Religion, Society and Culture - BA (Hons)

Durham University

Come and join us on a journey of self-discovery and explore the very heart of society, belief, politics and the arts. This degree will equip you with the skills to understand religion and its power to shape the human condition. You will engage with the role of religion in a wide range of contexts, including politics, literature, bioethics and war. Theoretical perspectives are applied to a variety of specialist topics – from fundamentalism in the USA to sacred landscapes in northern India the role of Islam in modern Britain Pentecostalism in sub-Saharan Africa and death rites across the globe. Urgent current ethical questions are studied, and you will be encouraged to arrive at well-informed and reflective positions on topics such as the environmental crisis, end-of-life issues, poverty and warfare. The course enables you to better understand the world we live in, and to explore the forces that shape our own attitudes, hopes and fears. In turn, it will empower you to go out into the world to make a difference for the common good. You can also apply to add a placement year or a year abroad to your degree, increasing the course from three years to four. In the first year, modules are intended to provide the foundational understanding and skills necessary for work in theology and the study of religion. In the second year, there is a much greater choice of modules to allow you to pursue your own interests within theology and religion by building on the understanding and abilities you have begun to develop in the first year. The third year includes a dissertation that allows a deep, independently driven, exploration of a topic of your choice.Course structureYear 1 modulesCore modules:Introduction to the History of Christianity looks at the history of Christianity and to its relationships with its social and cultural contexts including the representation of different periods, different regions, different social groups such as historically marginalised groups, and different methodologies.Optional modules:In recent years, optional modules have included: People and CulturesSocieties in TransitionClassical Sociology TheoryNew Testament GreekIntroduction to Christian TheologyGod and EvilGod and the Good: Philosophy of Religion and EthicsIntroduction to Bible: Texts, History, Culture