| Course Unit Title | TEACHING OF RELIGION IN PRIMARY EDCATION |
| Course Unit Code | ELE112 |
| Course Unit Details | |
| Number of ECTS credits allocated | 4 |
| | Learning Outcomes of the course unit | By the end of the course, the students should be able to:- To understand the main doctrines of Orthodox Christian Theology (triadic, Christological dogma, ecclesiology), the ecclesiastical anthropology (i.e. psychosomatic unity), the value of a loving attitude towards the fellow human beings with respect for one’s otherness, as well as the existential meaning of the above in the modern world and the educational environment.
- To appreciate the importance of respect and love for the natural world which theology points out, within the context of the modern demand for the cultivation of ecological consciousness―together with the positive reception of human civilization and culture―on the premise that it has to be preserved as something that humanity enjoys as a gift.
- To connect theological principles with the economic and political life (citizenship) in the broadest sense of those notions within the framework of the universal calling for unity, peace and justice.
- To obtain basic knowledge of the teachings of other Christian Churches (Protestant and Roman Catholic), as well as of those of the main world religions (Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism) and be introduced to non-religious belief systems (e.g. atheism, agnosticism, humanism e.t.c.).
- To learn the reasons which justify the teaching of the subject of Religious Education in the Public Schools of Cyprus and the other European countries; the cognitive and other prerequisites of this subject in primary education; the way in which the characteristics of psychological and cognitive development of children in primary education relate to religious faith; the contents of the analytical curriculum of Religious Education, the textbooks and assessment methods.
- To enable students to efficiently plan a lesson of Religious Education with emphasis on the use of alternative resources such as artistic works and the new media.
- To develop critical thinking and eagerness to discuss and consciously express their opinion on issues which concern the connection of orthodox theology to the Church, of religion to society and existential targeting with special focus on the educational processes and techniques.
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| Mode of Delivery | Face-to-face |
| Prerequisites | NONE | Co-requisites | NONE |
| Recommended optional program components | NONE |
| Course Contents | The basic principles of orthodox Christian faith
Triadic, Christological and ecclesiological dogmas, the creation of human being, the Church as a community of diverse personalities.
Theology and its relation to the physical and the human/social environment
The pagan, the rational-exploitative, philosophical and churchly attitude towards physical life. The eco-nomic, cultural and sociological background of Theology.
The connection between local and universal, Christian Denominations, main world religions, non-religious belief systems
Orthodox Church and ecumenicity-globalization; Protestantism and Roman Catholicism; examination of basic beliefs of Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism (cosmology, anthropology, the afterlife) and non-religious belief systems (atheism, agnosticism, humanism); comparative analysis.
Religious Education in (Public) primary education
Cultural and historical role of the subject and the relevant Document of the European Union (2005). Modern Cypriot society and Religious Education; Religious Education in Europe.
Pedagogical and teaching dimensions for the teaching of Religious Education
Cognitive, socio-psychological prerequisites of primary education and religious faith; the modern planning of R.E., analytical curriculum, textbooks and assessment of R.E.
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| Recommended and/or required reading: |
| Textbooks | - A summary of the lectures on the various Units is uploaded on the e-learning platform as well as links to or texts of selected articles and essays.
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| References | - Berry Wendell, Sex, Economy, Freedom and Community, Pantheon Books, Νέα Υόρκη, Σαν Φρανσίσκο 1993.
- Θωμά Παναγιώτης, «“Λίγα λουλούδια για το στόλισμα του Επιταφίου…”. Καλλιτεχνική έκφραση και Εκκλησία. Σχόλια και ενδεικτικά παραδείγματα», Εκκλησιαστικός Κήρυκας 15 (2009) 54-70.
- Θωμά Παναγιώτης, «Μικρή και μεγάλη οικο-νομία. Μια απόπειρα (επαν)εύρεσης του τοπικώς και θεολογικώς κατοικείν», Ένεκεν 21 (2011) 19-33.
- Θωμά Παναγιώτης, "Reworking the Christological pattern: inhabitation and domesticity in Oscar Wilde’s The Happy Prince", Σynthesis 3 (2013), σ. 114-129.
- Ματσούκας Νίκος Α., Δογματική και Συμβολική θεολογία Β΄. Έκθεση της ορθόδοξης πίστης σε αντιπαράθεση με τη δυτική χριστιανοσύνη, Π. Πουρναράς, Θεσσαλονίκη ⁵1999.
- Ματσούκας Νίκος Α., Πολιτισμός αύρας λεπτής, Το Παλίμψηστον, Θεσσαλονίκη 2000.
- Ματσούκας Νίκος Α., Παλαιάς και Καινής Διαθήκης. Σημεία νοήματα αποτυπώματα, Π. Πουρναράς, Θεσσαλονίκη 2002.
- Ντεμπρέ Ρεζίς, Η διδασκαλία της θρησκείας στο ετερόθρησκο σχολείο, Εστία, Αθήνα 2004.
- Φωτίου Σταύρος Σ. (επιμ.), Παιδαγωγία ζωής, Αρμός, Αθήνα 1999.
- Wilde Oscar, The Happy Prince and other stories, Harmondsworth, Penguin Books, Middlesex 1994.
- Καλαϊτζίδης Παντελής, «Τα θρησκευτικά ως πολιτιστικό μάθημα», Σύναξη 74 (2000) 69-83.
- Fotiou Stavros S., “Diversity and unity: the vision of Christian Education in an age of globalization,” The Greek Orthodox Theological Review 49 (2004) 269-278.
- Fotiou Stavros S., “One in Christ: the icon of the Nativity of Christ as a charter of Church,” One in Christ 45:1 (2011) 21-34.
- Fotiou Stavros S., “The knowledge of religions in the textbooks of the lesson of Religious Education in the public schools of the Republic of Cyprus,” Michaela Moravcikova (Ed.), State-Church relations in Europe, Bratislava: Institute for State-Church Relations, 2008, 245-248.
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| Planned learning activities and teaching methods | Group reading/examination/analysis of theological texts. Use of open-ended questions to stimulate critical thinking based on things learned. Interactive learning through the projection of videos, the listening of songs and the interpretation of iconography, paintings and films.
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| Assessment methods and criteria | | Assignments | 35% | | Midterm Exam | 25% | | Final Exam | 40% |
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| Language of instruction | Greek |
| Work placement(s) | NO |
