Greater Manchester Policy Report

Social responsibility. Wren Radford has collaborated with Policy@Manchester to create a research report 'The Embodied Everyday: Ethical approaches to including lived experience in policymaking’. The report, based in Wren’s research with communities in Glasgow and Greater Manchester, highlights key practical, ethical, and creative elements of engaging with people’s lived experiences. You can read more from the Policy@Manchester site, and you can read the report here. A short blurb of the report: "Sharing and engaging with people’s lived experiences can be powerful and impactful, but it can also reinforce the issues of unequal power and exclusion. To ensure that the research process and its outputs are as equitable as possible, this report outlines several steps policymakers can take to address these challenges."

Ehrhardt Seminar in Biblical Studies

 

Biblical studies. 11th May: 'Coptic Texts, Magic and Linguistics'. In honour of recently retired Todd Klutz, we invite you to a special Ehrhardt featuring three short papers by Todd's previous students: Kim Fowler (University of Groningen), Fred Tappenden (University of Alberta), and Sylvia Billington (current MA student), followed by a response by Dr Klutz himself. 3-5pm, University Place 5.209 and Teams. For further information and/or Teams link, please email Lynne Potts.

Sharing Thanks and Good News

Student news. Third year R&T student Niamh Hardman would like to extend a thank you for all the support she has been shown by the department as her fiancée Chloé was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma. Thankfully Chloé is now in remission after an intensive chemotherapy regime and is recovering well. Chloé and Niamh raised money for Manchester Beat Blood Cancer Together and celebrated with some of the staff at MRI. Hodgkin's Lymphoma primarily affects young adults and catching it early is so important. Please familiarise yourself with further information.

Keynote Address

Practical theology. The British & Irish Association for Practical Theology 2026 conference 'Power and the Common Good' features a keynote from recent PhD graduate Raj Patta who will offer a decolonial theological interrogation of the common good that is rooted in practice and draws on his work in Dalit public theology. Further information.

Project Website Launch

Digital humanities. The website for the UKRI-funded 'Coptic in Manchester: Connecting Manuscripts and Communities' project led by Sarah Parkhouse (PI) has been launched. Check it out here.

New Publication

Methodist studies. Tina Woof (PhD Candidate at NTC) has published "Phoebe Palmer: Holiness as Kenotic Foundation for Proto-Feminist Advocacy," Wesley and Methodist Studies 18 (2026): 54–78. Further information.

SALC student survey on module choice

Student consultation. Frances Connolly (Student Rep for School of Arts, Languages and Cultures) has prepared this 5 minute questionnaire. SALC is reviewing how module options are organised and wants student input on module choice. The survey seeks to understand how much choice students want and what factors (e.g. variety, flexibility, planning certainty) you value when selecting modules. Responses will guide departmental decisions on balancing the number of options with practical constraints, ensuring student priorities are considered in programme restructuring. Further information.

 

International Exhibition

Biblical studies. Centre for Biblical Studies member and Rylands curator, Jeremy Penner, has launched a major immersive exhibition in Austin, Texas that brings to life the voices of a multilingual, multicultural society from Greco-Roman Egypt. One key item on showcase is the world’s earliest known New Testament fragment – the St. John fragment – on view in North America for the first time, alongside rare papyri and artifacts from Greco-Roman Egypt usually housed at the Rylands. The exhibition will run in Texas April 11–August 2, 2026 and come to Manchester later this year. Further information.

New Publication

Biblical studies. Sarah Parkhouse has published 'The Limits of the Dialogue Gospel Genre: Recategorizing the Gospel of Thomas', Early Christianity 17 (2026): 31-47. Further information.

Student Summer Ball

For students. Celebrate the end of the academic year at the 2026 Liberal Arts and Religions & Theology Summer Ball! Saturday, 2nd May, 6:30pm - 12am, King Street Townhouse, 10 Booth Street, M2 4AW.  Dress Code: Black Tie. All students from both courses and any year group welcome, plus one available when purchasing tickets. Buy your tickets here.

New Publication

Jewish studies. Ion Popa, Honorary Research Fellow, Centre for Jewish Studies, has published “A Father and His Sons: Wilhelm Filderman’s Efforts to Shelter His Children during the Holocaust,” Revista de Istorie a Evreilor din România (The History Journal of the Jews in Romania), no. 6-7 (22-23) (2025), pp. 325-342. Further information.

BBC News

Jewish Studies. A long-form BBC article on the rise of antisemitism in the UK, including comments from a former student of the department, Rabbi Daniel Walker of Heaton Park Synagogue. 20 April 2026. Further information.

New Publication

Biblical studies. Andrew Boakye has published “The Ethics of Resurrection: The Christ Event and Ethical Praxis in the Pauline Epistles” in New Testament Ethics: Hermeneutics, Texts, and Practice, edited by Nicholas J. Moore, Cheryl Hunt and Timothy J. Murray (Eerdmans, 2026). Further information.