Abstract
Enugu, the coal city offer hermeneutical and pedagogical resources for re-imagining the theological curriculum of Spiritan International School of Theology (SIST) in Enugu. Enugu is the capital city of Enugu state, Nigeria. With a 2018 estimated population of over 1 million, Enugu is projected to grow to over 2 million by 2050! Like other African cities, the urbanization of Enugu presents complex socio-economic and infrastructural challenges that will exacerbate urban vulnerabilities. Does the theological curriculum of SIST equip her students for Enugu’s exponential growth? Should SIST “urbanize” its theological curriculum? Can SIST articulate a response to the urbanization of Enugu, using a trans-disciplinary curriculum that transcends disciplinary boundaries? In this article I propose Enugu as a classroom for trans-disciplinary theological education and formation in SIST. I applied a qualitative research methodology of interviews, site visits, and documentary analysis, to propose ways of realizing an urbanized theological curriculum at SIST.
Highlights
The notion of a city as classroom may seem an oxymoron! Conventionally, a classroom is a space where education is mediated through a teacher-student medium
Liberation is the critical assessment of the context of Enugu city, and the curriculum of Spiritan International School of Theology (SIST) as a theological In-Imagining Enugu as classroom for theological education in SIST197 stitute, located within this context
It is an invitation to be more intentional and deliberate about how SIST does its theological work within the coal city as its socio-theological context
Summary
The notion of a city as classroom may seem an oxymoron! Conventionally, a classroom is a space where education is mediated through a teacher-student medium. SIST could disrupt this silence by initiating a theological conversation on Enugu’s fractures and futures, by intentionally adopting a trans-disciplinary curriculum in which “different academic disciplines work jointly with practitioners to solve real-world problems” (Klein, 2001:4) Such a curriculum has the advantage of advancing a theological re-imagination and dialogical methodology, which some scholars termed “the African Palaver – a joint theological research project with a clear theme, purpose and objective” (Kasonga, 1988:198; Mulefo, 1996:139; Orobator, 2014:9). Enugu as classroom for an African urban theological palaver has the potential of unleashing Christian theological imaginaries and values using a pedagogy that draws from the ordinary and everyday experience of Enugu’s citadins (Lefebvre, 1996:34) Those urban dwellers, especially the poor and marginalised who refuse to be excluded from Enugu’s urban reality, and whose knowledge and expertise in feeling and reading the city, are often ignored in urban discourses. I am an alumnus of SIST and a member of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
