on the methodology of the different fields of research that will be discussed in the different classes.
Format: more information
Introductory explanations
Exercises
Readings
Discussions
The class hours take the form of a seminar. Each class consists of two parts. In the first part of each class important texts will be discussed that deal with the methodological approach central in that class. These texts are made available in the reader and have to be read attentively by all participants prior to each class. Students also prepare further questions they have regarding this particular methodology. The teachers will check whether the texts have been well understood by the students and will also give additional information concerning this particular methodology. In the second part of the class, an exercise will be introduced in which students, divided in small groups, will exchange views regarding how a fragment of an important source text, chosen by the teacher, can be investigated. At the end of each class, important insights will be discussed in plenum and completed with insights from the teaching team. In the course of the semester the students receive an individual assignment, comparable to the exercises in the second half of each class, and adapted to their thesis trajectory. The student explains in a paper of 3-5 pages how this text has been investigated by different scholars, what are the most important methodological pitfalls and how he/she would approach this text.
Evaluation
Evaluation: Systematic and Hermeneutical Methods (B-KUL-A27L1a)
Explanation
Permanent evaluation on the basis of preparation and participation during the classes (40%), and the quality of the final paper/portfolio (60%). This portfolio should contain the individual assignment, the collection of the student's questions/observations on TOLEDO and a 1 page personal assessment on the insights gained throughout this seminar. During the exam period the students will be invited at a feedbackmoment concerning their final paper/portfolio.
Information about retaking exams
A new paper must be written and submitted. The grades for preparation and participation during the classes are maintained.