Carmel College Presentation

Social responsibility. Michael Hoelzl was invited to give a talk on the problem of evil and the philosophical question of theodicy on October 9th 2026 at Sixth Form Carmel College in St. Helens. After the presentation they did a workshop on the World Press Photo Award 2026 and discussed how contemporary forms of evil and violence are portrayed and understood today.

International Society for Science and Religion, blog entry

Jewish history. Daniel Langton was invited to contribute an entry entitled 'When Darwin met the Jews' for the International Society for Science and Religion blog. "When Charles Darwin published On the Origin of Species in 1859, he could hardly have anticipated that within fifteen years his ideas would be expounded in Hebrew and compared with the teachings of the ancient Jewish sages..." 15 Oct 2026. Further information.

Scriptural Reasoning Event

Interfaith event. UoM Diversity Dialogues, the RS Student Society, and Manchester Jewish Society are running a Scriptural Reasoning event to discuss beginnings of the Bible, Quran and Torah. 14th October, Uni Place 4.213, 4pm onwards.

Interview on The Harry Hill Show

Biblical studies. Andy Boakye chats about Jesus and the New Testament on the Harry Hill show - even plugging our courses at the University of Manchester! Watch it here (Andy starts at minute 24). 

Religion & Theology Research Seminar

 

Religion & Theology. 22nd October, Stephen Wright (Nazarene Theological College), 'Eschatology as Hope as Imagination: Propositional and Poetic Utterance in Evoking the Christian Future'. 2pm. Online only. Email Siobhán or Kamran for the link.

Career Spotlight: Sustainability Consultant

For students. Passionate about making a positive impact on people and the planet? Sustainability Consultants help organisations reduce their environmental impact, develop responsible practices, and work towards sustainability goals. Through your RELT degree, you've developed valuable skills by exploring ethical dilemmas, examining social responsibility, evaluating different perspectives, and constructing evidence-based arguments. These skills can help organisations balance environmental, social and business priorities when making decisions. Check out the Prospects Sustainability Consultant profile to explore this career path and book a careers appointment to discuss your career ideas further.

Religion & Theology Research Seminar

 

Religion & Theology. 8th October, Joshua Rushton (The University of Manchester), 'Environmental Approaches to the Early Modern Catholic World'. 2pm. Online only. Email Siobhán or Kamran for the link.

Digital Exhibition

Buddhist studies. The digital artwork connected to the Leverhulme-funded “Fear and Belonging in Minority Buddhist Communities” project is now online. ‘grasp, grasp’ by Sian Fan is a digital artwork which draws on the anonymised life stories of members of two different Buddhist communities, collected by University of Manchester researchers Erica Baffelli and Jane Caple. The work is a web-based experience filled with emotive photography and soundscapes, which traverses multiple pathways. It changes shape, operating in different sequences and moving in different directions, inviting viewers to reflect on the ephemerality of emotions. “It hopes to emulate the feeling of being submerged in all the stories all at once, creating an undefined but reflective wash of emotion and experience. It explores how, in people’s everyday lives, fear exists as an undercurrent, weaving in and out of quotidian experiences. It considers fear’s entanglement with belonging and explores how these states coexist in tension. Without attempting to pin it down, the work hopes to assert the complicated beauty of human experience. It seeks to form a blurry vision of lives lived, that, with your gaze soft and your grip gentle, you can find yourself enveloped within.” ‘grasp, grasp’ is made to be experienced on desktop; it works best on Chrome. Please take your time in exploring it here.

Keynote Paper

Biblical studies. Siobhán Jolley gave a keynote at the Bible and Contemporary World conference in St Andrews. The lecture was called 'Reading the Magdalene Otherwise: Contemporary Art and Liberative Meaning-Making', and brought together Magdalene reception, contemporary art, and the ways biblical figures are continually reinterpreted and reimagined. Further information.

New Publication

Intellectual history. Former Leverhulme Fellow and current Academic Affiliate Visitor Dr Samuel O'Connor Perks has published 'Narrating crisis: World War I, American labour and Ammon Hennacy’s conversion to Christianity, 1914–1940' in Intellectual History Review, 1–18. Further information.

New Book Publication

Biblical studies. Honorary research fellow Walter Houston has published God’s World, Our Work: A Study of Work in the Bible and in Today’s World with Cascade Books. The book introduces readers to the extensive material concerning work in the Bible, some of it viewing work positively as the will of God for humanity, some of it negatively as violent and exploitative. The book is aimed at both scholars and a wide readership. Further information.

Paper Presentation

Religion and politics. Michael Hoelzl gave a paper at a networking symposium at Florence (24th-27th of September, 2026). The Symposium analysed the role of religion in authoritarian and neo-colonial political systems today. The overall title of the networking symposium was "Political Theology of Authoritarianism". Speakers from Italy, the US, Brazil, India and the UK discussed the emergence and existence of new forms of authoritarianism with regards to the role of religion. The meeting was funded by Diaconia Valdese and NYU.

Spotlight: Alumni Profile

Careers. Izabela Mogielska graduated with a BA Philosophy and Religion degree and now works as a Campaign Media Executive at This is Gain. On her journey from degree to career, Izabela writes, 'My degree prepared me for the role of Campaign Media Executive by developing my critical thinking skills, which are particularly valuable when creating plans involving complex strategies. Additionally, it has helped me build confidence in presenting, which is especially useful when working directly with clients.' Read more about Izabela's job and advice for current students.