31 March 2020

Podcast, Bogdanow Lectures 2020

Holocaust Studies. The 2020 Bogdanow Lectures by Prof. Dina Porat (Tel Aviv University and Chief Historian of Yad Vashem) on the topic 'The Holocaust in Political Life: Israel and Europe in Comparison' are now available to view online. The lectures are entitled: (1) 'The Impact of the Holocaust on Israel's Foreign Policy' and (2) 'The Working Definition of Antisemitism: Holocaust related Contents and Debates'. Originally presented 28 and 29 Jan 2020. Further information.
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28 March 2020

Religion in... Time Magazine

Archaeologists Have Spent More Than a Century Hunting for Answers About Biblical Armageddon. "Finding places mentioned in the Bible is not always easy; disputed claims can rage for decades over the proposed identification of an ancient site. Such attempts to locate biblical sites in the “modern” era can be traced back to at least 1838, when Edward Robinson, a professor and American minister from Union Theological Seminary in New York City, joined forces with a Yale-educated missionary colleague named Eli Smith…" 17 March 2020. Further information.
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Religion in... The New York Times

What Judaism Teaches Us About the Fear of Death. "This is the second in a series of interviews with religious scholars from several faiths, and one atheist, on the meaning of death. The idea for this series, and the content of this interview, originated shortly before the pandemic.Yet all of it has obviously taken on a deeper and more urgent relevance in the midst of this crisis. The essential ideas being discussed here are ones that people everywhere, religious or not, are grappling with..." 26 March 2020. Further information.
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Religion in... The Guardian

Muslim students less likely to be awarded top class university degrees. "'Reasons for differences in degree award by student’s religion during their time in [higher education] are complex and difficult to disentangle from other characteristics associated with religion,' the report by Advance HE noted..." Further information.
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Religion in... the Religion News Service

Clergy laugh off bloopers as the coronavirus forces churches online. "The Rev. Megan Castellan has been livestreaming morning prayer from home every day through the coronavirus pandemic for her parishioners at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Ithaca, New York. But Thursday’s prayer (March 26) was an “epic disaster,” Castellan told her followers on Twitter…" 27 March 2020. Further information.

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Event programme, Nazarene Theological College

Christian theology. The Nazarene Theological College is one of our partner institutions and is located in nearby Didsbury. Associated with the Church of the Nazarene, which emerged in the nineteenth-century, NTC belongs to the World Methodist Council. See their programme of activities, including 'NTC online: Church History' (14 April). Further information.
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Event programme, Luther King House

Christian theology. Luther King House is one of our partner institutions and is located in nearby Fallowfield. It represents Baptist, Methodist, United Reformed and Unitarian traditions. See their programme of activities, including public events on Thinking theologically about Higher Education (18  June), Spirituality in contemporary society (22-25 June). Further information.
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27 March 2020

Admissions Visit Day (online)



Welcome to the Department of Religions and Theology at the University of Manchester. 

For applicants who are currently unable to visit the university in person, we offer  this Virtual Visit Day, which includes the following video presentations:

General information
 
Taster lectures
 
Selected areas of interest
 
To find out more: Explore our news blog to see the range of our activities and our website for information about why you might choose to study at Manchester and about our impressive resources, including our library, which is one of the largest academic libraries in the UK with massive electronic resources. Read student perspectives and chat with them. Learn more about the career options available. Investigate the interests of our staff and our research centres.  Browse our wide variety of degree and course options.

Don't forget to have a virtual look around the halls of residence and accommodation to get a sense of where you'd be living when you do arrive in Manchester. It's even possible to experience a virtual walking tour for the City, Fallowfield and Victoria Park campuses.

You might also be interested to hear from our Chancellor, the poet and broadcaster Lemn Sissay, CBE, on The Manchester Experience (2 mins). 
 
If you have further questions and would like to speak to us directly about a degree in Religions, Theology and Ethics, or Comparative Religions and Social Anthropology, or Religion and Philosophy, or Theological Studies in Philosophy and Ethics, please email andrew.boakye@manchester.ac.uk our friendly Admissions Officer to arrange for a conversation. See the university's statement on Information and updates for Applicants concerning coronavirus.

