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Religion & Public Life

Banquet hall at Studley RoyalProgramme of Study

This strand of the MA is built upon the strengths of the Religion & Public Life research team at York St John University, including our professors Sebastian Kim and Pauline Kollontai.  The taught modules cover a range of topics that allow students to explore some of the different ways in which religion interacts with society in the UK and elsewhere. The growing disciplines of Public Theology and Liberation Theology recognise the importance of allowing religious voices to be heard in public debate and policy making. The relationship of religion to politics and ethnicity means it is often at the heart of both conflict and reconciliation movements, and this is increasingly important in a global world. Religion is integral to our culture, and this strand allows students to explore its interactions with popular culture, science and the arts. 

 The strand is usually taught on Thursday evenings, 6:30-8:30. To be eligible for a specialist award in Religion & Public Life, students must complete at least two taught modules (from a choice of six) and a dissertation relevant to the subject. Students who want a more general award may take modules from this strand of the Theology & Ministry strand.

Modules in this strand include:

MTHD10: Religion, Peace and Conflict

MTHC90: Religion & Popular Culture

MTH022: Theologies of Liberation

MTHD30: Religion, Science and the Arts

MTHD20: Public Theology

MTHD51: Islam in Contemporary Western Society

 

Why study on this strand?

Modules in this strand may appeal to many different sorts of students:

  • Those who believe that religion, for better or worse, is an important part of human societies and who want to explore the implications of this.
  • Those who might be wanting to teach religious education in schools or higher education, and who would value expertise in this aspect of religious life.
  • Those who have an interest in studying religion for professional development, or as preparation for research in this area.

Although some qualification in religious studies is helpful, we do accept people who have studied other subjects at undergraduate level. It is not necessary to be of any religious persuasion to fully engage with this module, and current students are from a very diverse range of backgrounds.