Theology and Religious Studies BA

Explore the landscape of religions in modern British society, with particular emphasis on:

• Christianity
• Judaism
• Islam
• secularism
• nonreligion

You'll be introduced to leading theories of the sociological study of religion, including models for interfaith contact and dialogue, and examine how these theories and approaches developed.

Through groupwork you'll research an interfaith topic for a class presentation, learning to communicate your ideas to a supportive audience.

This module is worth 20 credits.

This module brings together philosophical, historical and sociological approaches to Buddhism. Students will learn about Buddhism as a philosophical and religious tradition – or set of traditions – with particular attention to the relation of Buddhist doctrines and teachings to the contemporary world. They will also learn about Buddhism as a living community, with particular attention to Buddhist life and practice.

Module description to be confirmed.

This module will examine Christian theological understandings of the nature of the human person. It will begin by exploring the background to such understandings in the Hebrew scriptures and ancient Greek philosophy, exploring particularly the nature of the soul, the importance of the body and gender. Of central importance will be a theological anthropology focused on the imago dei.
 
The module will progress to the study of Christ as the true human and the mediaeval concept of the human person as a microcosm of the cosmos. The latter stages of the module will focus on theological anthropology in the context of modern philosophical anthropologies, and contemporary ethical issues surrounding human 'enhancement' via medical technologies.

Explore the theology of Paul as found in the seven letters that are generally considered to be written by him (Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Philippians, 1 Thessalonians, Philemon).

The major themes explored are:

• law
• reconciliation
• justification
• grace
• faith
• sacrifice
• word of God
• Christology
• Israel
• the church
• ethics
• the ‘last things’.

Watch Professor Richard Bell give an overview of this module in less than 60 seconds.

This module examines how Muslims have addressed fundamental theological and philosophical questions relating to their faith. These questions concern the foundations of religious knowledge and authority, God's unity and attributes, God's relationship to the world, divine determinism and human freedom, prophecy, and human destiny beyond death.

Key figures will include the Mu'tazili and Ash'ari philosophical theologians, the philosophers Ibn Sina (Avicenna) and Ibn Rushd (Averroes), Isma'ili esotericism, and the influential medieval intellectuals al-Ghazali, Ibn al-'Arabi, and Ibn Taymiyya. Selections from primary sources will be read in translation, and special attention will be given to the integration of late antique philosophical traditions into Islamic thought about God, God's relation to the world, and human destiny. 

This module will explore key concepts and themes in Africana philosophies and religions, paying particular attention to Africana notions of the human person and human life within a spirit-filled cosmos.

After reviewing critiques of Eurocentric conceptions of philosophy and religion by decolonial thinkers such as Okot p’Bitek, Kwasi Wiredu and Sylvia Wynter, we discuss a variety of texts and sources that highlight and elaborate core concepts in indigenous African modes of thought, such as ‘vital force’, ubuntu, destiny and the world. Thereafter, we consider how Africana philosophies and religions offer fresh approaches to addressing various issues in the contemporary world.

The sort of questions we might consider here include:

• How might African accounts of humanity radicalise concepts of gender?
• Are Africana cosmological narratives able to counter heteronormativity?
• Can the philosophy of ubuntu promote environmental justice?
• What do Africana notions of witchcraft disclose about the dangers of human sociality and the possibility of trust?
• Can black humanity be affirmed in ways that refuse the social death of anti-black racism?

In this module you’ll explore significant problems in the philosophy of religion, such as the credibility of the existence of God, the relation between religion and science, the relation between religion and morality, the problem of evil, and the possibility of an after-life. There will also be discussion of significant themes, such as the nature of being, of faith, of religious experience, of religious language, and of religious love.  This module is taught through four hours of lecture and an hour-long seminar weekly.

Watch Dr Conor Cunningham give an overview of this video in just over 60 seconds.

The module provides an overview of the most important theological and philosophical ideas, theories and arguments that Jewish thought developed from the Hellenistic period of Philo of Alexandria to the postmodern times of Emmanuel Levinas. The method of instruction will combine historical and speculative approaches, using the perspective of the 'history of ideas'. 

These two modules are for complete beginners. They are also suitable if you have already done some study of Latin or Classical Greek (up to GCSE level). They cover the same material as ‘Beginners’ Latin or Greek 1’ and ‘Beginners’ Latin or Greek 2’. They just let you start your chosen language at a later point in your degree.

You’ll get an introduction to the grammar and vocabulary of your chosen language and you will be supported to analyse and understand basic sentences and to translate short passages.

There is no speaking and listening element - the main focus will be on reading text.

If you take these modules in your second year, you can continue onto the ‘Intermediate’ modules in your third year. Note: this is mandatory for Classics BA students.

This module is worth 20 credits.

Designed for students with no prior knowledge of Hebrew and will introduce them to the grammar, syntax and vocabulary of the Hebrew language, as found in the Hebrew Bible.

The focus will be on reading printed, pointed Hebrew (i.e. Hebrew with vowels), both aloud and for the purposes of understanding and translating. The primary textual focus will be the Hebrew Bible, with graded reading exercises introduced from the start, for those with academic and/or religious interests in the text.

Secondarily, the module will serve as an introduction to Hebrew grammar and syntax for those who wish to acquire modern Hebrew at a later date.

This module builds on Level 1 introductory Hebrew language modules in developing the ability to handle the text of the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia (BHS), an edition of the Hebrew Masoretic Text with its own invaluable contribution, the critical apparatus. This apparatus has a system of sigla (symbols and abbreviations) that, when learned, enable the Hebrew student to quickly compare variations of the text through the course of written history. The ability to navigate the BHS is key for examining some of the most mysterious and debated concepts in the Hebrew Bible. The basis of the module is the study and translation of individual texts (which will vary from year to year) with analysis of vocabulary, grammar, and style.

Module description to be confirmed.

This module involves employability skills training in the Autumn semester followed by a part-time placement (one day a week, or equivalent, up to eight weeks) in an external organisation in the spring semester. The module is aimed at developing hands-on work experience and enhancing employability skills in a workplace relevant to arts graduates. Skills developed during the placement will be intrinsically relevant to various work environments.  

Students will apply for placements in relevant local organisations from an established list created by the faculty placement team, but may also use personal contacts to arrange their own placement, subject to approval. Placements will be provided across a range of sectors relevant to the arts including the creative and cultural industries, media, marketing, heritage and museums, the music industry, education, charitable and third-sector organisations, but are subject to change each year. In the autumn term lectures and workshops will be organised across the faculty, with input by the Careers and Employability Service to provide learning support on professional development and skills assessment, networking, successful applications and interviews, self-presentation and self-reflection.   

Assessment will comprise an online portfolio of materials, including application materials, reflective writing and a research report situating the work and function of the placement organisation in the context of the wider sector of which it is a part. Throughout, students will be encouraged to reflect individually and in groups on their own employability, and plan for their ongoing professional development.