Theology and Religious Studies seminar with Richard Bell - Humanities

Theology and Religion BA Hons

University Park Campus, Nottingham, UK

Course overview

Profound. Inspiring. Divisive. Religion can be all these things.

Making sense of religion and its impact is essential to understanding other cultures - and your own.

At Nottingham, you'll explore:

  • how religious ideas, practices, and identities develop over time
  • the insights theology and ethics bring to the biggest questions we face today
  • how religious beliefs influence science, philosophy, art, and literature
  • how to interpret religious ideas, texts, art, histories, and lived experiences

Acquire critical thinking, analytical reasoning, and communication skills that are highly valued across various industries, preparing you for careers in education, public service, law, and beyond.

 

Indicative modules

Mandatory

Year 1

Abraham's Children: Judaism, Christianity, Islam

Mandatory

Year 1

Creation, Revelation and Catastrophe: Introducing the Bible

Mandatory

Year 1

Peace and Justice: Studying Theology and Religion

Mandatory

Year 1

Philosophy of Religions

Mandatory

Year 1

Reading World Religions

Optional

Year 1

Atheism

Optional

Year 1

Biblical Hebrew

Optional

Year 1

Religion, Media and Ethics

Optional

Year 1

Arts Engaged in Health (Engaged Arts)

Optional

Year 1

Data, Culture and Society (Engaged Arts)

Optional

Year 1

Digital Projects: Data and Text (Engaged Arts)

Optional

Year 1

Digital Projects: Sound and Vision (Engaged Arts)

Optional

Year 1

Disease and Society (Engaged Arts)

Optional

Year 1

Exploring Digital Arts (Engaged Arts)

Optional

Year 1

Exploring Sustainability (Engaged Arts)

Optional

Year 1

Sustainability Action (Engaged Arts)

Optional

Year 1

The Critical Citizen: Modes of Thinking in Contemporary Society (Engaged Arts)

Optional

Year 1

Writing and Being: Academic, Activist, Professional, Creative and Personal (Engaged Arts)

Mandatory

Year 2

Interfaith Encounters and Project Design

Mandatory

Year 2

Religion in Britain: Interfaith Encounters in a Secular Age

Optional

Year 2

Africana Philosophies and Religions

Optional

Year 2

Buddhism and the World

Optional

Year 2

Central Themes in Biblical Studies

Optional

Year 2

Ecotheologies of Love: Christian Theology and Climate Change (Level 2)

Optional

Year 2

Exile and Homeland: Jewish Culture, Thought and Politics in Modern Europe and Palestine, 1890-1950

Optional

Year 2

Music, Ethics and Identity (Level 2)

Optional

Year 2

Musical Visions of Life, Death and the Beyond (Level 2)

Optional

Year 2

Philosophies of God: Unsettling Belief

Optional

Year 2

Topics in Asian Philosophy

Optional

Year 2

Applying the Digital Humanities (Engaged Arts)

Optional

Year 2

Arts Work Placement Module (Engaged Arts)

Optional

Year 2

Community Engagement and Social Impact (Engaged Arts)

Optional

Year 2

Decolonisation and Justice (Engaged Arts)

Optional

Year 2

Employing the Arts (Engaged Arts)

Optional

Year 2

Issues in the Health Humanities (Engaged Arts)

Optional

Year 2

Living and Working in a Multi-Lingual World (Engaged Arts)

Optional

Year 2

Made in Nottingham (Engaged Arts)

Mandatory

Year 3

Dissertation

Mandatory

Year 3

Religion in Real Life: Problem-Solving and Public Communication

Optional

Year 3

Advanced Topics in Theology and Religion

Optional

Year 3

Christianity and Capitalism

Optional

Year 3

Ecotheologies of Love: Christian Theology and Climate Change (Level 3)

Optional

Year 3

Music, Ethics and Identity (Level 3)

Optional

Year 3

Musical Visions of Life, Death and the Beyond (Level 3)

Optional

Year 3

Science and Religion

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About modules

The above is a sample of the typical modules we offer, but is not intended to be construed or relied on as a definitive list of what might be available in any given year. This content was last updated on Tuesday 1 April 2025. Due to timetabling availability, there may be restrictions on some module combinations.

Different topics suit different teaching methods. Depending on the modules you choose you may participate in group work, presentations, or produce digital or other creative content. 

