Religious Education

Curriculum Objectives

Travelling Inwards, Travelling Outwards is intended to help nurture the interior lives of teachers and thus assist them in meeting the complex challenges of their profession. The unit explores contemporary discourse on topics such as vulnerability and wholeheartedness and considers ways in which this discourse connects with and is extended by the Christian mystical tradition. Contemporary perspectives on the process of interior flourishing are discussed alongside the wisdom for flourishing contained within classical images such as the dark night and the interior castle. Moreover, practices for cultivating interior growth are presented and explored, and the consequences of developing one’s inner life for areas such as leadership and social consciousness and action are considered. Throughout the unit, daily life in the classroom and beyond is regarded as not peripheral to, but rather at the very heart of, interior growth.

Learning Outcomes

At the completion of this unit of study, students will be able to:

• Articulate a sound understanding of key anthropological and theological insights from the Christian mystical tradition and their relevance to educators.
• Reflect upon and critically analyse fundamental anthropological concepts from contemporary discourse on the interior life and their relevance to educators.
• Contemplatively and critically examine the process of interior growth as presented by both contemporary discourse on the interior life and traditional mystical sources, with particular reference to how this growth can unfold within the lives of educators today
• Describe and evaluate practices for cultivating interior growth presented by both contemporary sources and the Christian mystical tradition, with particular reference to how these practices can be enacted within the lives of educators today.
• Demonstrate a creative and critical understanding of the implications of interior growth for leadership and for social consciousness and action.

Assumed Knowledge 

D8120 & D8121

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.