All Independent Guided Studies and Immersion Experience will be offered in all sessions as required by students.
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Units
2025 Availability
T9231
Theology of the SacramentsUnit overview and content
This unit presents a foundational study of the theology and rites of the sacraments with a focus on those of Roman Catholicism. It enables students to draw on their skills in the disciplines of theology and biblical studies to critically investigate the various components and approaches in sacramental theology including exploration of semiotics, and anthropological, Christological, ecclesiological dimensions. Students will have the opportunity to explore the implications of sacramental-liturgical theology as the source of Christian spirituality and mission.
Learning Outcomes
At the completion of this unit, students will be able to:
- compare and evaluate two different sacramental/liturgical traditions and their theological basis
- analyse the biblical and liturgical sources that have given rise to contemporary theology of the sacraments
- engage critically with a wide range of scholarly theological/liturgical literature on the sacraments
- apply to individual sacraments, in a critically informed way, the insights of recent proposals for a general sacramental paradigm, and
- produce graduate-level research focused on the pastoral practice of one Christian sacrament
Assumed Knowledge
T8106 & B8101
Study hours
10 hours per week for 12 week session, comprised of:
- At least one hour per week for online lectures.
- At least three hours per week of reading.
- At least six hours per week of directed study, including optional and assessable online activities.
Teaching methods
Online lectures; online activities; guided reading; scaffolded assessments; feedback on assessments.
Indicative Assessment
At the Institute we use a range of assessment tasks, including essays, research papers, online posts, critical reflections, projects and praxis exercises. Within a unit of study each set of assessment tasks is designed as an integral part of your learning experience. These tasks vary across units and programs. All assessment tasks are aligned to the Australian Qualifications Framework level appropriate for graduate awards.
L9293
Minor Independent Guided Study (Liturgy)Curriculum Objectives
This graduate course unit provides students with demonstrated initiative and creativity an opportunity to focus at an advanced level in a particular area of Liturgy, under the tutelage and guidance of a specialist in the field. The unit is designed to refine the skills of independent study by allowing the student to define their own study, and to set their own goals by means of an extended guided reading program.
Learning Outcomes
At the completion of this unit of study, students will be able to:
- develop a focused topic for independent scholarly investigation
- conduct independent research, under supervision, in terms of locating, utilizing and referencing a wide range of appropriate primary and secondary sources
- analyse and evaluate with critical empathy a range of disparate scholarly positions
- defend an independent perspective on the topic of the investigation, and
- produce a cogent set of researched findings in an extended piece of academic writing
Assumed Knowledge
T8106, B8101 & T9210
Study hours
10 hours per week for 12 week session, comprised of:
- At least 10 hour per week of directed study, including reading, research, consultation with tutor and writing up of assessment tasks.
Teaching methods
Online lectures; online activities; guided reading; scaffolded assessments; feedback on assessments.
Indicative Assessment
At the Institute we use a range of assessment tasks, including essays, research papers, online posts, critical reflections, projects and praxis exercises. Within a unit of study each set of assessment tasks is designed as an integral part of your learning experience. These tasks vary across units and programs. All assessment tasks are aligned to the Australian Qualifications Framework level appropriate for graduate awards.
M9293
Minor Independent Guided Study (Mission and Culture)Curriculum Objectives
This graduate course unit provides students with demonstrated initiative and creativity an opportunity to focus at an advanced level in a particular area of Mission and Cultural Studies, under the tutelage and guidance of a specialist in the field. The unit is designed to refine the skills of independent study by allowing the student to define their own study, and to set their own goals by means of an extended guided reading program.
Learning Outcomes
At the completion of this unit of study, students will be able to:
- develop a focused topic for independent scholarly investigation
- conduct independent research, under supervision, in terms of locating, utilising and referencing a wide range of appropriate primary and secondary sources
- analyse and evaluate with critical empathy a range of disparate scholarly positions
- defend an independent perspective on the topic of the investigation, and
- produce a cogent set of researched findings in an extended piece of academic writing
Assumed Knowledge
T8106 and B8101
Study hours
10 hours per week for 12 week session, comprised of:
- At least 10 hours per week of directed study, including reading, research, consultation with tutor and writing up of assessment tasks.
Teaching methods
Online lectures; online activities; guided reading; scaffolded assessments; feedback on assessments.
Indicative Assessment
At the Institute we use a range of assessment tasks, including essays, research papers, online posts, critical reflections, projects and praxis exercises. Within a unit of study each set of assessment tasks is designed as an integral part of your learning experience. These tasks vary across units and programs. All assessment tasks are aligned to the Australian Qualifications Framework level appropriate for graduate awards.
T9291
Foundations of Catholic Understanding IICurriculum Objectives
This independent directed study unit builds on those theories and concepts developed in Foundations of Catholic Understanding I. It enables students to develop an in-depth understanding of the basis of Catholic thought introduced in a second chosen Cornerstone subject. The selected subject must be different from that chosen in Foundations of Catholic Understanding I.
