The course consists of three components. a) The students will be introduced to basic principles of critical thinking, b) the students will be introduced to the basics of academic writing, correct citing of references, critically use of AI tools etc. and c) be introduced to basic topics of theology. The skills learnt in this course are of great importance in all other academic courses.
Teaching amounts to 40 hours of classroom instruction and is mainly given through lectures and/or seminars. The classroom experience aims to stimulate you to independent reflection.
As part of the classroom instruction, you are required to attend a workshop where you are introduced to the writing process and the formal guidelines for the preparation of an academic paper – including a template you may use and help to the writing of source citations and bibliography.
Attendance and Absence
To be eligible for final assessment you must:
- Attend a minimum of 70 % of the lectures (cf. chap. 5.5)
Students who don’t complete the attendance requirement, must retake the course the next time it is offered.
* See the document “Attendance Regulations for Fjellhaug International University College” for more details.
Knowledge
The students have:
- knowledge of the basic topics of theology.
- knowledge of how to clarify meaning and assess arguments.
- knowledge of how to write academic essays.
- an understanding of how it is to study in the Norwegian academic system.
Skills
The students can:
- identify and reflect on the arguments used in a theological text.
- assess arguments and explain why they are considered strong or weak.
- write academic essays according to academic standards.
All course requirements are individual, and papers are submitted digitally.
Course Requirements:
To receive final assessment, you must:
- Attend a workshop on academic writing.
- Complete a test on referencing.
- Submit a paper where you analyse the arguments of a given text (750 words).
- Submit a chapter summary of a chapter from one of the textbooks (500-700 words). The chapter summary will be shared with your fellow students.
Final Assessment:
| Form of assessment | Duration | Grading scale | Comment |
| Oral Exam | 15 minutes | Pass or fail | Summarise and assess the arguments of a given text. 15 minutes preparation time. Final assessment is based on the oral exam. |
Some readings are available digitally on the school’s learning management system (LMS) and are marked with *.
Anzior, Uche (2018): How to Read Theology: Engaging Doctrine Critically and Charitably. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic (176 p.).
McGrath, Alister E. (2015): Christianity: An Introduction. Oxford, UK: Wiley-Blackwell.
Mligo, Elia Shabani (2012): Writing Academic Papers: A Resource Manual for Beginners in Higher-Learning Institutions and Colleges. Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock (90 p.).
Morrow, David R. (2017): Giving Reasons: An Extremely Short Introduction to Critical Thinking. Indianapolis, IN: Hackett Publishing Company. (96 p.)
Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, University of Bergen & University of Oslo. (2025). Writing. Search & Write. https://www.sokogskriv.no/en/writing (circa 20 p.)
Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, University of Bergen & University of Oslo. (2025). AI in Education. Search & Write. https://www.sokogskriv.no/en/artificial-intelligence (circa 10 p.)
70 pages selected by the professor.