Positive feedback 

The 2024 National Student Survey reflects the effort we put into our teaching with 97% of students agreeing staff are good at explaining things. We know how to teach difficult and in-depth concepts.   

"The staff have been great. Whenever I’ve had an issue (whether it be course based or not) I can write them an email and often within 20 minutes I’ve had a reply. This isn't something I expected especially coming from school where it can take days for a teacher to reply." 

Francis Adam, Theology and Religious Studies 

Personal tutor

If you have worries about your work, we won't wait for them to become problems. You'll have a personal tutor who will support your academic progress and help find solutions to any issues. 

"The personal tutoring role is important for building a sense of community between staff and students - we're not just distant lecturers talking at you in a classroom; we're here to help you grow and develop into your degree programme and beyond." 

Dr Tim Hutchings, personal tutor 

Teaching methods

  • Lectures
  • Seminars
  • Tutorials
  • Placements
  • Workshops

A combination of essays and exams are the norm for most modules. Weekly reading summaries, presentations and online quizzes and tests may also be used by individual lecturers.

Assessment methods

  • Dissertation
  • Essay
  • In-class test
  • Portfolio (written/digital)
  • Presentation
  • Reflective review
  • Written exam
  • Commentary

We provide a structure of lectures, seminars and tutorials around which you organise other study and commitments. Our minimum expected contact time with you is:

  • Year one - at least 12 hours
  • Year two - at least 10 hours
  • Year three - at least 8 hours 

Your lecturers will also be available outside your scheduled contact time to help you study and develop. This can be in person and online. As well as your timetabled sessions you'll carry out extensive self-study. This will include course reading and seminar preparation. We also encourage lots of group activity - studying is more fun, more rewarding, and often better quality when done together. 

As a guide, 20 credits (a typical module) is about 200 hours of work (combined teaching and self-study). 

Class sizes vary depending on topic and type. A popular lecture may have up to 200 students attending while a specialised seminar may only contain 10 students. 

Your lecturers will usually be from our academic staff in the Department of Philosophy, many of whom are internationally recognised in their fields. 

Theology and Religious Studies prepares you for a wide range of potential careers.

You'll develop key professional skills such as how to:

  • understand and analyse others' ideas and beliefs, both spoken and texts
  • sift evidence and formulate arguments
  • think carefully and clearly
  • make reasoned decisions
  • develop sensitivity to cultural and religious diversity
  • communicate your ideas with confidence
  • engage intelligently and critically with the world in all its depth and complexity

The variety of skills you learn means your career is:

  • resilient - as the nature of work changes you can adapt
  • flexible - you can choose across different sectors as you develop and grow and opportunities arise

Recent graduates are currently working in areas such as:

  • law, public policy, strategy and consulting
  • banking and finance
  • church ministry
  • faith organisations
  • teaching
  • creative and cultural arts
  • journalism, advertising and communications
  • psychology and counselling

Find out more about opportunities for our theology and religious studies students.

Our graduates

Find out how two of our recent graduates, Jodi and Cat, have used their degrees to build careers.

Key fact

Only 14% of employers state that specific degree subjects are a selection criterion. (Institute of Student Employers recruitment survey 2019).

Average starting salary and career progression

78.8% of undergraduates from the Faculty of Arts secured graduate level employment or further study within 15 months of graduation. The average annual starting salary for these graduates was £23,974.

HESA Graduate Outcomes (2017 to 2021 cohorts). The Graduate Outcomes % is calculated using The Guardian University Guide methodology. The average annual salary is based on graduates working full-time within the UK.

Studying for a degree at the University of Nottingham will provide you with the type of skills and experiences that will prove invaluable in any career, whichever direction you decide to take.

Throughout your time with us, our Careers and Employability Service can work with you to improve your employability skills even further; assisting with job or course applications, searching for appropriate work experience placements and hosting events to bring you closer to a wide range of prospective employers.

Have a look at our careers page for an overview of all the employability support and opportunities that we provide to current students.

The University of Nottingham is consistently named as one of the most targeted universities by Britain’s leading graduate employers (Ranked in the top ten in The Graduate Market in 2013-2020, High Fliers Research).

University undergraduate student studying in Nightingale Hall accommodation's library, University Park

"You literally get to stop and think and understand people in a whole new way. I don't think we do enough of this as a society, which goes a long way in explaining why there were so many different tensions in the world currently. "

Francis Adam

BA Theology and Religious Studies

Course data

Open Day June 2022
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