Aims

By the end of this course , the student should be able:
- to confront him/herself in a personal and critical way with the reflection developed during the lectures about the Christian faith, and to argue his/her position, showing that he/she is conscious of the complexity of the questions at stake, also when confronted with various philosophical and religious traditions.
- to clarify the complex relationship between Christian faith and modernity, paying attention to the different language' levels and to their relevance in the context of the reflection about the meaning of life.

Main themes

In order to achieve these objectives, the instructor makes a critical presentation of certain central themes of the Christian faith (e.g. Scriptures, Christ and God, the human being in the world, the Church, etc.) in dialogue with the modernity. He/she shows how to distinguish the different language' levels, illustrating their respective relevance in our intelligence of truth. The basic awareness of the plurality of religious and laic approaches protects the discourse from close-mindedness, opening it to different traditions and to other approaches.

Content and teaching methods

This course intends to be a series of critical reflections on Christian faith, less in what it presents to be believed (cultic content) than in what it lets modern man see (modes of expression) and think (cultural content), especially when he hopes to seek as complete as possible an understanding of his historical existence and the complexity of his destiny. In favouring a multiplicity of approaches (notably by studying the languages of faith) and in relying on disciplines interested in the religious factor (philosophy, theology and religious studies or, for that matter, literature), the course intends to proceed via the presentation of various themes present and active at the heart of the inventories of religions (Scriptures, the enigmatic nature of evil, the incarnation, salvation, eschatology, faith and belief, religion and spirituality, etc.), while of course leaving a select place for the various traditions and convictions.

Other information (prerequisite, evaluation (assessment methods), course materials recommended readings, ...)

The student must choose a course among 3 possibilities (TECO1210, TECO1220, TECO 1230). Maximum of students in each course: 150.

Other credits in programs