THMM512 - Theology for the Future: Reimagining Leadership

Year

Credit points

Campus offering

Prerequisites

Nil

Incompatible

THCT507 Theology for the Future: Reimagining Leadership

Teaching organisation

This unit involves 150 hours of focused learning, or the equivalent of 10 hours per week for 15 weeks. The total includes formally structured learning activities such as lectures, tutorials and online learning.  The remaining hours typically involve reading, research, and the preparation of tasks for assessment.

The unit is normally offered in multi-mode. 

Unit rationale, description and aim

In this element of the Leadership for Mission Program, participants are called to imagine and propose future models of Church leadership capable of grappling with the challenges of the contemporary context, now and into the future. Having journeyed through scripture and contemporary theological reflection, participants now focus on articulating visions for leadership that are grounded in their own personal and professional contexts. Participants will explore models of Church and leadership from general, feminist and liberation perspectives. They will engage in dialogue with contemporary Australian and international sources, as well as emerging and established women leaders. The unit will involve mentored reflection and creative theological work on designing approaches and strategies for women’s leadership for the future of the church. The aim of this unit is for participants to begin to reimagine and to sketch theological understandings of leadership that are empowering for their own professional and personal context, and that can inspire and foster greater participation for all.

Learning outcomes

To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.

Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.

Explore the graduate capabilities.

On successful completion of this unit, students should be able to:

LO1 - Critically reflect on their personal and professional experiences of leadership (GA4);

LO2 - Analyse constructive, theologically framed models for women’s leadership into the future (GA6);

LO3 - Construct a contextual model of contemporary leadership that demonstrates an integration of theological frameworks explored in the unit (GA4, GA8).

Graduate attributes

GA4 - think critically and reflectively 

GA6 - solve problems in a variety of settings taking local and international perspectives into account

GA8 - locate, organise, analyse, synthesise and evaluate information 

Content

Topics will include:

• Development of theological reflection skills;
• Exploration of experiences of leadership;
• Leadership from general, liberation and feminist theological perspectives;
• Contemporary models of leadership and their strengths and weaknesses;
• Hermeneutical approaches to contemporary models of Church;
• The relationship of creativity and theological imagination in theological investigation;
• Challenges and opportunities for reimagining women’s leadership, now and into the future. 

Learning and teaching strategy and rationale

This unit involves 150 hours of focused learning, or the equivalent of 10 hours per week for 15 weeks. The total includes formally structured learning activities such as lectures, tutorials and online learning.  The remaining hours typically involve reading, research, and the preparation of tasks for assessment.

The unit is normally offered in multi-mode. Students learn through formally structured and sequenced learning activities that support the achievement of the learning outcomes. Students are guided in developing high level skills in critical thinking, reflection, analysis, and application. Learning activities are structured according to the constructivist developmental sequence, beginning with reflecting on leadership and explaining its purpose, then shifting to focus on analysing different models of both church and leadership from general, feminist, and liberation perspectives. Finally, activities focus on applying learnings from this unit to the student’s own context, by considering how particular models of leadership may be reimagined to grapple with the challenges of today’s context, now and into the future. Learning is designed to be an engaging and supportive student-centred experience, and student participation is essential. 

Assessment strategy and rationale

In order to pass this unit, students are required to attempt all assessment tasks and achieve an overall grade of Pass (50% or higher).

The assessment tasks for this unit are designed for students to demonstrate their achievement of each learning outcome. The three assessment tasks align with the constructivist sequence outlined in the learning outcomes and the teaching and learning strategy, which moves in sequence from explanation, to analysis, to application.

Assessment task 1 enables students to display achievement of LO 1 by asking them to reflect theologically on the purpose of leadership and their own experiences of leadership. This is a foundational activity, aimed at enabling students to integrate prior experiences with critical theological reflection on leadership. It forms a platform for Assessment tasks 2 and 3.

Assessment task 2 aims to extend students’ engagement further, shifting from explanation into analysis. It asks them to analyse the strengths and weaknesses of three models of leadership, of their choice, in light of the challenges of a specific context. This task is designed to help students display achievement of LO 2.

Assessment task 3 enables students to display achievement of LO 3. The focus of this task is on application. Students are asked present their own leadership plan, articulating a model of leadership for their own context, with specific leadership objectives, which displays integration with the key themes of the unit.

Overview of assessments

Representative texts and references

Allen, John L. Against the Tide: The Radical Leadership of Pope Francis. Liguori: Liguori Publications, 2014.

Beattie, Tina. "Transforming Time: The Maternal Church and the Pilgrimage of Faith." Chap. 6 In Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium, and the Renewal of the Church, edited by Duncan Dormor and Alana Harris, 134-53. New York: Paulist Press, 2017.

Catholic Women Speak Network, Visions and Vocations. Paulist Press, 2018.

Dulles, Avery. Models of the Church. New York: Image, 2013.

Griffith, Colleen M., ed. Prophetic Witness: Catholic Women’s Strategies for Reform. New York: Crossroad, 2009. 

Hogan, Linda and A.E. Orobator, eds. Feminist Catholic Theological Ethics: Conversations in the World Church. ORBIS, 2014.

Johnson, Elizabeth A. ed. The Church Women Want. Catholic Women in Dialogue. New York: Crossroad Publishing, 2002.

Lowney, Chris. Pope Francis: Why He Leads the Way He Leads. Chicago: Loyola Press, 2013.

Osborne, Kenan B. Orders and Ministry: Leadership in The World Church, Theology in Global Perspective. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2006.

Sanders, Annmarie, ed. Spiritual Leadership for Challenging times: Presidential Addresses from the Leadership Conference of Women Religious. Maryknoll, NY: ORBIS Books, 2014.