Postgraduate Divinity 2021-2022

20,000 word dissertation written on a topic related to the student's taught Master's programme and agreed to by the supervisor and the programme co-ordinator.

This course examines the account of creation in the biblical book of Genesis in order to explore the theological account of human moral action it offers. By exploring different movements of the creation story, the course lays out the basic structure of Christian moral theology. The aim is to develop a theological approach to the fundamentals of Christian ethics, clarifying its relevance for issues of sexuality and procreation, economics, work, governance, health, animals and the environment. The course offers a broad theoretical framework for thinking about the whole scope of ethical questions in contemporary society. 

The course provides a survey of Jewish History (from the Persian and Hellenistic periods to the present day) and of Jewish culture (Jewish identity, rites and other aspects of religious life) through the ages. It provides students with a full overview of Judaism from its inception to the present.

This course allows a student to do in-depth study in a specific area in Divinity or Religious Studies agreed upon with his or her supervisor and approved by the Head of School. It may be offered in conjunction with the student sitting in on level 4 lectures relating to the subject material. 

Christian Spiritual Formation involves the transformation of the whole person to the character of Jesus Christ through the work of the Holy Spirit. It is concerned with people’s attitudes, character, intentions and thoughts, and the development of their spiritual maturity. This course will explore and study the personal disciplines and practices which Christians have exercised in their attempts and efforts to grow in their relationship with God over the centuries. Students will have the opportunity to reflect upon the usefulness and relevance of these texts in their own spiritual journeys and to their present spheres of ministry.

This course will engage with a significant area of development within the field of New Testament Studies, by means of close and sustained evaluation of a particular work, or by a thematically arranged series of discussions. The course will position these recent developments in relation to their backgrounds, considering the contexts that have given rise to fresh approaches, and will evaluate the developments themselves. The course will therefore allow students to develop an awareness of the major questions that currently dominate New Testament Studies and their backdrop in the history of the discipline, as well as helping them to identify ongoing challenges and prospects for future research. The specific development under consideration will vary in each delivery of the course, but notice of the topic will be given through the programme director.  

This course engages at length and in depth with the classic topics of God, Christ, and salvation in the Christian theological tradition, aiming to foster critical reflection on the scope and coherence of Christian teachings as well as on the defining concerns and conventions of Christian systematic theology, and to cultivate in students the interpretative and analytical skills required for advanced work in the discipline. In this course, students will engage intensively with one or more major texts from the Christian doctrinal tradition, with a particular focus on modern and contemporary sources.

This course gives an overview of some salient issues in Disability Theology. Topics that will be covered are, amongst others: What is disability?; What it means to be human?; Theological approaches to health and healing; Community; Stigma and taboo. The course also discusses various models of disability, such as the dominant medical model and the social model. The course engages with other current issues and developments as they might present itself during the course.

This course will introduce students to a number of major thinkers in the area of Theological Ethics. Its focus will be on reading and discussing texts by prominent figures who are of ongoing significance.  Moreover, this course will include figures from different theological and confessional backgrounds (Catholic, Reformed, Lutheran, non-Conformist, etc.), and explore whether and how their theological commitments connect with practical stances and approaches (i.e. on issues of war and peace, sexual ethics, bioethics, etc.)

20,000 word dissertation written on a topic related to the student's taught Master's programme and agreed to by the supervisor and the programme co-ordinator.

This course allows a student to do in-depth study in a specific area in Divinity or Religious Studies agreed upon with his or her supervisor and approved by the Head of School. It may be offered in conjunction with the student sitting in on level 4 lectures relating to the subject material. 

Opportunities to explore and reflect on principles and patterns of church leadership in both the first and twenty-first centuries. In studying the New Testament sources, the relevance of both informed historical and theological study will be apparent; the relevance of distinguishing between descriptive and prescriptive New Testament content will be evaluated; and the extent to which the context for church may be determinative for patterns of church leadership will be identified. This will provide a basis for reflecting on various issues that surround current practices of church leadership.

This course will bridge OT/Hebrew Bible and New Testament studies by examining the book of Isaiah in its own right alongside Isaiah’s influence on and use by New Testament authors. It will introduce the student to major Isaianic themes and how they are reflected or reinterpreted in the NT. The student will also be equipped to critically consider various methodological approaches to the biblical material along with exploring issues of intertextuality, canonicity, and early Christian exegesis.

This course offers students the opportunity to explore in depth a period of church history from the patristic to the reformation period. It will critically analyse the contexts, causes, key figures and sources, and the resultant trajectories of particular historical ecclesiastical phenomena. Of note, alongside this will be the theological concerns at stake and the influence of given movements on wider Christian thought and practice.