Learning Outcomes
At the completion of this unit of study, students will be able to:
- demonstrate a critical understanding of the foundational theological issues for Catholic teachers
- apply critically a range of theological understandings of Catholic practice in the Catholic Schools context
- research and develop student appropriate, critically grounded responses to theological issues raised in the classroom
- effectively communicate the value of critical theological understanding for fulfilling the mission of Catholic education.
Assumed Knowledge
Nil
Study hours
11 hours per week for 11 week session, comprised of:
- At least one hour per week for online lectures
- At least four hours per week of reading.
- At least six hours per week of directed study, including optional and assessable online activities.
Teaching methods
Online lectures; guided reading; scaffolded assessments; feedback on assessments.
Indicative Assessment
At the Institute we use a range of assessment tasks, including essays, research papers, online posts, critical reflections, projects and praxis exercises. Within a unit of study each set of assessment tasks is designed as an integral part of your learning experience. These tasks vary across units and programs. All assessment tasks are aligned to the Australian Qualifications Framework level appropriate for graduate awards.
T8194
Immersion Experience Critical ReflectionCurriculum Objectives
This graduate course unit aims to provide candidates with the opportunity to spend a significant period of time in one or more remote locations relevant to the biblical, theological or historical narrative of theological texts and/or movements, in order to appreciate more fully the impact of such locations on the interpretation of those narratives.
Learning Outcomes
At the completion of this unit of study, students will be able to:
- analyse key contextual features which have contributed to the field under study
- assess the relative importance of various local historical, geographical or cultural features in terms of their positive or negative contribution to the particular narrative within the field under study
- critically analyse a specific topic within the field under study in terms of its local origin and its subsequent broader development
- reflect on the impact of the travel experience on their personal development and theological and/or ministry understanding within the field under study, and
- produce a presentation depicting the connection between the location visited and the narrative within the field under study, with a focus on an application to contemporary theological understanding and/or practice.
Assumed Knowledge
T8106 & B8101
Study hours
10 hours per week for 12 week session, comprised of:
- 9 hours per week of independent study.
- 12 hours (approximately) across the session of guided study in dialogue with the supervisor.
Teaching methods
Guided reading; independent research.
Indicative Assessment
At the Institute we use a range of assessment tasks, including essays, research papers, online posts, critical reflections, projects and praxis exercises. Within a unit of study each set of assessment tasks is designed as an integral part of your learning experience. These tasks vary across units and programs. All assessment tasks are aligned to the Australian Qualifications Framework level appropriate for graduate awards.
P9264
Advanced Studies in Leadership for the 21st Century: Models of LeadershipCurriculum Objectives
In this unit, students will study, at an advanced level, contemporary theories of leadership and their intersections with the discipline of theology. Students will analyse a number of professional and religious contexts for leadership, and will develop their skills in selecting and applying appropriate models of leadership in these contexts.
Learning Outcomes
At the completion of this course unit, students will be able to:
- utilise the methodological strategies germane to studies of leadership and theology to analyse the context for leadership in the 21stcentury in a number of professional and religious contexts
- demonstrate an advanced understanding of, and capacity to critically evaluate, the work of a number of significant thinkers within 21st century leadership theory, and
- identify complex issues and problems associated with leadership in religious contexts in the 21st century and synthesise their skills and knowledge in theology and leadership to propose creative responses to these
Assumed Knowledge
P8155 & M8161
Study hours
10 hours per week for 12 week session, comprised of:
- At least one hour per week for online lectures
- At least three hours per week of reading.
- At least six hours per week of directed study, including optional and assessable online activities.
Teaching methods
Online lectures; online activities; guided reading; scaffolded assessments; feedback on assessments.
Indicative Assessment
At the Institute we use a range of assessment tasks, including essays, research papers, online posts, critical reflections, projects and praxis exercises. Within a unit of study each set of assessment tasks is designed as an integral part of your learning experience. These tasks vary across units and programs. All assessment tasks are aligned to the Australian Qualifications Framework level appropriate for graduate awards.
M9265
Pluralism and Cultural LeadershipUnit overview and content
In this unit, students will study in depth the current context for religious leadership, with a particular focus on pluralism. Students will utilise various analytic skills to engage with a number of historical ways of knowing within cultures, including classicist perspectives, modern perspectives, and post-modern perspectives. Students will be introduced to the theological concept of inculturation and the new challenges this poses in religious leadership. Drawing from this knowledge, students will explore what leadership looks like in the current context in a number of areas.
Learning Outcomes
At the completion of this unit of study, students will be able to:
- demonstrate advanced knowledge and understanding of religious and cultural pluralism, its impact on how people make sense of their lives, and the way it shapes the current context of religious leadership
- utilise the modern understandings of culture to construct models of culture, to use these models to critically analyse and assess the major elements of local cultures and the dynamics of cultural change, and then draw out the implications of these understandings for the practice of effective leadership of religious organisations
- articulate the major sources of pluralism in religious organisations, and the challenges and opportunities that pluralism provides in developing creative and innovative interventions to attain mission goals, and
- demonstrate an understanding of secularisation in the formation of institutional culture and identity, and its significance in managing faith-based organisations.
