Augustine Module Handbook - Leeds Uni

SCHOOL OF PHILOSOPHY, RELIGION
& HISTORY OF SCIENCE
FACULTY OF ARTS, HUMANITIES AND

CULTURES
PRHS 2451
Augustine of Hippo: A Key Thinker in
Theology and Philosophy
Dr Tasia Scrutton (‘Tasia’ or ‘Dr Scrutton’)
2021/22
Office hours: Thursdays 4 – 6pm

Office: Botany House 2.17
E-mail: t.scrutton@leeds.ac.uk
Module Code & Title
Academic year
Accessibility
A copy of this document is available electronically on Minerva.
For information in alternative formats (for example, in braille, large print or an electronic format),
please email prhs@leeds.ac.uk. You can also contact us by telephone 0113 343 3260
Assessibility Statement:
If you are unable to access any of the content of this module for disability-related reasons, please
contact your module leader in the first instance. You should also ensure that you have registered for
support from Disability Services
Captions for recorded teaching sessions are automatically generated by software and may contain
some errors as a result. If you are having difficulty understanding the content and would like
clarification please contact your module tutor
For more information see https://digitalpractice.leeds.ac.uk/accessibility-inclusivity/#widget-8
Equality and Inclusion
The University of Leeds is committed to the principle of equality and is determined to treat all
students fairly, and avoid all unlawful forms of discrimination on grounds of gender (including
pregnancy, trans status or marital status), race (including colour, nationality, ethnic origin or national
origin), sexual orientation, disability, religion or belief, and age.
We recognise that, in order to enable all students to have equal access to our facilities and
educational opportunities, some students may require specialist support or adjustments (for example,
to timetables or learning materials). We therefore aim to take a flexible approach, wherever possible,
when responding to the individual needs of our students.
We work hard to meet the needs of a diverse student population and provide a safe, supportive and
welcoming environment for all. We also expect all students to work with us in making this a non-
discriminatory and inclusive environment.
If you have any concerns relating to an equality or diversity issue within the School of PRHS or if you
would like to suggest a way in which we might make our practices more inclusive, please contact
PRHS@leeds.ac.uk.
Level: 2
Semester Taught: 1
Credits: 20
2
Module Code & Title
Academic year
Module Aims & Objectives:
The objectives of this module are:
 To familiarise students with the thought of one very influential philosopher and
theologian, Augustine of Hippo, in a way that is informed by attention to context and
genre.
 To familiarise students with Augustine’s legacies in later philosophical and theological
thinking.
 To foster appreciation of the thought of pre-modern philosophical and theological
thinkers, and to enable students to read primary texts for themselves.
 To develop students’ capacity to understand and critically appraise philosophical and
theological thoughts and ideas.
Teaching Methods:
You can view all of your lecture and seminar times and locations on your personal timetable, which
can be accessed via the Student Portal. You should check your timetable regularly throughout
the term in case of any location changes.
Required Materials:
You will need a copy of Augustine’s Confessions, which will be the primary reading for this module.
Please try to get the translation by Maria Boulding OSB. This is the translation I will be using, which
will make it easier than going between translation. Her study version also has very helpful footnotes.
However, you won’t be penalised for using a different translation.
Attendance/Engagement:
Engagement with lectures and seminars for this module is compulsory. Please see the School
Undergraduate Handbook (available in the VLE) for full details of School regulations on
attendance/engagement.
Private Study:
3
Module Code & Title
Academic year
This is a 20 credit level 2 module with a total allocation of 200 study hours. In addition to the
timetabled teaching hours, the 178 hours of private study time should include: 44 hours preparation
for seminars, and 134 hours preparation for essays, including the formative assessment.
You should pace the progress of your study, by starting independent library searching and reading
early in the semester.
Assessment:
Assessment is by 1 x 3,000 word essay
Please see the School Undergraduate Handbook (available in the VLE) for full details of School
assessment procedures including essay presentation and submission, word limits, deadlines,
extension requests, examinations and resits. Guidelines on referencing and plagiarism can also be
found in the Handbook.
Resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt.
You are not allowed to submit the same work twice. You must ensure that your essay does not
overlap extensively with work submitted for your dissertation, or for other modules within your subject
or in related subjects.
Word Limit
The word limit for each essay is 3,000 words. It is not 3,000 words + 10%. The 3,000 word limit does
not include the bibliography.
There is no fixed penalty for exceeding word limit, but work will not be read beyond the point at which
the word count was exceeded, and the work will be marked accordingly. You should note that this
may mean that your work will be marked as though it lacked a conclusion.
Each component of assessment in this module must be attempted. If you do not attempt one of the
components you will be required to re-sit the component in order to pass the module.
Feedback Arrangements:
You will receive feedback on your assessments within three weeks.
Written feedback will be returned with your essay via Turnitin. Further verbal feedback can be given
on request.
Module Outline:
Week 1 (w/c 27th Sept.)
4
Module Code & Title
Academic year
Lecture 1: Who was Augustine of Hippo, and what is this module about?
Seminar 1: Introduction to Augustine and to one another
‘Reading’ for Seminar 1: watch this short (3 minute) video and jot down any thoughts (including
critical ones) that you have: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRsjaBTphVM
Week 2 (w/c 4th Oct.)
Lecture 2: God
Seminar 2: We’ll discuss the 2 exercises set in the Week 1:
1.1: Jot down i) anything you already knew about Augustine and ii) 3 things you learned about him
through this lecture
1.2: Read Book I Chapter I of the Confessions, and jot down how you think Augustine’s intended
audiences are reflected in this passage.
Week 3 (w/c 11th Oct.)
Lecture 3: Sin
Seminar 3: What does Augustine think of God?
Reading for Seminar 3: Confessions 1
Week 4 (w/c 18th Oct):
Lecture 4: Sex
Seminar 4: Sin
Week 5 (w/c 25th Oct):
Lecture 5: Evil
Seminar 5: Sex
Week 6 (w/c 2nd Nov):
Lecture 6: Will and Grace

