BA
Religion, Society and Culture BA (Hons)
Come and join us on a journey of self-discovery and explore how belief lies at the very heart of society, culture, politics, the arts and more.
How to apply Apply via UCAS
Course details
Start date
Degree Type
BA
UCAS Code
V617
Course length
3 years full-time
Typical offer
AAB
Tuition Fees
- Home (Full-time): £ per year
- Overseas (Full-time): £ per year
Overview
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.
Course details
Start date
Degree Type
BA
UCAS Code
V617
Course length
3 years full-time
Typical offer
AAB
Tuition Fees
- Home (Full-time): £ per year
- Overseas (Full-time): £ per year
What you'll study
In the first year, modules are provide the foundational understanding and skills necessary for work in theology and the study of religion, including beginning to explore independent research. 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. Amongst other things, you will conduct a guided research project. The third year includes a dissertation that allows a deep, independently driven, investigation of a topic of your choice, alongside your choices from a suite of specialist modules exploring critical questions in depth.
Core modules
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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.
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Islam Observed:
Ethnographic Accounts of Muslim Practice introduces the study of Islam from an anthropological perspective. The module aims to develop an understanding of the diverse forms of Muslim religious life in the contemporary world and to foster an appreciation of the complex relationship between the local and the global in Islam.
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Research Workshop in Theology and Religion
begins your training as an independent researcher in this subject. You will choose two specialist topics from a list offered (such as ‘Re-writing Scripture’, ‘The Age of Witch-Hunting’ or ‘The Meaning of the Cross’) and work on them intensively in small groups tutored by expert staff, working towards a research project in one of those topics that you will design.
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Worldview, Faith and Identity
outlines established approaches to the study of religion. The module introduces ideas of identity, faith and worldview as foundations for religious thought and practice.
Optional modules
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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
Core modules
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Research Project and Colloquium
builds on the first-year Research Workshop, as you choose a topic from a list offered and work in a tutor-led small group, each generating your own research project and developing the skills you will need for your final-year dissertation.
Optional modules
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In recent years optional modules have included: Death, Ritual and BeliefScience and Theology: Exploring the InterfaceReligion in Contemporary BritainAtheism, Belief, and the Edge of ReasonMyth and Meaning: The Structural Analysis of MythologyResearch Project and Colloquium in Theology and ReligionGod and the Universe of FaithsSacred India: Land, Politics and IdentitySects, Prophets and Gurus.
Core modules
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Dissertation
In your final year, you will submit a dissertation on a related topic of your choice, approved by an academic advisor. The dissertation allows you to explore in depth a topic of special interest to you.
Optional modules
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In recent years optional modules have included: Religion and FilmEmotion and Identity in ReligionChristian Fundamentalism and the Modern WorldThe Historical JesusChristian Tradition and the Practice of PoliticsReligious Diversity in African ContextsReligion, Media and Popular CultureThe Globalisation of Christianity
Learning
You will learn through a combination of lectures, seminars, tutorials and study skills classes, developing your knowledge and your ability to undertake your own independent and scholarly engagement with texts and issues. Weekly lectures will introduce you to the broad questions and current issues in the subject area, and enable you to develop a clear understanding of the subject and improve your skills in evaluating and analysing information. Seminars will give you the opportunity to engage with the topics introduced in lectures and to discuss key issues in small groups; they also promote awareness of and respect for different viewpoints and approaches, and help you articulate and develop your own views in dialogue with others. You will also be able to get detailed feedback on your essays, to help you improve the quality of your written work.Assessment
Modules are mostly assessed by essays and end-of-year examinations, some by a combination of the two. Typically around forty per cent of your degree is assessed by coursework. Our curriculum places a strong emphasis on becoming self-directed learners. You will be provided with reading lists, handouts, suggestions for preparation and other materials to guide you in your independent research. There are research elements in each year of the degree, culminating in your final-year dissertation, exploring in depth a topic of your choice.Entry requirements
Fees & Funding
Choose which fees you want to see:
Home / Island students
£ per year
International / EU Students
£ per year
Home / Island students
Part Time - £ per year
International / EU Students
Part Time - £ per year
The tuition fees shown are for one complete academic year of study, are set according to the academic year of entry, and remain the same throughout the duration of the programme for that cohort (unless otherwise stated).
Find out moreDepartment Information
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Theology and Religion is an exciting and diverse discipline that explores humanity’s views and fundamental beliefs about the way the Universe is, and their role in it. This is the part of the human condition that you will study at Durham from anthropological, textual, historical and ethical perspectives. The Department of Theology and Religion is an inclusive and friendly international teaching and research community where ‘belief’ and ‘beliefs’ are studied in detail, whether those beliefs are atheistic, humanistic or religious. With more than 50 academic staff and an intake of about 100 undergraduates each year, the Department is one of the largest in the UK. Our research-led approach means you will be taught by subject specialists whose interests span many areas. We have a historic strength in the study of Christian thought, history, practice and texts, while offering strong provision in politics, ethics, non-Christian faith traditions, humanism and atheism. Our undergraduate degrees offer flexible pathways to suit your interests and career goals, including the possibility of a work placement or year abroad. We offer a range of activities outside timetabled sessions to complement academic learning: the Department has an extensive series of research-related activities which you are encouraged to attend. These include several research seminars and public lectures from high-profile guest speakers and visiting scholars. For more information see our department pages.
Read moreFacilities
The Department is based at Palace Green in the historic and picturesque city centre, and within easy walking distance of the Students’ Union, colleges, Durham Castle and Cathedral.
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Extensive library facilities
Our library facilities are extensive, and the main University library, the Bill Bryson Library, is only the beginning. The Meissen Library is the largest collection of German-language theological materials in Britain. Some of the College libraries hold theological collections and the Department has some library resources of its own, including Hebrew and Jewish studies. Our neighbour, Durham Cathedral, houses The Sharp Library which focuses on modern and pastoral theology.
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University's Special Collections
The historic library at Palace Green holds the University's Special Collections, including a huge collection of rare books and manuscripts of particular interest to theology and religion students.
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Find out more -
Career Opportunities
Of those UK/EU students who graduated in 2022/23
81%
95%
£30,000
HESA Graduate Outcomes Survey. The survey asks leavers from higher education what they are doing 15 months after graduation. Further information about the Graduate Outcomes survey can be found here www.graduateoutcomes.ac.uk
Employability
More Information
The established Theology and Religion degree programmes are organised to give you a strong and broad foundation across all three of the Department’s key areas in your first year of study.
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