Course Catalogue

Literature, Culture and the New Sacred TRS5127

  • Academic Session: 2026-27
  • School: School of Critical Studies
  • Credits: 20
  • Level: Level 5 (SCQF level 11)
  • Typically Offered: Either Semester 1 or Semester 2
  • Available to Visiting Students: No
  • Collaborative Online International Learning: No
  • Curriculum For Life: No

Short Description

This course interrogates the development of diverse cosmologies in post-Enlightenment culture from Romanticism to the present day. These are associated with new understandings of the sacred which will be explored through their cultural manifestations with a particular emphasis upon the critical reading of literary texts.

Timetable

4x5 hour teaching sessions as scheduled on MyCampus. Sessions are scheduled for longer than 5 hours to accommodate built-in breaks.

 

This is one of the options available in Theology & Religious Studies and may not run every year. The options running this session are available on MyCampus.

Requirements of Entry

Standard entry to Masters at College level.

Excluded Courses

None

Co-requisites

None

Assessment

The standard assessments for this course are: 

■ Essay (2000 words) - 40% 

■ Project (3000 words) - 60% 

 

If required, for instance where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, the following alternatives are available: 

■ There are no alternatives to the assessments, but flexible deadlines can be offered as reasonable adjustment (Students should follow the usual process for extensions). 

 

Further reasonable adjustments may be provided where necessary. Students are encouraged to consult with the course convenor.  

Course Aims

This course aims to:

■ Chart post-Enlightenment shifts in culture that have generated new cosmologies and corresponding new understandings of the sacred (e,g Romanticism, decolonial thinking, new materialisms and relational ontologies).

■ Engage with these developments through an interrogation of cultural and literary sources.

■ Engage in critical readings of significant and literary texts.

■ Assess the significance of these developments as responses to social, environmental and theological challenges.

Intended Learning Outcomes of Course

By the end of this course students will be able to:

■ Identify significant cosmological shifts in post-enlightenment culture.

■ Assess how these developments have contributed to new understandings of the sacred.

■ Apply analytical skills developed through the critical reading of literary texts.

■ Evaluate the impact of significant cultural developments in relation to social, environmental and theological challenges.

Minimum Requirement for Award of Credits

No exceptions