Seminar 6: Evil
Week 7 (w/c 8th Nov):
Lecture 7: Eternity
Seminar 7: Will and Grace
5
Module Code & Title
Academic year
Lecture 8: Time
Seminar 8: Eternity
Reading for Seminar 8: Confessions 11.1 - 14
Week 9 (w/c 22nd Nov):
Lecture 9: Scripture
Seminar 9: Time
Reading for Seminar 6: Confessions 11. 14 – 31
Lecture 10: Revision/essay-writing training

Seminar 10: Scripture
Week 11 (w/c 6th Dec):
Lecture 11: Essay preparation session/Q&A

Seminar 11: Revision/essay-writing prep/Q&A
Key Dates:
End of Week 7 (12th November): Release of essay titles

End of Week 8 (19th November): Ideal date for submission of essay plans/drafts
End of Week 9 (26th November): Latest date for submission of essay plans/drafts
End of Week 11 (10th December): Receive feedback on your essay draft/plan
Resources & Reading List:

Use the bibliography contained in this course document to assist in your reading for this module and,
particularly, for your assessment preparation. It is not a comprehensive list, and certainly not a
substitute for your own independent research amongst the library holdings and online journals.
Augustine’s Confessions is the primary text for both essays and you are encouraged to show
a careful/thoughtful reading of that text in your essay. In addition, you may find the following
resources useful:
God
Augustine of Hippo, De Trinitate/On the Trinity, available at

https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/1301.htm
6
Module Code & Title
Academic year
Cavadini, John C., God’s eternal knowledge according to Augustine, in Meconi, David Vincent;
Stump, Eleonore (eds.), in The Cambridge Companion to Augustine, Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press, pp. 37 - 59, available via the University library online
Chadwick, Henry, 1986, Augustine: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford: Oxford University Press, chs.
1 and 6, available via the University library online
Chadwick, Henry, 2010, Augustine of Hippo: A Life, ch. 1 (A Personal Quest), pp 1 - 25, available via
the University library online
McDonald, Scott, 2014, The divine nature: being and goodness, in Meconi, David Vincent; Stump,
Eleonore (eds.), in The Cambridge Companion to Augustine, Cambridge: Cambridge University
Press, pp. 17 - 36, available via the University library online
Mullins, Ryan, The Reluctant Theologian Podcast, episodes 29 and 30, available at
https://www.rtmullins.com/podcast-guests
Tornau, Christian, 2020, Saint Augustine, in The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, especially
Section 3 and 6, available at https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2020/entries/augustine/
Van Geest, Paul, 2020, God, in The Cambridge Companion to Augustine’s Confessions, ed. Toom,
Tarmo, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, via the University library online
Sin
Augustine of Hippo, City of God/De Civitate Dei, available at

