BA (Hons) Theology, Religion and Ethics

BA (Hons) Theology, Religion and Ethics teaches you how to think imaginatively about living faiths and intellectual reason, about life and death, the nature of right and wrong. It also teaches you how to read and confront texts, sacred and secular. Whether you have a faith position or are an ardent atheist, we have designed a degree to help you understand the complexity of the human condition.You explore religion as a lived cultural phenomenon and engage with the textual, intellectual, and ideological frameworks of human belief systems. Examining the way religious texts and practices are expressed and critiqued in contemporary culture, you use your knowledge to think about ethical debates and controversies. You develop critical viewpoints on the great texts of the Western tradition; become oriented in religious practices from across the globe; discuss the ethical issues facing us as a society, and grow as writers, as debaters, and as thinkers in your own right. The degree seeks to develop skills in close reading, critical argumentation, and cultural literacy.In the beginning the study on this course is foundational and provides the basis for specialised subsequent years. You will undertake year-long modules in theological tradition and religious studies which are designed to develop study skills and enhance your confidence in critical writing and reading. These sit alongside specialist modules in Christianity, biblical scholarship, ethics and philosophy.In the following years, you are able to build a profile of options to develop your own academic interests; these reflect the range of specialisms offered in the Department. Optional modules tend to encourage you to think about the way religious ideas and practices interact with the contemporary world.