Undergraduate Divinity 2026-2027

The course will introduce you to the first five centuries of Christian life and belief. It traces the rise of Christianity from its origins as a Jewish sect to a position of cultural and religious dominance in the Roman Empire. It also looks at the development of central themes in early Christian theology and spirituality. The course consists of a series of lectures on key topics, and tutorial seminars on researching and presenting your work, and on various early Christian texts. The course also requires your own reading and research.

What does it mean to read the Bible responsibly? This question is vitally relevant to anyone working closely with biblical texts, whether in academic study or in the context of faith communities who consider the biblical texts to be their Scriptures. This course will bring together the theory or philosophy of biblical interpretation with the associated methods and skills. Students will learn how the way we think about biblical interpretation has changed through the modern period and will learn how to implement the critical methods associated with the various theories. As well as acquiring and refining an interpretive skill-set that will immediately benefit their own engagement with the Bible, students will be exposed to theories of interpretation that are radically different to traditional approaches. Whether or not they agree with these, the knowledge will allow them to understand why other readers of Scripture hold very different beliefs about what is “biblical”.

How did the Jesus movement turn into the church? At what point did the church decide Jesus was God? How can God be one and three? What is heresy and why did it matter? How did Christianity relate to surrounding philosophy? Did theology develop and change? What were the sources for Christian thought and doctrine? The course introduces students to these questions through the rich history of Christian thought by considering a number of representative theological thinkers, such as Origen, Athanasius, Augustine, Anselm, Aquinas, Luther and Calvin. Assessment is through weekly discussion boards, a short essay, and a final essay.

This course considers the questions of gender, sexuality and identity are discussed and considered in relation to religion or the concept of God. The course will be delivered by a range of lecturers who will offer historical, philosophical, ethical and theological reflection on questions of identity as they relate to sexuality, CIS and non-CIS identity, genders and non-binary identity and associated issues at the heart of today’s world.

This course will explore the rise and fall of Empires from the ancient world and beyond; examining to what extent religion, power struggles, conflict and politics impacted the shaping of an ancient Empire and the world today.

What do Christians believe? Why do they believe it? Can it (despite everything!) possibly be true? And if so, what difference does it make? Taking an 'insider's view' of Christian belief, this course asks what it means to think and to speak Christianly--about God, Jesus, creation, religion, human community and responsibility, death, life and other little things.

What does it mean to read the Bible responsibly? This question is vitally relevant to anyone working closely with biblical texts, whether in academic study or in the context of faith communities who consider the biblical texts to be their Scriptures. This course will bring together the theory or philosophy of biblical interpretation with the associated methods and skills. Students will learn how the way we think about biblical interpretation has changed through the modern period and will learn how to implement the critical methods associated with the various theories. As well as acquiring and refining an interpretive skill-set that will immediately benefit their own engagement with the Bible, students will be exposed to theories of interpretation that are radically different to traditional approaches. Whether or not they agree with these, the knowledge will allow them to understand why other readers of Scripture hold very different beliefs about what is “biblical”.

How did the Jesus movement turn into the church? At what point did the church decide Jesus was God? How can God be one and three? What is heresy and why did it matter? How did Christianity relate to surrounding philosophy? Did theology develop and change? What were the sources for Christian thought and doctrine? The course introduces students to these questions through the rich history of Christian thought by considering a number of representative theological thinkers, such as Origen, Athanasius, Augustine, Anselm, Aquinas, Luther and Calvin. Assessment is through weekly discussion boards, a short essay, and a final essay.

This course will explore the rise and fall of Empires from the ancient world and beyond; examining to what extent religion, power struggles, conflict and politics impacted the shaping of an ancient Empire and the world today.

What do Christians believe? Why do they believe it? Can it (despite everything!) possibly be true? And if so, what difference does it make? Taking an 'insider's view' of Christian belief, this course asks what it means to think and to speak Christianly about God, Jesus, creation, religion, human community and responsibility, death, life and other little things.

This course considers the questions of gender, sexuality and identity are discussed and considered in relation to religion or the concept of God. The course will be delivered by a range of lecturers who will offer historical, philosophical, ethical and theological reflection on questions of identity as they relate to sexuality, CIS and non-CIS identity, genders and non-binary identity and associated issues at the heart of today’s world.