Chadwick, Henry, 2010, Augustine of Hippo: A Life, ch. 11 (Freedom and Grace), pp 145 – 168,
available via the University library online
Costabile, Giovanni, 2017, Stolen Pears, Unripe Apples: The Misuse of Fruits as a Symbol of Original
Sin in Tolkien’s ‘The New Shadow’ and Augustine of Hippo’s Confessions, Tolkein Studies 14.1, 163
- 167
Leidenhag, Joanna, 2016, Forbidden Fruits: Saint Augustine and the Psychology of Eating Disorders,
New Blackfriars, available via https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/nbfr.12233
Mann, William, 2014, Augustine on evil and original sin, in Meconi, David Vincent; Stump, Eleonore
(eds.), in The Cambridge Companion to Augustine, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 98 -
107, available via the University library online
7
Module Code & Title
Academic year
Rist, John, 2014, Augustine Deformed: Love, Sin and Freedom in the Western Moral Tradition,
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, ch. 2 (Awe-ful Augustine: Sin, Freedom, and Inscrutability),
Section 7.5 and 7.6, available at https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2020/entries/augustine/
Van Oort, Johannes, 2020, Sin and Concupiscence, in The Cambridge Companion to Augustine’s
Confessions, ed. Toom, Tarmo, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, via the University library
online
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, ch. 1 (‘Will’ and Freedom, Mind and Loves: Some Pre-
Augustinian Debates), available via the University library online
Section 7.4, available at https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2020/entries/augustine/
Augustine of Hippo, On the Free Choice of the Will, On Grace and Free Choice, and Other Writings,
ed. And trans. Peter King, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, available at
https://philonew.files.wordpress.com/2016/08/augustine-augustine-on-the-free-choice-of-the-will-on-
grace-and-free-choice-and-other-writings-2010.pdf
Drecoll, Volker Henning, 2020, Grace, in The Cambridge Companion to Augustine’s Confessions, ed.
Toom, Tarmo, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, via the University library online
Stump. Eleonore, 2014, Augustine on free will, in Meconi, David Vincent; Stump, Eleonore (eds.), in
The Cambridge Companion to Augustine, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 166 - 186,
Sections 7.4 and 7.6, available at https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2020/entries/augustine/
Sex
Augustine of Hippo, City of God/De Civitate Dei, available at

8
Module Code & Title
Academic year
Chadwick, Henry, 2010, Augustine of Hippo: A Life, ch. 1 (A Personal Quest), pp. 1 – 25, and ch. 11
(Freedom and Grace), pp 145 – 168, available via the University library online
Nisula, Timo, 2012, Augustine and the Functions of Concupiscence, Leiden and Boston: Brill,
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, ch. 2 (Awe-ful Augustine: Sin, Freedom, and Inscrutability),
Section 9, available at https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2020/entries/augustine/
Van Oort, Johannes, 2020, Sin and Concupiscence, in The Cambridge Companion to Augustine’s
online
Evil
Augustine of Hippo, Enchiridion, 3 – 4, available at:

https://wmpeople.wm.edu/asset/index/cvance/Augustine1
The Problem of Evil in St Thomas Aquinas, available at http://oscott.net/problem-evil-st-thomas-

aquinas/ (St Mary’s College Oscott, 2017)
Calder, Todd C., 2007, Is the Privation Theory of Evil Dead? In American Philosophical Quarterly
44.4, 371 – 381
Hick, John, 1966, Evil and the God of Love, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 38 – 54; 179 –
187; 193. Available via the University library online
McCabe, Herbert, 1981, God III – Evil, New Blackfriars, available at

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/j.1741-2005.1981.tb02484.x
Section 7.5, available at https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2020/entries/augustine/
The Problem of Evil in St Thomas Aquinas, available at http://oscott.net/problem-evil-st-thomas-

aquinas/ (St Mary’s College Oscott, 2017)
Chadwick, Henry, 1986, Augustine: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford: Oxford University Press, ch. 3,
9
Module Code & Title
Academic year
Chadwick, Henry, 2010, Augustine of Hippo: A Life, ch. 1 (A Personal Quest), pp. 1 – 25, available
via the University library online
Hick, John, 1966, Evil and the God of Love, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 38 – 54; 179 –
187; 193. Available via the University library online
McCabe, Herbert, 1981, God III – Evil, New Blackfriars, available at

