Diploma in Theology
(Evening Programme)
Awarding Body: National University of Ireland (NUI)
Duration: 2 years or 4 years depending on chosen academic track
Delivery: 2 nights per week September to April (Tues & Thurs) 6.30 – 9.45pm.
This Diploma has been on offer at the Milltown Institute since the academic year 2000-2001. It is a part-time evening programme, which runs on Tuesday and Thursday evenings over two academic years. The programme operates on a modular basis, enabling students to enrol for either (a) the Full Programme (2 years), or (b) Selected Courses (4 years), chosen according to personal interests and time availability. Thus the full programme may be completed either over two or four years depending upon the chosen route. The programme will provide an academic qualification in Theology, which should be of interest to several different categories of applicants, e.g., those seeking credits for CPE programmes associated with hospital chaplaincy, those engaged in pastoral ministry in parish and other locations, etc. Many applicants wish to engage in the study of Theology at an academic level for their own personal enrichment as well as achieve a recognised competence in theological reflection that enhances their adult faith development. The specific modular design and flexibility of the programme aims to provide an opportunity for applicants to engage in an array of evening modules in order to bring enhancement and support to their other professional and family commitments.
AIMS OF PROGRAMME
This programme aims to introduce students to the academic study of theology and its constituent disciplines. Students study five main categories of courses. These include courses in Philosophy, Scripture, Moral Theology and Systematic Theology. An additional range of shorter courses looks at the relationship between Spirituality and Theology, and the practical and pastoral application of the different areas being studied, while attentive to the specific Irish context for the study of theology today.Specific objectives of the programme include:
• Fostering skills of critical thinking and reflection with specific reference to (a) different ways of reflecting on human personhood, and (b) the issue of belief in God’s existence and the contemporary challenges facing such belief.
• Developing an appreciation for the different literary genres of writing in the Bible and an ability to interpret the scriptural texts, while attentive to the cultural, historical, pastoral, literary and theological contexts from which they emerge. Students will be introduced to the study of the Ancient Bible World, two of the Synoptic Gospels, the letters of St Paul, and the issues facing the different early Christian communities. An additional course will aim to introduce the students to the art of interpreting the biblical text and fostering skills in the application of the text to different pastoral and ministerial situations within the Christian community
• Introducing students to some of the principles of fundamental moral theology and skills in analysis of different moral situations. Establishing skills of critical reflection on the person in the nexus of inter-personal relationships, with specific attention to issues related to sexual morality. Cultivating appreciation of the Church’s social teaching, especially with reference to the topics of justice and development.
• Familiarising students with the particular approaches and methodology of systematic theology in context. This will include an analysis of the definition of Theology as a science. Students will also be introduced to systematic reflection on such areas as religious experience and God, Christology, Trinitarian theology, and the nature and dynamics of the liturgical celebrations of the Christian community.
• Enabling the students to investigate the application of insights from the sociological and psychological sciences to issues of contemporary theological concern. Fostering the capacity to integrate and apply theological insights to various pastoral situations.
• Encouraging critical reflection on the specific Irish context for the study of Theology today.
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
This award is chiefly intended for mature students who have relevant prior learning and experience. Entry requirements will take into account that most applicants will be mature students, possessing prior professional qualifications in a variety of disciplines, often to degree and post-graduate levels. No previous studies in Theology are specifically required.Entry requirements will include:
• The successful completion of secondary level education.
• The equivalent of one year of academic work (roughly amounting to c.60 credits):
• This requirement can be based on attendance at relevant part-time or full-time courses, qualifications in relevant fields, reflected lifetime experiences, involvement in spiritual or pastoral ministry, etc.
• Successful completion of the proposed NUI Certificate in Theology, formerly called the Adult Education Diploma in Theology, will admirably fulfil the requirement of the year of prior learning.
• Applicants will be required to present a portfolio of relevant prior learning.
• Applicants will be required to come for interview prior to acceptance.
Students who successfully complete the two years of the programme may progress to the evening Baccalaureate in Theology or to a variety of other evening and daytime options at Milltown Institute.
MODULES IN THE PROGRAMME
This programme is of two years duration. Courses run over the two semesters of each year, a semester being a 12-week block of teaching. Courses take place on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, from 6.30 – 9.45 p.m. Each evening involves four lecture periods of 40 minutes duration. Certain courses involve two lecture periods per evening. Other courses involve a single lecture period per week. Some of the shorter courses run for half a semester, e.g. one course running for six weeks, followed by another for the remaining six weeks of the semester. During the first semester of each of the two years of the programme the first and second year groups attend separate courses which are on offer each year of the programme. During the second semester of each of the two years of the programme the first and second year groups attend the same set of courses and these operate over a two-year cycle. This two-year programme will involve 22 specific lecture courses, of which 18 are mandatory and 4 elective. Twelve of these courses will involve two lecture periods each week of the semester in which they occur. Six of the courses on offer will involve one lecture period per semester. The remaining four courses each run for half a semester in either the first or the second years of the programme. The double period courses will carry a greater overall weighting for purposes of assessment and the allocation of marks.
MODE OF DELIVERY
The teaching involved in each module will involve the presentation of resource material in lecture format in combination with class participation and discussion. Critical reflection that enables every student to make relevant connections between their lived human experiences and the variety of theological resources presented is highly encouraged. A conversational or dialogical approach is favoured in the method of empowering learners to bring their lives and questions to the material offered in every module. Students will be expected to engage in a regular reading schedule of specific sources in connection with each of the modules they attend.
MODES OF ASSESSMENT
Assessment is via continuous assessment: essays, book reviews, and papers.TAX RELIEF
This course is eligible for tax relief under Section 473A, Taxes Consolidation Act, 1997 by the Department of Education and Science.APPLICATION DATE
1st September (First Semester) and 6 January (Second Semester).CORE TEACHING STAFF
Finbarr Clancy SJ, BA (Mod), H Dip Ed, PhD, Bacc Phil, BD, D Phil.Thomas Cooney OSA, BD, MA, Dip Cat, Dip Communications, MA Clinical Pastoral Counselling,
Dip CPE, Dip Spir Dir.
Declan Marmion SM, M Th, STL, STD, H Dip Ed, Dip Past Theol.
Elizabeth Cotter, PhD, DCL.
Maria Duffy, BTh, MPhil, LLM, PhD.
Thomas G. Grenham, SPS, L.G.S.M., MA, PhD.
Patrick Mullins O Carm, BE, B Ph, STD.
Christopher O’Donnell O Carm, MA, STD.
Kevin O’Gorman SMA, BA, STD.
Anthony O’Leary CP, BA, H Dip Ed, Dip Psych, STL, LSS.
Kieran O’Mahony OSA, STL, H Dip Ed, LSS, PhD.
Suzanne Mulligan, BTh, MTh, PhD.
Patrick Rogers CP, BA, LSS, STD.
Liam Swords, MA.
Gesa Thiessen, M Phil (Ecum), Dip Hist Europ Painting, PhD.
Bernadette Toal, BA, MA, PhD.