Future students

The world’s religions are rich and constantly evolving. In this course we will introduce the stories, rituals, beliefs, and spiritualities that shape diverse traditions including Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam. We will also consider fasc...

The study of religion is a vibrant and challenging field. In this course you will learn to approach religion with an analytical mind by thinking critically and creatively. We will explore themes such as ritual and materiality, ethics and politics, ge...

From Gandhi to Starhawk to Martin Luther King, radical leaders have been inspired by their faith to challenge social and ethical norms. In doing so, spiritual leaders, activists, and innovators have sparked controversy and ignited movements, at times...

What is the difference between a "cult" and a “religion”? Are those who join cults brainwashed? This course explores the dynamics behind the formation, and social impact of unconventional religions such as Satanism, Witchcraft, and new religions from...

Religion has forcefully re-emerged as a vital actor in global politics. Focusing on current debates, we examine different religions’ engagements with politics and law, and crucial frameworks for understanding the roles of religion within today’s dyna...

This course provides an introduction to the psychology of religion. Many people identify with religious groups or traditions and claim to have religious or spiritual experiences. This course explores how contemporary psychology research sheds light o...

In this course you will learn about meditation theory and practice through the lens of Zen, a school of Buddhism centred on applying meditation to every aspect of daily life. We cover the historical, doctrinal, and sociological dimensions of Buddhist...

All human communities have accounts of being saved (salvation) from the state or circumstances that destroy the value of human existence (evil). This course systematically and comparatively explores evil and salvation in a number of religious traditi...

In this course we will explore death and dying across a range of religious traditions, and from various disciplinary perspectives – from religious studies and anthropology to sociology and psychology. We will examine how different religious and cultu...

We live in a time of radical environmental transformation. In this course, we challenge the primacy of human-centred ways of living and knowing to explore how insights from diverse religions- especially Asian and Indigenous traditions- can offer radi...

This course explores the role of religion in promoting conflict and terror, and of the power and potential of religion for transforming conflict and building peace. We consider what historical, theological, symbolic and practical resources religious ...

This course examines religious efforts to transform people’s lives and the societies we live in. We examine the ideas and visions that have inspired diverse religious traditions to reshape the world, and the technologies and practices they employ. To...

Asian adepts have searched for enlightenment, bliss and immortality for millennia. We examine the techniques and philosophies they developed to achieve harmony with the world and transcendence of it. Topics including meditation, yoga, monasticism and...

Proponents of religion argue that it fosters hope and fulfilment, while its detractors assert that it limits true happiness. This course examines how religions cultivate human flourishing. Topics include religious healing traditions, spirituality and...

Students will undertake an approved, supervised programme of research and study on a selected theme/topic in Religious Studies.

This course provides an introduction to the psychology of religion. Many people identify with religious groups or traditions and claim to have religious or spiritual experiences. This course explores how contemporary psychology research sheds light o...

This course provides an introduction to the psychology of religion. Many people identify with religious groups or traditions and claim to have religious or spiritual experiences. This course explores how course explores how contemporary psychology re...

A supervised programme of research and study on selected themes in Religious Studies.

Religion remains one of the great topics of debate in pubs, in courts of law, in media, and across the globe. This course focuses on contentious public debates and state-of-the-art scholarship that is reshaping contemporary research. We cultivate a s...

This course examines various expressions of Islam through a focus on contemporary issues. Students encounter Islam operating in a range of domains- political (the Arab Spring and radical Islamist movements), economic (the Halal industry) and social (...

The largest religion in the world, and staggeringly diverse, Christianity has played a major role in shaping political, economic, and cultural life. It is now also the focus of vibrant scholarship and debate. We examine the many different forms of Ch...

This is a field-based course. It focuses on development of critical research skills through encounters with diverse religious traditions. Through seminars and field trips we examine the ways local communities practice their faiths today, and we consi...

Belief in gods is contentious yet widespread across cultures and traditions. This course examines diverse conceptions, considering what it means to believe or disbelieve in a god, and what if any effects such beliefs have. We address key arguments, d...

From fasting and self-mortification to monasticism and voluntary poverty, practices of renunciation challenge bodies and spirits. This course examines mundane and spectacular expressions of self-denial in diverse religious traditions. We consider the...

Proponents of religion argue that it fosters hope and fulfilment, while its detractors assert that it limits true happiness. This course examines how religions cultivate human flourishing. Topics include religious healing traditions, spirituality and...

This course is a comprehensive graduate-level introduction to the study of religion, an expansive and dynamic field that examines religion’s entanglements with social, ethical and political dynamics. We consider the theories, debates, and innovations...

This course examines textual, theological and practical resources that religious believers use to inform their engagement with political and public issues. Contemporary issues are evaluated against the backdrop of historical debates concerning intera...

An advanced examination of relationships between religions and societies through a combination of theoretical models and case studies. The latter will address the social location and functions of religious communities, and religious interactions with...

A critical study, in English, of a sacred text or texts from a selected major religious tradition.

A research project, usually in the form of an extended essay of 10,000 words, with regular guidance from a supervisor. Students are expected to show familiarity with the literature in their chosen field, and to write a substantial discussion, engagin...

MA thesis in Religious Studies.