TEOL4460 – Hope and Eschatology
Course content
This course offers a discussion of Christian approaches to hope today. We study relevant texts and creeds from the Christian tradition as well as more recent contributions to hope and eschatology by theologians, historians of religion, and philosophers. Moreover, we discuss the difference between human hopes, religious hope, and radical hope and explore the impact of the different approaches to hope on the life of individual persons, Christian communities and social-political thinking and action.
This course invites students to explore Christian reflections on the future and goal of creation, humankind, non-human creatures, and the physical universe and to consider the so-called last things, i.e. death, resurrection, judgement, heaven, hell, and purgatory. Moreover, the course reflects on possibilities for an inter-hope dialogue among the religions of this world.
Learning outcome
- To read and interpret central texts in a critical, constructive and self.critical way.
- To discuss important theological, philosophical and political concepts
- To gain critical insight into significant theological approaches of the past and of today including creation, salvation, reconciliation, new-creation.
- To learn how to handle new and challenging contributions to theological research in Christian dogmatics, philosophy of religion, and political theory.
- To express your thoughts in good English
Admission
Students who are admitted to study programmes at UiO must each semester register which courses and exams they wish to sign up for in Studentweb.
Students enrolled in other Master's Degree Programmes can, on application, be admitted to the course if this is cleared by their own study programme.
If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures.
In case of available capacity on the course, individual admission can be granted to the course for applicants with one year of studies (60 ECTS) in theology/religion and a Norwegian bachelor's degree (or an equivalent degree). It is also required that the student is registered with Higher Education Entrance Qualification ("generell studiekompetanse") including Norwegian and English language proficiency at the University of Oslo, for example is qualified as a single course student at the bachelor level. You can register your interest by submitting an interest registration web form for TEOL4460 (in Norwegian) by the deadline August 3, 2020. This registration of interest will be treated as an application for admission to the course, if there is available capacity, cf. more information on the web form.
Prerequisites
Formal prerequisite knowledge
Completed first, second and third year of the six year programme in theology or completed a Norwegian bachelor degree (or an equivalent degree) and one year of studies (60 ECTS) in theology/religion.
Teaching
This course combines lectures and text-based seminars as well as smaller discussion groups.
In order to receive credit for this course and to make the course a meaningful experience for every participants, active participation is expected throughout.
Mandatory requirements:
Every student is expected to present a discussion of a major text, first orally in class, and then in writing of no more than 2000 Words.
Examination
Oral examination.
The examination will be held in Norwegian or English.
Grading scale
Grades are awarded on a scale from A to F, where A is the best grade and F is a fail. Read more about the grading system.
Explanations and appeals
Resit an examination
Withdrawal from an examination
It is possible to take the exam up to 3 times. If you withdraw from the exam after the deadline or during the exam, this will be counted as an examination attempt.
Special examination arrangements
Application form, deadline and requirements for special examination arrangements.