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24 March 2020

Social responsibility, OxNet

Widening participation. Michael Hoelzl presents on Ethics and Morality' (presented online, rather than in person, 24 March) as part of the OxNet evening seminar series. For 2020, this Oxford-Manchester series for A-level students of religious studies and theology was co-ordinated by Michael Hoelzl and entitled ‘Religion and Knowledge'. Further information.
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23 March 2020

Writing workshops

Student support. SALC's 'Write-Bright' academic writing resources continue to be available to all UG and PGT students online. Videos of workshops have been uploaded to the Write Bright page (on the SALC Academic Advising Community Blackboard) and are accompanied with worksheets and activities. There are also self-assessment tests to help students practise. Students can also still receive feedback on their academic writing by emailing writebright@manchester.ac.uk If you have any questions please visit the Write Bright page before emailing.
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17 March 2020

BBC Radio 4

Christian theology. This episode of Radio 4's The Sunday Programme ('The Bones of Saint Eanswythe; Christ Church College Dispute; Coronavirus and the Vatican') included our recent graduate, Harry Farley, interviewing Jürgen Moltmann about his views on current issues. 15 March 2020.  Listen again.
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Social responsibility, OxNet

Widening participation. Ketan Alder presents on 'Religion and the Other' (17 March) as part of the OxNet evening seminar series. For 2020, this Oxford-Manchester series for A-level students of religious studies and theology was co-ordinated by Michael Hoelzl and entitled ‘Religion and Knowledge'. Further information.
CANCELLED
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13 March 2020

Rylands Chair

Biblical Studies. Congratulations to Peter Oakes, currently Professor of New Testament, who has just been appointed to the Rylands Chair of Biblical Criticism and Exegesis. This prestigious Chair was established in 1904 at the same time as the establishment of the Faculty of Theology in what was then the Victoria University of Manchester. Enriqueta Rylands established the John Rylands Library in her husband’s name, and she also endowed the Rylands Chair which was to combine higher and lower criticism. The holder of the chair has normally been involved in the oversight of teaching and research in Biblical Studies in the Department. There have been seven distinguished previous holders of the Chair to date, who were scholars in fields related to the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, the New Testament, or both: A.S. Peake, C.H. Dodd, T.W. Manson, F.F. Bruce, B. Lindars SSF, C.M. Tuckett, and G.J. Brooke; Professor Brooke retired in 2016 and the Chair has remained vacant since then. This appointment reflects the global reputation of Peter's research, which contextualizes the New Testament through new insights on historical economics and the archaeological evidence of social structures.
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Research seminar, Ehrhardt

Biblical Studies. Departmental panel: 'On Love, Boundaries, and Sacred Texts: Reflections, Possibilities, Questions'. March 26 2020, 2pm, Room 5.206, University Place, 176 Oxford Rd, Manchester M13 9PL.  
CANCELLED
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Research Seminar, Departmental

Jewish Studies. Professor Melissa Raphael (University of Gloucestershire) presents 'The (Dis)appearing Feminine: Jewish Feminist Art and the Liberation of Women and God from Captivity to Idols'. March 19 2020, 4pm. Further information.  
CANCELLED

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Research seminar, Ehrhardt

Biblical Studies. Elizabeth Shively (University of St. Andrews) presents 'The Benefit of Applying a Multidimensional Cognitive Model to Gospel Genre Studies’. March 19 2020, 2pm, Room 5.206, University Place, 176 Oxford Rd, Manchester M13 9PL.  CANCELLED
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BBC-Manchester workshop for students

Online resource project. Holly Morse organised a workshop with Amanda Hancox (BBC producer), R&T colleagues, and students from local schools and colleges. The project is developing a set of online resources that allow academics at the University of Manchester to curate the BBC’s Beyond Belief archive on subjects close to their research. The workshop is designed to draw upon the students currently engaged with, or interested in, Religious Studies A-level students. 16 March 2020.  
POSTPONED
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10 March 2020

Teaching innovation, social responsibility

Online resource. Did you know about the Students in Public (SiP) project? It established a processes for publishing and disseminating student research. John Zavos' and Katja Stuerzenhofecker's project showcases the principle of preparing students to apply their learning to specific work and/or social and political contexts outside the academy, and thus to develop employability skills and contribute to social responsibility. This work was supported by CHERIL funding in 2016-18. Teaching excellence, as reflected by high student satisfaction and teaching awards, is central to the departmental ethos. Further information.
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Social responsibility, OxNet

Widening participation. Daniel Langton presents on 'Science and Religious Knowledge' (10 March) as part of the OxNet evening seminar series. For 2020, this Oxford-Manchester series for A-level students of religious studies and theology was co-ordinated by Michael Hoelzl and entitled ‘Religion and Knowledge'. Further information.
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International academic prize

2020 Gailliot Award. Congratulations to Peter Nockles for being honoured with the 2020 Gailliot Award ($10,000) in recognition of a lifetime achievement in promoting and advancing the study of the life, writings, and influence of John Henry Newman. The award is made by the National Institute for Newman Studies, Pittsburgh, US. Further information.
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Workshop, policy training

