So the MA in Theology and Religion is aimed at students who have either taken Theology
and Religion before, or philosophy or similar subjects in the past, and that really want
to study it in a bit more depth, but the advantage of this particular programme is that they’re
not pigeon-holed, so the MA in Theology and Religion gives them the opportunity to study
quite broad subjects but also specialising at the same time, so we feel we’ve got the
best of both worlds, so they’re not too streamlined too early but they get to do the
things they’re interested in.
In the MA Theology and Religion students are expected to do the dreaded methodology course
but actually this is really exciting because it is introducing different approaches to
their subject and its really encouraging them to interact with different ways of doing things,
rather than assuming there’s one singular way, so that’s the first thing.
But then they’re also empowered to do modules that specialise in particular religions if
they wish.
So hear at Birmingham we specialise in the Abrahamic faiths so Islam, Christianity and
Judaism but we also have one of the few people in the country who specialises in Sikh studies,
so we also offer modules in that.
But in conjunction with those specialist modules that focus on a particular religion we also
have modules that look at topics, so for example at gender, or nationalism, or religious nationalism
precisely, and also theological ethics and more broader approaches to religious topics,
and then you look at different religious approaches for that topic, and again that encourages
both breadth and depth.
And then finally our students have to do a dissertation - independent research of their
own choosing and that is often guided by staff that they’ve encountered on modules before
and the great thing about our Methodology programme is that its taught by a number of
members of staff so they get to see who they like, what research areas they’re interested
in and kind of like a way of testing everybody out.
In the past we’ve had a whole range of different topics.
So, we’ve had people look at humour and religion, we’ve had people look at radicalisation,
we’ve had people look at the role of megachurches and race, we’ve had people look at Quranic
studies and magic, and we’ve had people look at the Holocaust and the Dead Sea Scrolls.
After their studies our graduates from the MA in Theology and Religion typically go on
to work in the social world, so they will often go and work in faith-based organisations
whether that’s churches, temples, mosques but also charities, the ‘third sector’
if you will, but also they often go and work for schools, welfare organisations, they also
go and work for government in a range of different roles – as policy advisors, but also as
civil servants in local and national government, although significant percentage of our students
on that programme go on and do a PhD afterwards and they’re really inspired through their
dissertation to carry on learning.
My favourite thing is actually the variety of students that we actually get and the range
of things they bring to the course.
Because they’re not pigeonholed or streamlined straight off, we get so many different reasons
for joining the course, so many different motivations, so many different interests,
and bringing them all together means that the students really learn off each other,
and there’s a real interaction and dynamic and real buzz.
If you’re looking to apply for the MA in Theology and Religion I think it’s really
important that you put across what it is about the study of religion and theology that inspires
you, what you think this might offer that’s different to say just studying social policy
or just studying anthropology, and why religion and theology gives us that intellectual edge
–perhaps – on particular topics.
The other thing to bear in mind is that we’re not a confessional course, so maybe wanting
to apply having come from a particular religious background – and we understand that that
may well motivate – but the course is not designed to facilitate your own personal faith.
It’s much more designed to facilitate understanding, explaining and thinking through in a scholarly
manner the issues around religion and theology, so reflecting both the scholarly part and
if you are coming from a confessional background that motivation, and getting the balance right
between that is what I’d say in the application.