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/j.1741-2005.1981.tb02484.x
Tornau, Christian, 2020, Saint Augustine, in The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, available at
https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2020/entries/augustine/
Will and Grace
Augustine of Hippo, On the Free Choice of the Will, On Grace and Free Choice, and Other Writings,
ed. And trans. Peter King, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, available at
https://philonew.files.wordpress.com/2016/08/augustine-augustine-on-the-free-choice-of-the-will-on-
grace-and-free-choice-and-other-writings-2010.pdf
Drecoll, Volker Henning, 2020, Grace, in The Cambridge Companion to Augustine’s Confessions, ed.
Toom, Tarmo, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, via the University library online
Stump. Eleonore, 2014, Augustine on free will, in Meconi, David Vincent; Stump, Eleonore (eds.), in
The Cambridge Companion to Augustine, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 166 - 186,
Sections 7.4 and 7.6, available at https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2020/entries/augustine/
Eternity
10
Module Code & Title
Academic year
Deng, Natalja, 2018, Eternity in Christian Thought, The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy,

available at https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/fall2018/entries/eternity/
Helm, Paul, 2014,Thinking Eternally, in Augustine’s Confessions: Philosophy in Autobiography, ed.

William Mann, Oxford: Oxford University Press, ch. 6, available via the University library online
Karfíková, Lenka, 2020, Memory, Eternity, and Time, in The Cambridge Companion to Augustine’s
online
Time
Deng, Natalja, 2018, Eternity in Christian Thought, The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy,

available at https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/fall2018/entries/eternity/
Karfíková, Lenka, 2020, Memory, Eternity, and Time, in The Cambridge Companion to Augustine’s
online
Knuutila, Simo, 2014, Time and creation in Augustine, in Meconi, David Vincent; Stump, Eleonore
(eds.), in The Cambridge Companion to Augustine, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 81 -
87, available via the University library online
Minguzzi, Ettore, 2014, Augustine of Hippo’s philosophy of time meets general relativity, in
Kronoscope 14.1, 71 – 89
Scripture
Augustine of Hippo, On Christian Doctrine/De Doctrina Christiana, available at

11
Module Code & Title
Academic year
Adam, Eve and Evolution, Catholic Answers, available at https://www.catholic.com/tract/adam-eve-

and-evolution
Chadwick, Henry, 1986, Augustine: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford: Oxford University Press, ch. 8,
Dutton, Blake D., 2014, The Privacy of the Mind and the Fully Approvable Reading of Scripture, in
Augustine’s Confessions: Philosophy in Autobiography, ed. William Mann, Oxford: Oxford University
Press, ch. 7, available via the University library online
Hagerty, Barbara Bradley, 2011, Evangelicals question the existence of Adam and Eve, available at
https://www.npr.org/2011/08/09/138957812/evangelicals-question-the-existence-of-adam-and-eve?
t=1599206697883
Williams, Thomas, 2014, Hermeneutics and Reading Scripture, in Meconi, David Vincent; Stump,
Eleonore (eds.), in The Cambridge Companion to Augustine, Cambridge: Cambridge University
Press, pp. 311 - 328, available via the University library online
Getting Help:
Office hours and other one to one support are for the purpose of supporting your learning, not
recapping class content. Staff will not be able to provide one to one support with material already
covered in class (such as lecture or tutorial content, revision advice, or example assessments) if you
were absent without reason. If you are declined help because of absence, but you have ongoing
reasons for absence, you should contact the Director of Undergraduate Studies. Ensure all absences
are explained using the Absence Request system on the Portal, and remember that the Pastoral
Support Officer, Jonny Ackroyd, is available to provide support for students with ongoing issues
regarding attendance/engagement.
Key Documents
Please ensure that you read and familiarize yourself with the following important documents, all
available in the VLE:
 School of Philosophy, Religion & History of Science Undergraduate Student Handbook
 School Code of Practice on Assessment
Module Leader
If you have queries not covered in the above key documents or in this Module Handbook, please
contact the Module Leader during their office hours or by email.
Student Staff Forum
12
Module Code & Title
Academic year
You should always contact the Module Leader in the first instance about any problems which arise in
relation to a module. Any unresolved concerns about a module can be directed to the Course
Representative with responsibility for the module. Course Representatives are students who have
successfully applied sit on the Student Staff Forum (SSF), to represent a particular programme, and
a group of modules, and relay module level concerns to the SSF. Concerns about your programme
of study or the School in general can also be directed to the relevant Course Representative. You
can find out who your Course Representatives are, and how to contact them, by checking the Portal
under the ‘My Studies’ tab in the top left of the screen.
If you are interested in becoming a Course Representative in the next academic year, please look out
for details of the application process which will be publicized towards the end of Semester 2. The
School values student input very highly.
Recording of Teaching Sessions:
As part of your study on this module lectures will be recorded by the University. This recording is
being conducted in accordance with the University's Policy on Audio or Video Recording for
Educational Purposes (see
http://www.leeds.ac.uk/secretariat/documents/0Audio_Visual_Policy_2014.pdf). Please read the
Policy for further background information relating to your rights. The purpose of the recording is to
support your study at the University. It will be accessible by students enrolled on the module
through the University VLE.
In accordance with the University’s Policy on Intellectual Property Rights (see

