ASR310 - Mysticism and Religious Experience
Unit details
Year: | 2021 unit information |
---|---|
Important Update: | Unit delivery will continue to be provided in line with the most current COVIDSafe health guidelines. This may include a mix of on-campus and online activities. To find out how you are impacted, please check your unit sites for announcements and updates. Unit sites open one week prior to the start of each Trimester/Semester. Thank you for your flexibility and commitment to studying with Deakin in 2021. Last updated: 4 June 2021 |
Enrolment modes: | Trimester 2: Cloud (online)* *This is the final offering of this unit |
Credit point(s): | 1 |
EFTSL value: | 0.125 |
Unit Chair: | Trimester 2: John Powers |
Cohort rule: | Nil |
Prerequisite: | Nil |
Corequisite: | Nil |
Incompatible with: | Nil |
Scheduled learning activities - cloud: | 1 x 1-hour class per week (recordings provided), 1 x 1-hour online seminar per week |
Content
Mysticism and Religious Experience focuses on descriptions of advanced meditative states and spontaneous encounters with transcendent beings by some of the most important figures in world religions. It is a historical and topical survey of some of the world's major mystical traditions, which will be concerned with the principal characteristics of mysticism in Hinduism, Buddhism, Daoism, and Islam and with the thoughts and practices of some major figures in these traditions. Other related concerns will be questions about (1) the nature of religious experience and its relationship to religious authority; (2) the psychology of religion, especially of mystical religion; (3) contrasts between mysticism and other forms of religious experience, such as prophetism; and (4) implications of mystical experience for religious belief and theological expression. We will begin by considering some of the most influential models for analysing and categorising accounts by mystics and the systems in which they trained, and this theoretical background will enable us to compare and contrast these descriptions in a global religious perspective.
ULO | These are the Learning Outcomes (ULO) for this unit. At the completion of this unit, successful students can: | Deakin Graduate Learning Outcomes |
---|---|---|
ULO1 | Apply discipline specific methodology to critically analyse reports of mystical experiences in four traditions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Daoism, and Islam | GLO1 Discipline knowledge and capabilities GLO4 Critical thinking |
ULO2 | Examine and explain how mystics and their reported experiences have influenced the development of their respective traditions. | GLO1 Discipline knowledge and capabilities GLO4 Critical thinking |
ULO3 | Evaluate influential interpretive models for understanding mysticism | GLO1 Discipline knowledge and capabilities GLO4 Critical thinking |
ULO4 | Understand and critique the relation between the doctrines of religious traditions, the training regimens of mystics, and the reported outcomes of their training. | GLO1 Discipline knowledge and capabilities GLO4 Critical thinking |
These Unit Learning Outcomes are applicable for all teaching periods throughout the year.
Assessment
Assessment Description | Student output | Grading and weighting (% total mark for unit) | Indicative due week |
---|---|---|---|
Assessment 1 - Essay | 1000 words or equivalent | 25% | Week 5 |
Assessment 2 - Quizzes | 3 x 200 words or equivalent | 15% | Ongoing |
Assessment 3 - Presentation | 400 words or equivalent | 10% | Ongoing |
Assessment 4 - Essay | 2000 words or equivalent | 50% | Week 11 |
The assessment due weeks provided may change. The Unit Chair will clarify the exact assessment requirements, including the due date, at the start of the teaching period.
Unit Fee Information
Click on the fee link below which describes you: