Programme Specification: Study of Religions

Programme Convenor: Mr Ahmad Achtar

Link to Programme Specification

UCAS or JACS code: V620

Brief description of this programme

This degree offers a broad and flexible syllabus which allows students to study different religions of the world, methods in the study of religion, dimensions of religion (such as scripture, ethics, religious experience and mysticism) and themes that reflect the interaction between religion and other related subject areas (such as politics and philosophy) as well as the interaction between religions. The religions covered by the degree are Judaism, Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism. 

Core modules in the first year (or first two years for part-timers) give you an introduction to theory, methods and themes in the study of religion, and to the beliefs and practices of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Second year half-modules examine the family of religions which comprise Hinduism, the making teachings and schools of Buddhism, whilst The Concept of God explores different approaches to understanding the nature of truth and the existence of God. In the final year Belief and Unbelief looks at the place belief and unbelief in a scientific-technological culture and at the roots of belief and unbelief in the writings of – for example – Marx, Freud and Nietzsche. Also in your final year you complete a dissertation on a subject chosen by you under the guidance of a supervisor, normally building on one or more of your previous modules.

The course allows you to choose four options (or equivalent in half modules) across the second and final years. Your choices can drive your individual specialisms, and the possibilities are very varied, including modules focused on interreligious relations, sacred scriptures, the languages of those scriptures, mysticism in different religions, and how other disciplines – such as sociology and psychology – relate to religion.