Units timetabled for 2013 and 2014 are provisional only, and details of semester and time will change. The official timetable for each year is released on 1 September of the prior year.

Archived unit descriptions for 2011 are available here.

Anglican Identity and Anglican Polity

Unit Code: 
CH/DCL385
RTI: 
United Faculty of Theology
Unit Value: 
15 points

This unit explores historical and contemporary attempts to define Anglican identity. The first part of the unit examines foundational Anglican texts (the Book of Common Prayer, the Ordinal and the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion), their origins in the Reformation, and their use and interpretation in subsequent centuries. The second part of the unit investigates the creation and ongoing evolution of local, national and global structures of Anglicanism, with particular attention to synodical governance and the role of bishops, clergy and laity in decision-making processes. Students will investigate how changes in areas such as liturgy, authority and theology can be initiated, realised or resisted within Anglican polity and law.

Learning Outcomes: 

Upon successful completion of this unit, it is expected that students will be able to:

  1. Demonstrate a basic understanding of structures of authority within the Anglican Communion and within one of its constituent churches
  2. Explain the contested nature of Anglican identity with reference to the Book of Common Prayer, the Ordinal or the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion
  3. Show how history, law and theology have shaped Anglicanism through presentation of a detailed case study
  4. Identify processes and mechanisms by which change occurs or is prevented from occuring within Anglican theology, governance and culture.
Lecturer/s: 
Megan Warner
Lecturer/s: 
Peter Sherlock
Timetabling
Semester: 
Semester 2
Day: 
Friday
Time: 
10 - 1
Location: 
Trinity College Theological School
Unit Frequency: 
Annual
Years Offered: 
2012
Years Offered: 
2013
Years Offered: 
2014
Unit Fields
Courses: 
Bachelor of Theology
Courses: 
Bachelor of Ministry
Field: 
Field C Christian Thought and History
Disciplines: 
Canon Law
Disciplines: 
Church History
Department Name: 
Department of Christian Thought and History
Department Name: 
Department of Moral and Practical Theology
Unit Level
Undergraduate Level: 
3
Prerequisites: 

15 points of Church History and 15 points in Field D

Corequisites: 

none

Prohibited Combinations: 

none

Mode of Teaching: 
Semester
Teaching Methods: 

Lectures and tutorials

Workload
Number of timetabled hours per week: 
3
Expected personal study hours per week: 
6
Total workload hours per week: 
9
Total workload hours for unit: 
108
Assessment
Assessment TypeWeightingLearning Outcomes Assessed
Assessment Type: 

A document exercise (1000 words)

Weighting: 
20%
Learning Outcomes Assessed: 
1, 2
Assessment Type: 

A research essay (2500 words)

Weighting: 
50%
Learning Outcomes Assessed: 
2, 3
Assessment Type: 

A thematic essay (2500 words)

Weighting: 
30%
Learning Outcomes Assessed: 
1, 4
Recommended reading: 

* = set texts recommended for purchase

Avis, P. The Identity of Anglicanism. London: T & T Clark, 2007.

*Chapman, M. Anglicanism: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006.

Doe, Norman. Canon Law in the Anglican Communion: A Worldwide Perspective. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998.

Evans, G. R. & Wright, J. R. (eds). The Anglican Tradition: a handbook of sources. London: DLT, 1991.

Frame, T. A House Divided? The Quest for Unity within Anglicanism. Canberra: Acorn Press, 2010.

Hassett, M. K. Anglican Communion in Crisis. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2007.

Jacob, W. M. The Making of the Anglican Church Worldwide. London: SPCK, 1997.

Kaye, B. (ed.) Anglicanism in Australia: A History. Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 2002.

Sachs, W. The Transformation of Anglicanism: From State Church to Global Communion. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1993.

Sykes, S. & Booty, J. (eds). The Study of Anglicanism. London: SPCK, 1988.

Ward, K. A History of Global Anglicanism. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006.

© United Faculty of Theology, 2008-2012.