MA Christianity and Interreligious Relations

What does the programme cover?

The programme begins with a survey of the major dimensions of inter-religious engagement in the modern world with particular attention to the interface between religion and politics. Subsequent modules deal with the encounters between Christianity and Islam and between Christianity and Hinduism and Buddhism.  The final module takes up the specifically theological issues which have been raised in the earlier modules.  To complete the MA you research and write a dissertation on a subject related to any appropriate element of the programme, subject to the approval of the Programme Supervisor.

Topics covered include the origins and the connotations of the term 'religion'; the major social, political and cross-cultural questions which the religions face today and the links between religion and violence.  Consideration of the individual religions is likely to include modern trends in Islam – reform and revival; Hindu theology – Shankara and Ramanuja; Ashrams, mysticism and spirituality; the Dalit movement and liberation theology; and religious pluralism and the emergence of a theology of religions.