The Church as Polis
The course is offered as a standalone course. It is an elective course in the one-year Master's Program in Eastern Christian Studies.
The course presents the historical vision of primacy and synodality from the perspective of history and ecclesiology. In particular, the concepts of communion and papacy are introduced, and students explore how these concepts have historically been argued for. During the course, students learn to connect various models of primacy and synodality to various practices of the community in regard to power, clergy-laity relations, sustainability, and ecumenical relations.
Learning objectives
By the end of the course, students are expected to be able to:
Knowledge and understanding
- describe how church structure has evolved in Eastern Christianity
- discuss current research on the structure and organization of the church, and how these relate to Eastern Christianity
- describe receptive ecumenism as a method and approach in relation to church structure
Competence and skills
- independently analyse how primacy has influenced models of church governance, even with limited information, and present this in both oral and written form
- apply theories and methods to discern and interpret both textual material on primacy and church governance in Eastern Christianity, as well as extra-textual sources, within a given time frame
Judgement and approach
- critically assess and formulate problems with regard to primacy and church governance, from various angles, including those relating to gender, democracy and sustainability
- reflect critically on the limitations and possibilities of research connected to power and organization of the Church, and the responsibility of the individual scholar for how it is used.
Requirements
Courses equivalent to 90 credits from the First Cycle, including 60 credits in Religious Studies/Theology, or Eastern Christian Studies, or equivalent competence. Proficiency in English equivalent to the Swedish upper secondary course English 6.
Course Literature
See course literature for a list of mandatory reading.
Syllabus
See the syllabus for further information.