THEOREL 201 : Religions in New Zealand

Arts

2023 Semester One (1233) (15 POINTS)

Course Prescription

An exploration of living religions in contemporary New Zealand, surveying the beliefs, traditions and practices that are central to religious groups in New Zealand and their interactions with contemporary culture both locally and globally. The course will introduce students to the comparative study of religion, engaging in such topics as religion and ritual, exploring belief, and interfaith dialogue.

Course Overview

Auckland is one of the most culturally diverse cities in the world. According to Statistics New Zealand, Auckland's current population is made up of 220 different ethnicities.

This ethnic diversity is also reflected in the growing diversity of Auckland's religious life. The city has the highest rates of religious affiliation in New Zealand, and most of New Zealand's smaller religious communities form a larger proportion of the city's population than they do elsewhere in New Zealand.

At the same time, the 2018 census figures revealed that almost half of New Zealanders described themselves as having "no religion." Although Auckland is more "religious" than most other parts of New Zealand, there are also parts of the city in which this "no religion" demographic is over-represented.

This course is designed to help you make sense of this diversity in belief and practice. In it we will explore the following questions:
  • How easy is it to define religion? Can we really find a definition that fits both the pre-Christian Maori worldview, post-contact Maori religion, and immigrant religious like Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism or Islam? Do other activities like sport and ANZAC Day commemorations also meet the definition of a religion?   
  • Is there really any difference between religion and "spirituality," or between religions and "cults"?
  • Do migrant religions have to change in order to adjust to life in New Zealand, and Auckland in particular?
  • Is New Zealand religiously tolerant and who needs to "tolerate" whom?
  • What does it mean to be secular? How should we understand the rapidly growing number of people who claim to have "no religion"?
  • How should members of religious communities and those with no religion negotiate their lives together?
  • What kind of future do religions have in this country?
As part of the course, you will also have the opportunity to visit two religious communities in Auckland. As part of your assessment you'll be asked to research the background of one of these communities, and to reflect on its place in broader New Zealand society.

Course Requirements

Prerequisite: 15 points at Stage I in Theology or from the BA Schedule, or approval of Academic Head or nominee Restriction: THEOLOGY 201, THEOREL 320

Capabilities Developed in this Course

Capability 1: Disciplinary Knowledge and Practice
Capability 2: Critical Thinking
Capability 4: Communication and Engagement
Capability 6: Social and Environmental Responsibilities
Graduate Profile: Bachelor of Arts

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:
  1. Critically evaluate basic concepts in the field of Religious Studies and the Sociology of Religion (Capability 1.1 and 1.2)
  2. Analyse and evaluate the history, current state, and possible futures of religious and spiritual life in Aotearoa-New Zealand (Capability 1.1, 6.1 and 6.2)
  3. Critically analyse the way in which religious/spiritual expression is affected by geographical context - specifically Auckland and Aotearoa-New Zealand (Capability 6.1, 6.2 and 6.3)
  4. Analyse and evaluate the way in which religion and spirituality are represented and discussed in the media (Capability 2.1, 2.3 and 6.3)
  5. Synthesis and communicate information about a specific religious community in Aotearoa-New Zealand (Capability 4.1, 6.1 and 6.2)

Assessments

Assessment Type Percentage Classification
Ten weekly online quizzes (2% each) 20% Individual Coursework
Four Discussions (10% each) 40% Individual Coursework
Religious Community Fact Sheet 15% Individual Coursework
Religious Community Site Visit Report 25% Individual Coursework

Workload Expectations

This course is a standard 15 point course and students are expected to spend 10 hours per week involved in each 15 point course that they are enrolled in.

For this course, you can expect 2 hours of lectures, a 1 hour tutorial, 6 hours of reading and thinking about the content each week and 30 hours total on assignments and/or test preparation.

Delivery Mode

Campus Experience

Attendance is expected at scheduled activities including tutorials to complete components of the course.
Lectures will be available as recordings. Other learning activities including tutorials will not be available as recordings.
The course will not include live online events including tutorials.
There is no exam.
The activities for the course are scheduled as a standard weekly delivery.

This course is not available for delivery to students studying remotely outside NZ in 2022.

Learning Resources

Course materials are made available in a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas which also includes reading lists and lecture recordings (where available).

Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.

Student Feedback

At the end of every semester students will be invited to give feedback on the course and teaching through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions.

Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students.

Class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.

Feedback from the 2021 iteration of the course did not suggest any substantive changes. However, the content of this course is updated each year to reflect the changing nature of the religious scene in Aotearoa-New Zealand and the questions that previous students have wanted to explore in class discussions and their assessments.

Academic Integrity

The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. This requirement also applies to sources on the internet. A student's assessed work may be reviewed against online source material using computerised detection mechanisms.

Class Representatives

Class representatives are students tasked with representing student issues to departments, faculties, and the wider university. If you have a complaint about this course, please contact your class rep who will know how to raise it in the right channels. See your departmental noticeboard for contact details for your class reps.

Inclusive Learning

All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor.

Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website http://disability.auckland.ac.nz

Well-being always comes first
We all go through tough times during the semester, or see our friends struggling. There is lots of help out there - for more information, look at this Canvas page https://canvas.auckland.ac.nz/courses/33894, which has links to various support services in the University and the wider community.

Special Circumstances

If your ability to complete assessed coursework is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due.

If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/exams-and-final-results/during-exams/aegrotat-and-compassionate-consideration.html.

This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.

Learning Continuity

In the event of an unexpected disruption, we undertake to maintain the continuity and standard of teaching and learning in all your courses throughout the year. If there are unexpected disruptions the University has contingency plans to ensure that access to your course continues and course assessment continues to meet the principles of the University’s assessment policy. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. You will be kept fully informed by your course co-ordinator/director, and if disruption occurs you should refer to the university website for information about how to proceed.

Student Charter and Responsibilities

The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/forms-policies-and-guidelines/student-policies-and-guidelines/student-charter.html.

Disclaimer

Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about the course will be available for enrolled students in Canvas.

In this course students may be asked to submit coursework assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations for this course online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. In exceptional circumstances changes to elements of this course may be necessary at short notice. Students enrolled in this course will be informed of any such changes and the reasons for them, as soon as possible, through Canvas.

Published on 01/11/2022 11:55 a.m.