Entry requirements
The course aims to: -provide a multi-disciplinary curriculum informed by the research and scholarly activities of the teaching staff, to stimulate curiosity about a variety of religious cultures, their histories and the present condition; -provide opportunity to appreciate and evaluate the social implications of religious teachings, practices and institutions; -develop in students a critical understanding of religion, theology and the various approaches to studying this discipline through a diverse range of a diverse range of learning, teaching and assessment methods; -equip students with the skills necessary to interpret primary and secondary sources related to an in-depth study of texts, religious practices and traditions; -provide, when required appropriate, language instruction; equip students for a variety of careers through subject specific knowledge, active engagement in their own learning and the development of analytical and other transferable skills.
Course description
Course description
With its emphasis on applying the social sciences to the subject matter of religion, this programme has a particularly strong inter-disciplinary flavour. It enables you to concentrate on the implications of religion for an understanding of society, and introduces you to the various theories and methods currently being used in the subject area (for example, literary, historical, social scientific and gender-theory approaches). It also encourages you to study a wide range of different religious traditions; and, by allowing you to take up to five courses in other areas of the Faculty of Humanities during the course of your undergraduate studies, it is a very flexible programme.
Course content for year 1
The coherence of the curriculum is grounded in the compulsory Core Course, which constitutes one third of the Level 1 timetable. The Core Course is designed to: a) introduce various disciplinary approaches and key concepts; b) develop study and other transferable skills, and an ability to analyse sources, plan, work in teams, tackle problems, listen and communicate more effectively; c) provide induction into the University and pastoral support system, using the Personal Academic Development Plan or PADP (taken up in the tutorial scheme at Levels 2 and 3); d) teach information retrieval and computing skills in association with the Library (JRULM) and Manchester Computing (MC).
In addition at Level 1, students choose 4 courses from a range of foundation units, including units specific to the Religion and Society pathway.
See Course Units Overview above for lists of options.
Course content for year 2
At Level 2, students start to develop areas of particular interest, while deepening their understanding of the approaches and concepts studied in the Core Course at Level 1. We see Level 2 as a period of consolidation and transition from foundation provided at Level 1 toward the emphasis on independent work of Level 3. Students choose 6 course units and while no unit is compulsory at this level, this will include units specific to the Religion and Society pathway.
Course content for year 3
At Level 3, students engage with more specialised knowledge and methods.
A compulsory 40-credit Dissertation encourages independent research.
Students choose 4 other units, including units specific to the Religion and Society pathway.
Career opportunities
You develop skills that are valuable for many occupations, including teaching in schools and colleges, broadcasting and print journalism, publishing, banking, legal, personnel, public sector professions, Civil Service, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), and many others. Our graduates have the highest employability rate of graduates from the School of Arts, Histories and Cultures.
