DI4829 A Quest for God: The Religious World of Dante

Academic year

2024 to 2025 Semester 2

Further information on which modules are specific to your programme.

Key module information

SCOTCAT credits

30

The Scottish Credit Accumulation and Transfer (SCOTCAT) system allows credits gained in Scotland to be transferred between institutions. The number of credits associated with a module gives an indication of the amount of learning effort required by the learner. European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) credits are half the value of SCOTCAT credits.

SCQF level

SCQF level 10

The Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) provides an indication of the complexity of award qualifications and associated learning and operates on an ascending numeric scale from Levels 1-12 with SCQF Level 10 equating to a Scottish undergraduate Honours degree.

Availability restrictions

Not automatically available to General Degree students

Planned timetable

2-5 Monday

This information is given as indicative. Timetable may change at short notice depending on room availability.

Module coordinator

Prof G Corbett

This information is given as indicative. Staff involved in a module may change at short notice depending on availability and circumstances.

Module Staff

Dr G Corbett

This information is given as indicative. Staff involved in a module may change at short notice depending on availability and circumstances.

Module description

Dante's Divine Comedy depicts the three realms of the medieval Christian afterlife - Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise. It also opens up the extraordinarily rich and diverse world of medieval theology. In their quest for God, medieval theologians questioned everything from the very existence of God to the age of Joseph when he married Mary. Taking Dante as a guide, the module explores how visionary founders (such as St Francis and St Dominic), theologians (such as St Bonaventure and St Thomas Aquinas) and artists searched for, and questioned about, God. Students are introduced to a wide variety of theological texts (all in English translation), and are encouraged to engage directly with some key questions and themes of the period such as the nature of human desire and divine love.

Assessment pattern

Coursework = 100%

Re-assessment

3-hour Written Examination = 100%

Learning and teaching methods and delivery

Weekly contact

1 x 3-hour seminar

Intended learning outcomes

  • Demonstrate their understanding of Dante’s Divine Comedy, and show a strong grasp of the religious world of Dante as a whole.
  • Demonstrate knowledge of a range of other theological texts of the period, and be able to tackle the various theological genre of the period with confidence.
  • Construct and sustain a sophisticated argument on a specific area of Dante’s theology.
  • Demonstrate the skills of independent study and learning, interpretation, and systematic analysis.
  • Function effectively as part of a group of learners, by taking responsibility
  • Appropriate personal contribution to class discussion, articulating the views of others and responding critically to them, and presenting their own views (in oral and written form) in a clear manner.