This course will introduce you to our history’s most influential, powerful thinkers and their texts and enable you to analyse the profound questions which lie at the heart of religion, philosophy and ethics.
Our joint honours degree in religion, Western and Asian philosophy and ethics draws on the combined expertise of our theology and philosophy departments to offer one of the broadest humanities degrees, which is of the utmost relevance to the contemporary world.
Core modules in year one will introduce you to a wide range of theoretical and applied issues in philosophy, religion and ethics from various philosophical and theological perspectives. In year one, philosophical modules guide you through principles of good reasoning, argumentation, and writing about a range of theoretical and applied topics.
In year two,core modules are offered in philosophy of religion and ethics,and you will also study modern conceptions of religion as well as a range of optional modules.In year three, you have the flexibility to focus on either philosophy or theology and religious studies, with a wide range of modules on offer in both departments. You will have the option of writing a dissertation,which will allow you to develop your interest in a particular subject through independent research.
We accept a broad range of qualifications. Please contact us to discuss your particular qualifications.
Core modules in year one will introduce you to a wide range of issues in philosophy, religion and ethics from a variety of philosophical and theological perspectives. Through your selection of optional modules, you may choose to focus either on philosophy or theology and religious studies, or combine the two.
We confront moral issues and make moral decisions every day, but we don't always think about them as carefully as we could. In this module, we shall engage in debates on contemporary moral and social issues in order to develop critical thinking skills that will aid students both in their broader processes of moral reasoning and in their other academic studies.
This module provides an introduction to key skills required for the discipline of Theology and Religious Studies in the understanding and analysis of primary texts in world religions, and in a range of broader abilities necessary for university level study, including bibliographical and footnoting skills, the use of scholarly journals and monographs, argumentation and essay writing.
The Bible is a perennial bestseller and its influence on Western culture is unparalleled. This influence is not always obvious though, nor limited to the 'religious sphere'. In the Arts - whether Bach or The Beatles, Michelangelo or Monty Python - the use of the Bible is extremely varied. This module explores the ways the Bible is drawn upon in art, music and literature ranging from ancient Jewish synagogue mosaics and early Christian iconography, to contemporary - secular - films and music. Students are encouraged not only to engage with case studies of works of art which demonstrate the use and influence of the Bible, but also to consider critically the way in which art, music and literature - both 'religious' and 'secular' - function as biblical interpretations, and as part of the Bible's 'reception-history'. The module is taught by a variety of theologians in the department specialising in different areas of the Bible's reception. Introductory contributions on the influence of the Bible on, and through, a range of authors, musicians and artists can be seen in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies' Bibledex video project.
You will take three core modules, as well as options chosen from those on offer in the Department of Philosophy, and the Department of Theology and Religious Studies. This allows you to develop your interests in areas studied in year one or to study something new.
This module seeks to facilitate reflection on religion, identity, and culture within and between Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and modern secularity. A lecture sequence will introduce leading theories of religion and approaches to the ‘other’ from the eighteenth century to today, examine how these theories and approaches developed in response to cultural conflicts and historical events, and introduce some of the qualitative and quantitative research methods used to study religion and secularity today. This will enable students to (1) recognise the legacy of classic theories of religion in contemporary theoretical debates across the humanities, (2) analyse and assess the usefulness of the various theories and approaches for engaging traditions and texts, and (3) plan and conduct their own empirical research projects. The theoretical awareness developed through the lecture series will be put to use in a seminar series, which will be devoted to review of selected texts from V81001 Great Religious Texts I and V81002 Great Religious Texts II through group discussions. The methodological awareness developed through the lecture series will be put to use in a series of methodology workshops. Students will also give two individual 10 minute presentations that are formative and unassessed, one focused on theory and one on method. Students will be provided with guidance on how to give presentations and on where to look for resources to research their presentations. Students will also engage in evaluating their own and others' presentations.
In this module you’ll examine the prophetic literature of the Hebrew Bible, considering the nature of prophecy in the Hebrew Bible and in the wider ancient Near Eastern context. You’ll examine biblical prophetic texts as literature such as: Amos, Hosea, Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel as well as the narratives about the prophets in the Pentateuch/Torah, historical books, and Latter Prophets.
