MA Christian Spirituality

What does the programme cover?

The opening module - Foundations for the Study of Spirituality - provides a foundation for the interdisciplinary academic study of spirituality. It looks critically at definitions of spirituality, investigates the theoretical issues surrounding religious experience and introduces methods for the academic study of spirituality, including how to read spiritual texts.  You will have practical exposure to such methods by applying them to a spiritual classic text. 

Options allow you to pursue your interests, although not all modules are available every year. There are modules which focus on specific spiritual and theological texts and themes from a particular tradition, time or place.  Examples include Franciscan Spirituality; pre-reformation Christian mysticism; the Ignatian tradition.  Some options take a historical or comparative perspective: for example Texts and Themes in English Spirituality covers texts in poetry and prose, from different spiritual traditions and from different historical periods. Texts are examined both in relation to their original historical context and for their contemporary relevance.

Most modules require a detailed and disciplined engagement with texts, combined with critical evaluation of contemporary relevance and application. Increasingly, people in Western culture claim to be spiritual rather than religious. The module Spirituality and Society focuses primarily on the role of spirituality in the modern world, exploring economic and social questions, culture, gender and sexuality and the urgent ecological issues of our time. 

The dissertation is an opportunity to apply the textual and analytical skills you have developed to a major piece of work in an area chosen by you and approved by your supervisor.