Student Policy Training session. "Are you a University of Manchester student interested in understanding the ‘policy’ world? How decisions that affect us all are made? How research is used to inform politicians’ views? Policy@Manchester is holding a one day training session on 23 March aimed at UoM students across the university." To register, see further information.
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06 March 2020

Weekend workshop, Women in Bible

Biblical Studies and Gender. The 'Women in the Bible' weekend course is one of a series of events being sponsored by The Bible, Gender and Church Research Centre based at Cliff College, one of our partner institutions. The course will be delivered by Dr Kirsi Cobb (Cliff College) and Dr Holly Morse (Manchester).  "Studying the female figures in the Bible has gained a lot of interest in the past years and keeps on raising important questions for contemporary followers of Christ. Who were these women in the Bible? How should we understand their stories? Do they have anything to say to women in the contemporary church? It is these questions and many more that we shall address in this weekend course." Cliff College, Sheffield, 15-17 May 2020. Further information.
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Sci-fi musical

Science fiction and religion. Scott Midson is credited as an expert consultant for the sci-fi musical 'Insane Animals' by Bourgeois & Maurice, which is currently playing at Home. The musical blends mythology and transhumanism via the Epic of Gilgamesh (and some time travelling aliens). Further information.
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BBC World Service

Technology and religion. Scott Midson has contributed on the subjects of AI and robotics to a series on 'Religion in the Digital Age: The Discussion' for the Heart and Soul programme on BBC World Service. Broadcast on Friday 27 March 2020. Further information.
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04 March 2020

Religions & Theology course units, year 1

First-year courses taught in our Department, 2020.
Depending upon your degree programme (Religions and Theology, or Theological Studies in Philosophy and Ethics, or Philosophy and Religion, or Comparative Religion and Social Anthropology), you can also take options from outside our Department, such as Introduction to Islam. (Note: These course unit details are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available.)
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Religions & Theology course units, year 2

Second-year courses taught in our Department, 2020.
Depending upon your degree programme (Religions and Theology, or Theological Studies in Philosophy and Ethics, or Philosophy and Religion, or Comparative Religion and Social Anthropology), you can also take options from outside our Department, such as History of Religion in Japan; Women and Gender in the Middle East and North Africa; History of Modern Islamic Thought. (Note: These course unit details are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available.)
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Religions & Theology course units, year 3

Third-year courses taught in our Department, 2020.
Depending upon your degree programme (Religions and Theology, or Theological Studies in Philosophy and Ethics, or Philosophy and Religion, or Comparative Religion and Social Anthropology), you can also take options from outside our Department, such as Contemporary Debates in Islam. (Note: These course unit details are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available.)
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03 March 2020

Teaching innovation, communications

Electronic resources. Have you heard of PechaKucha?  It is about 'the art of concise presentations' and is used as a presentation format in Scott Midson's course units where students speak along to twenty images, with each image displayed for twenty seconds. It is used as a form of assessment to develop students' communication and computer skills. Students also have the opportunity for their work to be hosted online as part of a 'Students in Public' e-resource. Teaching excellence, as reflected by high student satisfaction and teaching awards, is central to the departmental ethos.
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New publication

South Asian Studies. Jackie Suthren Hirst, ‘Avidyā: bhāva, bīja or mithyājñāna? or, the story of the eighteenth elephant’, in ed. S.R. Anantha Murthy, Bhāṣyārthapradīpikā: śāṅkarabhāṣyeṣu avidyāviṣayakavimarśātmikā lekhanamālā: Centenary volume to mark the publication of Swami Satchidanandendra’s magnum opus, Mūlāvidyānirasa (Bangalore: Krishnakamala Vedānta Pāthaśala, 2019), 100-111. For pre-publication copy, see further information.
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Social responsibility, OxNet

Widening participation. David Law presents on 'Knowledge of God' (3 March) as part of the OxNet evening seminar series. For 2020, this Oxford-Manchester series for A-level students of religious studies and theology was co-ordinated by Michael Hoelzl and entitled ‘Religion and Knowledge'. Further information.
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01 March 2020

Religion in... the BBC

What happens when a Hindu and Muslim YouTuber meet? As more young people shun physical spaces of worship like the mosque or church, social media is the outlet they're turning to to explore their faith; however researchers say that this does not encourage inter-faith dialogue. What happens when we bring together Muslim influencer Juwayria Ghaz and Hindu vlogger Parle Patel? They discuss how social media has shaped their religious identity, and if the mosque or temple is still relevant to them. 22 Feb 2020. Further information.
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