2.1 What is your (concept of) spirituality?- 1 -


Spirituality Network for Education / module / Introduction to Spirituality
learning unit / 2. The divine reality
area of activity / Mystagogics instruction
assignment / 2.1 What is your (concept of) spirituality?
filename / Spine_intr2_1_myst_instr.doc
pages / 3

We recommend you to print this instruction.

Background

In this task, which is divided over four assignments in three learning units, we ask you to explore your own frame of reference in the field of lived spirituality. Which part of the field do you prefer and emphasize and which part is a blind spot for you and doesn't have your attention? Essential for a phenomenological approach of the study of spirituality is awareness of your own frame of reference. All of you are starting your studies about spirituality having presumptions. Though it seems subjective, this frame affects your scholarly approach to the field of lived spirituality. Without asking you to let go of your presuppositions - they are very important as leading principles of your own research - it is important that you are aware of them as your personal point of view. In other words: before you can study the field of lived spirituality you must know what kind of lenses you wear and which possibilities (or impossibilities) these lenses have for your own research.

The area of activity of this exercise is mystagogics. In the context of the module Introduction to Spirituality, this means that the objective of this exercise is to give you the opportunity to become aware of your own frame of reference. For this reason we challenge you with several representative examples of lived spirituality and ask what you think about them. Do they fit in with your own ideas about spirituality or are they unfamiliar to you? For each example we ask you to formulate your position. With the information you gather you will be able to chart your position in the field of lived spirituality at the end of this task.

If you want this assignment to be fruitful, please be as honest as possible. Your position won't be evaluated. We only mark the quality of your evaluation (see learning unit 3) in this challenging process. Because the assignment is based on self-reflection, it is important for you to work as independently as possible. If you have questions about the assignment, please don't hesitate to ask your tutor.

Learning Objectives

After this assignment you will be – with the use of representative examples within the field of lived spirituality – able to formulate concisely and give account of your own position in the field of lived spirituality and of your concept of spirituality for a virtual spiritual friend.

Instruction

Introduction

The assignments of the learning units 2-4 in the area of mystagogics are one task. In the assignments of the learning units 2-3, you will be confronted with examples from the field of lived spirituality. Altogether you will be confronted with twenty-six examples. These examples cover the main topics of the field of lived spirituality. The order of the examples is random. You could choose to do the first two assignments at once, but we prefer that you take your time to let the examples sink in.Because we don't want to influence your opinion, we keep the sources undisclosed.Towards the end of this module, we willgive you this information.

The two assignments of learning unit 4 have to be done after the theoretical part of this learning unit. The first assignment is a reflection on the data of the assignments of the first two learning units. The second assignment that is the last assignment of this task is an evaluation of your position in the field of lived spirituality and of your concept of spirituality with the help of the data you gathered in the previous assignments. The evaluation is part of the assessment and has to be handed in.

The assignments of learning units 2-3 are divided in two parts. The first partexplores the question (1)'what is your spirituality?' and the secondexplores (2) 'what is your concept of spirituality?' Though the questions seem very much the same, they differ slightly. The first question inquires about your personal position in the field of lived spirituality, the second about your concept of spirituality in a more objective way. It is possible that something resonates as spirituality for you even if you disagree with it.

When you do this exercise it is important that you keepthe results of your work-document. They will be used for reflection not only in this module (in Learning Units 4 & 8), but in other modules as well.

The results of this exercise are strictly confidential. Only the evaluation of these results which will take place in learning unit 4 has to be handed in and will be part of the assessment.

I. What is your spirituality?

  • Open the corresponding work document of this assignment.
  • Use this as an electronic document to fill in the results of this assignment.
  • This work-document can be used for the first part of this assignment (What is your spirituality?) as well for the second part (What is your concept of spirituality?). In this document you will find the texts of the examples, score beams and space for reflection.
  • In BrightSite, Introduction to Spirituality, Assignments, you will find a hyperlink to pages that display the pictures, text and sometimes videos that form the examples.
  • Open Example 1.
  • Study the text and look at the illustration (some of the examples are audio- or video fragments).
  • Go back to your work-document.
  • Select in the text of the example the sentence(s) that hit you the most in a positive way and copy this/these under the heading: The sentence(s) you hit the most in a positive way.
  • Select in the text of the example the sentence(s) that hit you the most in a negative way and copy this/these under the heading: The sentence(s) you hit the most in a negative way.
  • Value the first example from the viewpoint of your personal spirituality. Under the heading: Your position in regard to this example, you will find a score beam from - 2 to + 2. The figures of the score beam mean:
  • -2: I reject this example.
  • -1: This example cannot be reconciled with my own spirituality.
  • 0: This example is neutral to me.
  • +1: This example can be reconciled with my own spirituality.
  • +2: I fully endorse this example.

Mark your position on the beam.

  • Give account of your valuation in two or three sentences and fill it in under heading: Your account of this position.
  • Treat the next twelve examples in the same way.

II. What is your concept of spirituality?

  • Go back to the first example.
  • Study the text again and/or look at the illustration (some of the examples are audio- or video fragments).
  • Go back to your work document.
  • Select in the text of the example the sentence(s) that relate the most to your concept of spirituality and copy this/these under the heading: The sentence(s) that relate the most to your concept of spirituality.
  • Select in the text of the example the sentence(s) that relate the least to your concept of spirituality and copy this/these under the heading: The sentence(s) that relate the least to your concept of spirituality.
  • Value the first example from the viewpoint of your concept of spirituality. Under the heading: Your position in regard to this example, you will find a score beam from - 2 to + 2. The figures of the score beam mean:
  • -2: This example has nothing to do with spirituality.
  • -1: This example has not much to do with spirituality.
  • 0: This example has something to do with spirituality.
  • +1: This example definitely has to do with spirituality.
  • +2: This example belongs to the core of spirituality.

Mark your position on the beam.

  • Give account of your valuation in two of three sentences and fill it in under heading: Your account of this position.
  • Treat the next twelve examples in the same way.

Product

The final product is an evaluation on the basis of the work documents of the assignments in the area of mystagogics of the first three learning units.

Feedback

Before the face-to-face moment of learning unit 4, the first draft of the evaluation has to be handed in. The tutor will comment on these evaluations individually by e-mail (if it concerns a private matter) and/or generally in the face-to-face session (if it concerns a more general matter). After the face-to-face session you have the opportunity to readjust your evaluation if necessary. The final evaluation is part of the assessment.