The European Reformation was a time of immense ecclesiastical, social, intellectual and political transformation that changed the religious and cultural landscape of the West forever. By way of regular seminars, this course draws students into detailed exploration of critical events, developments, ideas and debates of this tumultuous period in history to consider the nature of the transformations which it bequeathed to subsequent centuries up to and including our own.

This course will explore the role of animals and monsters in the Ancient Near East, ancient Greek, Roman Worlds.

 

This course will explore the role of animals and monsters in the Ancient Near East, ancient Greek, Roman Worlds.

 

This course introduces students to contemporary conversations in the field of practical theology. It will cover foundational concepts such as the interpretation of practice and theological research methods and reflection. Students will engage with contemporary issues including (for example) politics, technology, gender and sexuality, disability, and climate change, and will explore how practical theology intersects with modern life and global challenges.

In this course we will be encountering the great Swiss theologian Karl Barth. Born in 1886, Barth was a pastor and an academic who lived through some of the most important events of the twentieth century: the First World War, the rise of Socialism, the Great Depression, the Second World War, and the start of the Cold War. At each point, he was no merely passive observer: he was opposed in his first parish for supporting socialism; he was expelled from Nazi Germany for opposing Hitler; and he was mistrusted by the West for taken a neutral position in the Cold War. In our course, we will focus on the revolutionary theology that underpinned the views of this outspoken activist. Week by week, we will be exploring how across a whole series of doctrines – including revelation, creation, Christology, and ecclesiology – Barth offered revised and visionary accounts of traditional positions. This will allow us to understand how he both charted new theological terrain and caused great theological controversy. And it will help us appreciate how he changed forever the theological landscape.

This course will examine in detail the literary, sociological, ethical, historical and theological dimensions of the letters of the New Testament (e.g., Pauline epistles) through a careful reading of the texts themselves, texts which have exercised enormous influence over the development of Christian theology and ethics through the centuries. This course will involve exploration and critique of new approaches to the interpretation of New Testament letters and the readings they produce in order to explore critically the life, thought, and practice of early Christianity.

The European Reformation was a time of immense ecclesiastical, social, intellectual and political transformation that changed the religious and cultural landscape of the West forever. By way of regular seminars, this course draws students into detailed exploration of critical events, developments, ideas and debates of this tumultuous period in history to consider the nature of the transformations which it bequeathed to subsequent centuries up to and including our own.

 

This course introduces students to contemporary conversations in the field of practical theology. It will cover foundational concepts such as the interpretation of practice and theological research methods and reflection. Students will engage with contemporary issues including (for example) politics, technology, gender and sexuality, disability, and climate change, and will explore how practical theology intersects with modern life and global challenges.

In this course we will be encountering the great Swiss theologian Karl Barth. Born in 1886, Barth was a pastor and an academic who lived through some of the most important events of the twentieth century: the First World War, the rise of Socialism, the Great Depression, the Second World War, and the start of the Cold War. At each point, he was no merely passive observer: he was opposed in his first parish for supporting socialism; he was expelled from Nazi Germany for opposing Hitler; and he was mistrusted by the West for taken a neutral position in the Cold War. In our course, we will focus on the revolutionary theology that underpinned the views of this outspoken activist. Week by week, we will be exploring how across a whole series of doctrines – including revelation, creation, Christology, and ecclesiology – Barth offered revised and visionary accounts of traditional positions. This will allow us to understand how he both charted new theological terrain and caused great theological controversy. And it will help us appreciate how he changed forever the theological landscape.

This course involves the writing of a dissertation in one of the sub-disciplines in Divinity and Religious Studies. Independent Research work is done under the supervision of a member of staff. The dissertation is an extended essay, of no more than 10,000 words inclusive of references. Please note the 10,000 words does not include the bibliography.

This course will examine in detail the literary, sociological, ethical, historical and theological dimensions of the letters of the New Testament (e.g., Pauline epistles) through a careful reading of the texts themselves, texts which have exercised enormous influence over the development of Christian theology and ethics through the centuries. This course will involve exploration and critique of new approaches to the interpretation of New Testament letters and the readings they produce in order to explore critically the life, thought, and practice of early Christianity.