ENSn4670 Christianity and Environmental Ethics – Theological View on Human-Nature Relationship

Faculty of Social Studies
Autumn 2023
Extent and Intensity
0/2/0. 6 credit(s). Type of Completion: z (credit).
Taught in person.
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Jan Zámečník, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
doc. Mgr. Karel Stibral, Ph.D.
Department of Environmental Studies – Faculty of Social Studies
Contact Person: Mgr. Kateřina Müllerová
Supplier department: Department of Environmental Studies – Faculty of Social Studies
Timetable
Mon 10:00–11:40 AVC
Prerequisites (in Czech)
TYP_STUDIA ( N )
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
The capacity limit for the course is 18 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 7/18, only registered: 0/18, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/18
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The main goal of the seminar is to introduce students to a concrete theological perspective on the relationship between humans and nature and to make available to them the basic ideas underlying environmentally oriented theology. In the seminar we will focus primarily on the book Imaging God: Dominion as Stewardship by Canadian theologian Douglas John Hall (1928-). In this work, Hall systematically and engagingly answers questions that have not ceased to be the subject of debate and controversy: Is Christianity to blame for the environmental crisis? What does it mean to "subdue the earth"? What is the meaning of the biblical statement that human being was made in the image of God? Is stewardship the proper relationship to nature? The author's perspective will be complemented by selected chapters of the book Environmental Stewardship: Critical Perspectives, Past and Present, in which the topic of stewardship is examined from various angles - both critically and favorably.
Learning outcomes
After completing the seminar, students will be able to orient themselves in the basic topics of environmental theology and their deeper connections with the Christian tradition. They will also gain experience in reading theological texts in English.
Syllabus
  • 1) Introductory seminar lesson 2) Image-making, human being and religion 3) Groaning creation and Christian guilt 4) The image of God: the biblical background 5) Two historical conceptions of the image of God 6) Ontology of communion 7) The dimensions of human relationships 8) Being with nature I. 9) Being with nature II. 10) Critique of the concept of stewardship (Clare Palmer) 11) Partnership with nature (Paul H. Santmire) 12) Dominion, priesthood, stewardship (Murray Rae) 13) Concluding reflections on the seminar
Literature
    required literature
  • Environmental stewardship : critical perspectives, past and present. Edited by R. J. Berry. New York: T&T Clark, 2006, xii, 348. ISBN 0567030180. info
  • HALL, Douglas John. Imaging God : dominion as stewardship. Eugene: Wipf and Stock publishers, 1986, viii, 248. ISBN 1592445802. info
    recommended literature
  • LIBROVÁ, Hana, Vojtěch PELIKÁN, Lucie GALČANOVÁ and Lukáš KALA. Věrní a rozumní: kapitoly o ekologické zpozdilosti (The Faithful and the Reasonable: Chapters on Ecological Foolishness). 1. vyd. Brno: Munipress, 2016, 328 pp. ISBN 978-80-210-8454-4. Available from: https://dx.doi.org/10.5817/CZ.MUNI.M210-8412-2016. info
Teaching methods
Discussion with students, analysis of texts, feedback on presentations
Assessment methods
Presentation and seminar essay
Language of instruction
Czech
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Study Materials
The course is taught annually.
Information on course enrolment limitations: Minimální počet zapsaných studentů 5.
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2020, Autumn 2021, Autumn 2022, Autumn 2024.
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
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