Assumed Knowledge
P9264 and M8161
Study hours
10 hours per week for 12 week session, comprised of
- At least one hour per week for online lectures
- At least three hours per week of reading.
- At least six hours per week of directed study, including optional and assessable online activities.
Teaching methods
Online lectures; online activities; guided reading; scaffolded assessments; feedback on assessments.
Indicative Assessment
At the Institute we use a range of assessment tasks, including essays, research papers, online posts, critical reflections, projects and praxis exercises. Within a unit of study each set of assessment tasks is designed as an integral part of your learning experience. These tasks vary across units and programs. All assessment tasks are aligned to the Australian Qualifications Framework level appropriate for graduate awards.
P9236
Theology and Practice of Social JusticeAbstract
This graduate unit develops the student’s knowledge and understanding of social justice issues from a Christian perspective. It provides opportunities for personal development and critical insight into appropriate approaches to addressing issues of societal injustice within a Christian leadership context.
Learning Outcomes
At the end of this unit students will be able to:
- analyse the Christian understanding of the nature of social justice
- explain the biblical, historical and philosophical foundations of a Christian response to social justice issues
- critically engage with ancient and modern literature on the theme of social justice
- critique a contemporary Christian response to a social justice issue from the perspective of insights gained from the unit, and
- apply perspectives from the unit to a social issue of relevance to the student within a leadership context.
Assumed Knowledge
P8155 and M8161
Study hours
11 hours per week for 11 week session, comprised of
- At least 4 hours per week of reading.
- At least 6 hours per week of directed study, including optional and assessable online activities.
Teaching methods
Online activities; guided reading; scaffolded assessments; feedback on assessments.
Indicative Assessment
At the Institute we use a range of assessment tasks, including essays, research papers, online posts, critical reflections, projects and praxis exercises. Within a unit of study each set of assessment tasks is designed as an integral part of your learning experience. These tasks vary across units and programs. All assessment tasks are aligned to the Australian Qualifications Framework level appropriate for graduate awards.
P9290
Capstone Project in Leadership and TheologyCurriculum Objectives
This Advanced graduate course unit provides an opportunity for students to integrate what they have previously learned in the major area of study, in other course units that formed part of the degree, and in their life experiences beyond the formal course of study. Its integrative nature incorporates reflection (on what they have learned), introspection (on where their understanding is currently) and projection (where the study may lead). It thus enables students to demonstrate a broad mastery of learning across the curriculum, to consider its application in future life situations, and to plan further learning experiences designed to complement and extend their current levels of understanding. It normally introduces little new content although it may introduce new methodologies and techniques.
Learning Outcomes
At the completion of this unit of study, students will be able to:
- identify and analyse the core disciplinary assumptions and principles of the range of units in their course Major
- assess the degree of alignment of these assumptions and principles with those of course units beyond their course Major
- formulate a statement of wholistic integration of their core learning across the curriculum
- establish a personal plan for the integration of their studies beyond the period of study, and
- design an approach for leading a specific group of people into the implementation of the major learnings from their studies.
Assumed Knowledge
P8155, M8161 & P9264
Study hours
10 hours per week for 12 week session, comprised of:
- At least four hours per week of reading.
- At least six hours per week of directed study, including optional and assessable online activities.
Teaching methods
One-to-one supervision.
Indicative Assessment
At the Institute we use a range of assessment tasks, including essays, research papers, online posts, critical reflections, projects and praxis exercises. Within a unit of study each set of assessment tasks is designed as an integral part of your learning experience. These tasks vary across units and programs. All assessment tasks are aligned to the Australian Qualifications Framework level appropriate for graduate awards.
S9247
The Foundations of Lasallian MinistryUnit overview and content
This unit focuses on the principles, theories and concepts of Lasallian values and spirituality through the Together For Mission residential program. It engages with those who work on behalf of youth, especially vulnerable young people, in yourtown and Lasallian schools. Further, this foundational unit enhances a student’s capacity to work effectively in the context of contemporary youth within their sociological and cultural context. Students’ learning experiences are praxis based and include formative learning activities and critical assessment tasks, building towards a community of practice across the Lasallian works.
Learning Outcomes
At the completion of this unit of study, students will be able to:
- critically analyse current research into the experience and needs of youth, with a particular emphasis on the poor
- discuss critically the foundational concepts and practices of Lasallian spirituality
- develop ongoing strategies for the integration of Lasallian spirituality and values in contemporary environments, and
- communicate to diverse audiences an in-depth understanding of Lasallian values, spirituality, and ministry.
Study hours
10 hours per week for 12 week session, comprised of:
- At least one hour per week for online lectures.
- At least three hours per week of reading.
- At least six hours per week of directed study, including optional and assessable online activities.
Teaching methods
Online lectures; online activities; guided reading; scaffolded assessments; feedback on assessments.
Indicative Assessment
At the Institute we use a range of assessment tasks, including essays, research papers, online posts, critical reflections, projects and praxis exercises. Within a unit of study each set of assessment tasks is designed as an integral part of your learning experience. These tasks vary across units and programs. All assessment tasks are aligned to the Australian Qualifications Framework level appropriate for graduate awards.