http://www.leeds.ac.uk/secretariat/documents/ipr_policy.pdf) in general where staff or students make
a recording, all rights in that recording (including rights in the sounds made) will belong to the
University. The University seeks to respect student and staff rights to be acknowledged as authors
and performers. Otherwise, to the extent allowed under the general law, any individual interests in
the recordings are waived, allowing the University to act in effect as a custodian, to maximise
educational objectives in the general interest of all. If you have any concerns relating to the recording
please contact the individual leading the educational activity, or the module leader. If you wish to opt-
out of being recorded or wish to request that your contribution be edited please contact the individual
leading the activity or the module leader in advance of the session (for opt-outs) or immediately after
the session (for requests for edits). Please note that you may not opt out of recordings which form
part of the assessment process on the module.
You may not record the above activities yourself without obtaining the consent of the individual
leading the activity, unless you have permission from Disabled Students’ Assessment and Support.
Skills@Library
Skills@Library is available to all students and can help develop a wide range of academic skills and
strategies. There are workshops available in the Laidlaw Library on lots of different topics, including
13
Module Code & Title
Academic year
planning your essay or dissertation, writing academically and presentation skills, as well as an
increasing number of webinars.
For 1-to-1 support on academic study skills you can talk to a Learning Advisor who can help you with
developing a wide range of academic skills and strategies on topics including academic writing,
critical thinking, researching.
The Skills@Library website has lots of online help and information on study skills, referencing and
how to tackle different types of assignments, as well revision and exam tips. You can also book
workshops and one to one appointments through the website: https://library.leeds.ac.uk/skills.
14

Augustine Module Handbook - Leeds Uni

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Augustine Module Handbook - Leeds Uni

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

SCHOOL OF PHILOSOPHY, RELIGION

& HISTORY OF SCIENCE

FACULTY OF ARTS, HUMANITIES AND

Office hours: Thursdays 4 – 6pm

For more information see https://digitalpractice.leeds.ac.uk/accessibility-inclusivity/#widget-8

Equality and Inclusion

Module Aims & Objectives:

The objectives of this module are:

Assessment is by 1 x 3,000 word essay

Resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt.

You will receive feedback on your assessments within three weeks.

Week 1 (w/c 27th Sept.)

Week 2 (w/c 4th Oct.)

Week 3 (w/c 11th Oct.)

Week 4 (w/c 18th Oct):

Week 5 (w/c 25th Oct):

Week 6 (w/c 2nd Nov):

Lecture 6: Will and Grace

Week 7 (w/c 8th Nov):

Week 8 (w/c 15th Nov):

Week 9 (w/c 22nd Nov):

Week 10 (w/c 29th Nov):

Lecture 10: Revision/essay-writing training

Week 11 (w/c 6th Dec):

Lecture 11: Essay preparation session/Q&A

End of Week 7 (12th November): Release of essay titles

Resources & Reading List:

Augustine of Hippo, De Trinitate/On the Trinity, available at

Augustine of Hippo, City of God/De Civitate Dei, available at

Augustine of Hippo, City of God/De Civitate Dei, available at

Augustine of Hippo, Enchiridion, 3 – 4, available at:

The Problem of Evil in St Thomas Aquinas, available at http://oscott.net/problem-evil-st-thomas-

McCabe, Herbert, 1981, God III – Evil, New Blackfriars, available at

The Problem of Evil in St Thomas Aquinas, available at http://oscott.net/problem-evil-st-thomas-

McCabe, Herbert, 1981, God III – Evil, New Blackfriars, available at

Will and Grace

Deng, Natalja, 2018, Eternity in Christian Thought, The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy,

Helm, Paul, 2014,Thinking Eternally, in Augustine’s Confessions: Philosophy in Autobiography, ed.

Deng, Natalja, 2018, Eternity in Christian Thought, The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy,

Augustine of Hippo, On Christian Doctrine/De Doctrina Christiana, available at

Adam, Eve and Evolution, Catholic Answers, available at https://www.catholic.com/tract/adam-eve-

 School of Philosophy, Religion & History of Science Undergraduate Student Handbook

 School Code of Practice on Assessment

Student Staff Forum

Recording of Teaching Sessions:

In accordance with the University’s Policy on Intellectual Property Rights (see

You might also like