Last modified: 29 Sep 2025 12:16
In this course we will be encountering the great Swiss theologian Karl Barth. Born in 1886, Barth was a pastor and an academic who lived through some of the most important events of the twentieth century: the First World War, the rise of Socialism, the Great Depression, the Second World War, and the start of the Cold War. At each point, he was no merely passive observer: he was opposed in his first parish for supporting socialism; he was expelled from Nazi Germany for opposing Hitler; and he was mistrusted by the West for taken a neutral position in the Cold War. In our course, we will focus on the revolutionary theology that underpinned the views of this outspoken activist. Week by week, we will be exploring how across a whole series of doctrines – including revelation, creation, Christology, and ecclesiology – Barth offered revised and visionary accounts of traditional positions. This will allow us to understand how he both charted new theological terrain and caused great theological controversy. And it will help us appreciate how he changed forever the theological landscape.
| Study Type | Undergraduate | Level | 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Term | Second Term | Credit Points | 30 credits (15 ECTS credits) |
| Campus | Aberdeen | Sustained Study | No |
| Co-ordinators |
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In this course we will be encountering the great Swiss theologian Karl Barth. Born in 1886, Barth was a pastor and an academic who lived through some of the most important events of the twentieth century: the First World War, the rise of Socialism, the Great Depression, the Second World War, and the start of the Cold War. At each point, he was no merely passive observer: he was opposed in his first parish for supporting socialism; he was expelled from Nazi Germany for opposing Hitler; and he was mistrusted by the West for taken a neutral position in the Cold War. In our course, we will focus on the revolutionary theology that underpinned the views of this outspoken activist. Week by week, we will be exploring how across a whole series of doctrines – including revelation, creation, Christology, and ecclesiology – Barth offered revised and visionary accounts of traditional positions. This will allow us to understand how he both charted new theological terrain and caused great theological controversy. And it will help us appreciate how he changed forever the theological landscape.
Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | Feedback Weeks | |||
| Feedback | ||||
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Analyse | To explain the historical and intellectual context within which the work of the major theologian under consideration in this iteration of the course is found and best understood. |
| Conceptual | Evaluate | To analyse the ideas and contribution of the major theologian considered in this iteration of the course. |
| Conceptual | Understand | To rehearse with understanding the main lines of the thought of the theologian whose work is considered in this iteration of the course. |
| Procedural | Apply | To express their own theological ideas and arguments effectively in oral and written forms. |
| Reflection | Evaluate | To appraise the significance of the major theologian considered in this iteration of the course within the wider scope of the theological tradition. |
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 60 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | Feedback Weeks | |||
| Feedback |
3,000-word research essay |
|||
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Analyse | To explain the historical and intellectual context within which the work of the major theologian under consideration in this iteration of the course is found and best understood. |
| Conceptual | Evaluate | To analyse the ideas and contribution of the major theologian considered in this iteration of the course. |
| Conceptual | Understand | To rehearse with understanding the main lines of the thought of the theologian whose work is considered in this iteration of the course. |
| Procedural | Apply | To express their own theological ideas and arguments effectively in oral and written forms. |
| Reflection | Evaluate | To appraise the significance of the major theologian considered in this iteration of the course within the wider scope of the theological tradition. |
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 30 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | Feedback Weeks | |||
| Feedback |
2,000-word text analysis |
|||
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Analyse | To explain the historical and intellectual context within which the work of the major theologian under consideration in this iteration of the course is found and best understood. |
| Conceptual | Evaluate | To analyse the ideas and contribution of the major theologian considered in this iteration of the course. |
| Conceptual | Understand | To rehearse with understanding the main lines of the thought of the theologian whose work is considered in this iteration of the course. |
| Procedural | Apply | To express their own theological ideas and arguments effectively in oral and written forms. |
| Reflection | Evaluate | To appraise the significance of the major theologian considered in this iteration of the course within the wider scope of the theological tradition. |
There are no assessments for this course.
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Analyse | To explain the historical and intellectual context within which the work of the major theologian under consideration in this iteration of the course is found and best understood. |
| Procedural | Apply | To express their own theological ideas and arguments effectively in oral and written forms. |
| Reflection | Evaluate | To appraise the significance of the major theologian considered in this iteration of the course within the wider scope of the theological tradition. |
| Conceptual | Evaluate | To analyse the ideas and contribution of the major theologian considered in this iteration of the course. |
| Conceptual | Understand | To rehearse with understanding the main lines of the thought of the theologian whose work is considered in this iteration of the course. |
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