Robotics, Religion and Ethics Workshop

Religion and AI. Scott Midson will be speaking on "Robot, Religion, Ethics" at the International Workshop on Robotics, Religion and Ethics. Friday 28th Feb 2025, 9:00am-5:00pm, University of Manchester, Engineering B_2B.025 M&T. Further information and tickets.

Faculty/School recognition for MA student

Jewish education. Congratulations to Yehudis Fletcher, MA Religions & Theology, who was the School's nominee for the Faculty’s Distinguished Achievement Award: Postgraduate Student of the Year. The criteria was that "the nominee should be an outstanding postgraduate student on a taught programme who has excelled in some significant manner." Yehudis was put forward by SALC for her charitable work and research relating to the place of secular education in the Charedi or so-called ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities. Among other things, her charitable foundation published an Education Policy Position paper 9 Sept 2024, supported by Baroness Estelle Morris and Baroness Tessa Blackstone, that has been taken up by the media, including the BBC and the Jewish Press, and is intended to influence the Government’s ‘Children’s Wellbeing Act’.

Interested in a Freelance Career?

 

For students. The Careers Service are planning to hold a workshop in February 2025 for SALC students who are interested in being self-employed, or working freelance in the future. Self-employment and freelance work is particularly common across the creative and cultural sectors, including Music, film, television, writing of all kinds, journalism, advertising and marketing. The workshop will include advice and tips on how to approach a freelance career, as well as the chance to speak to freelancers working within sectors of particular interest to SALC students. If you are interested in attending such an event, it’s important for you to complete the pre-registration survey via the link below, so that the Careers Service can contact you in January with further information about the event, including how to reserve your place (places will be limited and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis). The survey also gives you an opportunity to indicate the areas of freelance work that you are interested in, so that the Careers Service can plan the event accordingly and do their best to tailor aspects of it to your interests. Take the survey here. 

Religion & Theology Seminar

Religion & Theology. 6th February - "Climate Change Research Group", in University Place 6.207 and online. 4-6pm. For online access, please email Siobhán Jolley or Scott Midson.

Spotlight on Kath Vardi, alumna

Religions and the Jewish community. Kath Vardi studied for a BA Religions and Theology (Jewish Studies) between 2008-2011, returning to study as a mature student having previously worked as a mental health nurse in the NHS and charity sector. Following graduation she went to Leo Baeck College in London and studied for the progressive rabbinate and was ordained in 2017. She has been working as the rabbi to a community in Surrey for the last 7 years and will soon be returning to Manchester to work with Menorah Synagogue.

British New Testament Society Appointment

Biblical studies. Siobhán Jolley and has been appointed the new information officer for the British New Testament Society. Further information.

Editorial Board Appointment

Biblical studies. Sarah Parkhouse has joined the editorial board for the Journal for the Study of the New Testament. Further information.

Arts Emergency Charity Mentoring

Social responsibility. Siobhán Jolley acts a mentor for Arts Emergency, an award-winning charity and support network who aim to help young people flourish in higher education and the creative industries. They work long-term with under-resourced young people in London, Brighton, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to help folk from underrepresented backgrounds break into careers in the arts and humanities. Siobhán will start with their new mentee in January and is happy to chat to anyone interested in mentoring.

New Publication

Religion and environment. Finlay Malcolm and Peter Scott have published "The ecotheological values of Christian climate change activists" in the journal Environmental Values. This is the first research output of the AHRC-funded research project, Religion, Theology and Climate Change—which is now in its third year. Further project publications are planned for 2025. Further information.

New Publications

Biblical studies. Behind the Scenes of the New Testament: Cultural, Social and Historical Contexts, ed. Bruce Longenecker, Elizabeth Shiveley, and T.J. Lang (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2024) is just out and contains chapters by a stellar cast of international scholars including HRFs Loveday Alexander (on ‘Historiography’) and MiJa Wi (‘Wealth and Poverty’). Further information.

Student Placements Scheme

For students. Convert to a 4-year programme with the third year being a placement year and learn key job-seeking skills by securing your own placement, with support from SALC and the Careers Service, with the SALC Placement Scheme. Placements do not need to be related to your degree subject and can be in the UK or abroad. Add 'with Professional Experience' to your degree title! Open to UK and international students. Applications are open until the 1st May 2025. Contact salc.placements@manchester.ac.uk with any questions! Further information.

Plenary Conference Paper

Science and Religion. Peter Scott will be a plenary speaker at the conference Ecology between Religions and Sciences: Minds and Bodies in Nature, being organised by the International Society for Science and Religion in summer 2025. See the full announcement here.

PhD funding success

Jewish History. This AHRC-funded PhD studentship for a collaborative doctoral project with the Manchester Jewish Museum is entitled "Defying Disability in Victorian Jewish Manchester: The Diaries of David Isaacs and Social Marginality in a Minority Community.” The project will be supervised by Daniel Langton. It offers a unique opportunity for the doctoral student to both advance their research and archive skills and also work with a museum on public-facing initiatives. The deadline for complete applications is 13 February, 2025. For more information and contact details for any questions, please see further information.