We live in a media environment, surrounded by social media, videogames, TV, movies, 24-hour news and more. The media teach us what to think about each other, how to talk to each other, and who we want to be. This course invites us to think more critically and imaginatively about the media. We will explore how the media portrays religion, and ask why stereotypes persist. We will see how the media challenges religion, and provokes new religious creativity. We ask what the big ideas of religious ethics could teach us about how to use media more wisely. In the process, we will also start learning the key skills we need to be more effective media communicators.
In year three you will have the flexibility to focus on either philosophy or theology and religious studies, with a wide range of modules on offer in both departments, or you may choose to give equal weighting to both.You will have the option of writing a dissertation, which will allow you to develop your interest in a particular subject through independent research.
What is my mind? And what is its relation to my body? And what does either have to do with me? Is the mind an immaterial thinking thing distinct from the body? Or it is a material thing? In either case how does it relate to the body? Or is the mind not a thing at all? What is the nature of mental states and events, such as sensations, perceptions, thoughts, memories, and intentions? How are these states related to behavioural events and brain states? How do actions differ from other bodily movements? What is the relation between our reasons for acting and our actions? Is ‘weakness of will’ possible, and if so, how? How is first-personal knowledge of our own minds possible, and knowledge of other minds, possible? Is everything it takes to have a mind within the head, or not? Does the answer to this question make a difference to what sort of knowledge one can have of one’s own mind?
In this module, we will discuss questions such as these in detail. We will cover topics such as: dualism, behaviourism, identity theories, functionalism, externalism and internalism about the mind, perception, self-knowledge, knowledge of other minds, memory, and action.
This module will seek to explore what the philosopher Daniel Dennett calls 'Darwin's dangerous idea'; an idea he likens to a universal acid that cuts through the realities we inhabit, leaving them changed beyond recognition. Darwinism will be introduced from a historical perspective, outlining its development, and the various debates that have shaped its formation, up to the present day, after which this theory's application in terms of Social-Darwinism, Sociobiology, and Evolutionary Psychology will be investigated and the consequences this might have for our own self-understanding, and for how we interpret the world. The main questions posed by the module are: What is Darwinism? Is it metaphysics, a philosophy, or is it merely science? Does it entail atheism, or does it suggest nihilism? Or is it neutral with regard to the question of religion and value? Might indeed it be accommodating to theism?
You will research and write a dissertation on a subject and title selected in consultation with academic staff in the department. You’ll also give a presentation on your research in progress during the course of the spring semester. The presentation will help you to crystallise your ideas and gain a clearer idea of the overall shape of your work in order to help with the writing process and to continue the development of important transferable skills. You will have regular dissertation tutorials with your supervisor, and will attend dissertation presentations during the Spring Semester.
This module will present modern Jewish thought from a theologicophilosophical perspective as an interesting alternative to both Christian and secular models of thinking. Modern Jewish thought emerges from 'the crisis of tradition' (Gershom Scholem) which it tries to resolve in many different ways: either intrinsic to Judaism itself (e.g. Lurianic Kabbalah) or in dialogue with Western philosophy (from Spinoza to Derrida). The module will emphasize the creative impact of Jewish thinkers on the development of modernity by showing the various ways in which these thinkers renegotiate and redefine the most crucial opposition between Athens and Jerusalem, or, in their own rendering, between Yaphet and Shem. Target students: Level 3 Single and Joint Honours Theology and Religious Studies students, exchange and subsidiary students.
Examining the major theologians of the last century this module will ask – what is nature, and what is grace? Likewise, what is natural and what is supernatural? This module will explore how theologians (Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox) have articulated this division and the many profound consequences that have arisen from such attempts This module will trace the development of various heated debates that tackled the above questions and in so doing influenced the shape of twentieth century theology, the idea of secularism, the relation between philosophy and theology, and lastly, between theology and science.
A degree from The University of Nottingham is highly sought after among graduate employers. Studying in the Departments of Theology and Religious Studies and Philosophy will equip you for a variety of positions that require the analysis of texts and complex issues, reasoned decision-making and problem-solving, sensitivity to cultural and religious diversity, and the ability to communicate complex ideas clearly and effectively.
In addition, the influence of religion on society, whether in faith communities or elsewhere, is such that you will be in a position to make a valuable contribution across a range of careers. Recent graduates work in areas such as law, teaching, journalism and publishing, politics, and the charity sector.