St Paul's Study Day

Theology. Siobhán Jolley is leading a study day at St Paul's Cathedral on 15th March, "Bearing Witness: Mary Magdalene and the Art of Easter". Further information.

Associates of Kings College Lecture

Religion and Theology. MA graduate, Yehudis Fletcher, Founder of Nahamu, delivered the Associates of Kings College lecture "Shoulders to Lean On, or Sharp Elbows: Who Controls the Narrative of Lived Experience in High Control Communities?" on 24 Feb 2025.

New Publication

Biblical studies. Siobhán Jolley has published "Max and the Magdalene: On Violence, Grief, and Trauma Under Patriarchy" in Religion, Theology, and Stranger Things: Studies from the Upside Down on Evil, Ethics, Horror, and Hope, edited by Andrew J. Byers and Adam J. Powell. She has talked about the work on a podcast and there will be a hybrid book launch on 19th March.

NTC Research Seminar

Biblical studies. Siobhán Jolley is giving the NTC Research seminar on 19th March, ‘Reimaging the Magdalene: Feminism, Art, and the Counter-Reformation”, 4pm, contact Samuel Hildrebrandt to join in person or online.

Ehrhardt Seminar in Biblical Studies

 

Biblical Studies. 13th March, Suzanna Millar (University of Edinburgh) on "Animals, Power, and Intersectionality in the Books of Samuel". 4pm, online only. For further information and Zoom link, please email Lynne Potts.

Jewish Museum Evening Talks: Philip Alexander

Jewish and Biblical studies. The Manchester Jewish Museum invites you to a relaxed armchair chat with Professor Philip Alexander and our PhD graduate Dr Sherry Ashworth on Thursday 27th March, 6-7:30pm. During this talk Philip will reflect on the challenges he faced in understanding Judaism, his efforts to establish Jewish Studies as a serious academic field in British universities, as well as some of the interesting people he met along the way. He will also explore how the Jewish community in Britain, and particularly Manchester, has changed over the years from his standpoint as an engaged and sympathetic outsider. Further information and tickets here.

Religion & Theology Research Seminar

Religion & Theology. Dr Caroline Starkey (University of Leeds), "Spirit Communication and the Disenchanting World". 20th March, 4-6pm. For online access, please email Siobhán Jolley or Scott Midson.

Blackwell's Event: Pilgrimage and Place

In conversation. A journey through pilgrimage and place, with Jake Morris-Campbell (Liverpool John Moores) & Kathryn Hurlock (MMU) in conversation with our own Peter Scott, hosted by Blackwell’s (University campus). Thursday 1st May 2025 at 6:30 PM. Further information and tickets.

Postgraduate Poster Competition

For PG students. Submissions are invited from any PhD student currently based in the School of Arts, Languages and Cultures to the 2024-2025 CIDRAL (Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Arts and Languages) Poster Competition. Posters should address interdisciplinary and/or collaborative research, both core values of CIDRAL that are also vital for future career pathways. Winning entries will be displayed on the CIDRAL pages of the School’s website to showcase the diversity of SALC postgraduate research for other members of the University, researchers at other institutions, and the wider public. Last year’s winners can be seen on the CIDRAL website, including from R&T's own Charlotte Garget. Posters should be submitted in PDF form to James Scorer by 5pm on 2nd May. . For tips and advice on designing posters you may wish to consult the suggestions provided on this website (and the sites recommended on their page). Posters should be accompanied by a title and a short descriptive text (300-400 words) and relevant permissions should be provided for all images used. First Prize £200/Second Prize £100/Third Prize £50.

Stachniewski Memorial Lecture

Islamic studies. The Department of English, American Studies and Creative Writing invites you to the Stachniewski Memorial Lecture on "Disappearing Muslims in Shakespeare" by Prof. Ambereen Dadabhoy (Harvey Mudd College). This talk explores the dearth of Muslim representation in Shakespeare. While some characters such as Othello and the Prince of Morocco are Islamically coded, they are not definitely identified as Muslim. Dadabhoy will explore some of the reasons Shakespeare erases or disappears Muslims from the places that they occupied in the eastern Mediterranean settings that he adopts for his plays. Wednesday 9th April, 5pm, online. Keep an eye out here for joining instructions.

Humanist Society Public Talk

Religion. Michael Hoelzl will give a public talk to the Stockport Humanist's Society on Wednesday March 19th 2025 at 7.30pm. The topic of the lecture is: "The new visibility of religion today." Please find more information about the society here.

New Book Publication

Theology. Charlotte Bray has published Sin and the Vulnerability of Embodied Life: Towards a Catholic Theology of Social Sin in T&T Clark Studies in Systematic Theology, with Bloomsbury. Further information.

Religion and Theology Research Seminar

Religion & Theology. Frederick Simmons, "Environmental Despair, Salvation History, and the Theological Virtues". 20th February, 4-6pm, University Place 5.205. For online access, please email Siobhán Jolley or Scott Midson.

International Society for Science and Religion, blog entry

Jewish history. Daniel Langton was invited to contribute an entry entitled 'Judaism and Science: Where has the Dialogue got to?' for the International Society for Science and Religion blog. Further information.

Museum Careers Events

Employability. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to visit the Manchester Museum to speak to some of their staff about their roles and to see practical demonstrations of what they do on a day-to-day basis. Staff will also be happy to talk about their career paths to give you a sense of potential routes into the cultural sector. Places on the trip will be ring-fenced for interested students from the School of Arts, Languages and Cultures until Wednesday 19th February, at which point students from across the University will be eligible to reserve a place. Monday 3rd March, 15:30. High demand is expected and places are limited, so sign up now via CareerConnect if you're interested!

Jewish Book Week Event

Jewish Studies. On 9 March, at Jewish Book Week, CJS HRF Lindsey Taylor-Guthartz will be in conversation with American author Marc Shapiro, about his new book 'Renewing the Old, Sanctifying the New: The Unique Vision of Rav Kook (Littman Library of Jewish Civilization). Further information.

Manchester China Institute Webinar

Christian studies. Join the webinar of the Manchester China Institute with Prof Ruth Hayhoe and Dr Leping Mou to learn more about liberal arts and the legacy of China’s Christian universities. This online event will take place on Tuesday, 18 February (4:00-5:30pm UK time) via Zoom. Register for free here.

Creative Careers Event

Employability. Are you interested in a career in media, performing arts, or content creation? Want the chance to hear from creatives who have written for Dazed Magazine, worked with brands as diverse as Adidas, New Balance, the NBA, Premier League clubs and artists including Tems, Snoop Dogg and Justin Timberlake? Many roles within these creative industries require you to work freelance or be self-employed, and this session, through practical activities and the chance to meet experienced freelancers, will introduce you to what that looks like, helping you gain the insights and skills to take the first step. Wednesday 26th February, 13:30.  Sign up on CareerConnect to reserve your spot.

Assessment feedback

For students. Now is the time to review the feedback you received on your Semester 1 assignments. Become clear about the aspects of your work that scored highly = do this again. Make a plan how to follow up on the suggested improvements = speak to your Lecturers and Academic Advisor, use MyLearningEssentials and other recommended resources. Weekly office hours are advertised in course materials, in the R&T Common Room (Samuel Alexander building, S1.11) and on staff web pages.

PhD Completion

Political Theology. Enoch Adekoya has successfully completed his PhD titled “The Church as Political Society in the Political Theologies of Stanley Hauerwas and Oliver O’Donovan”, supervised by Peter Scott and Scott Midson and examined by Philip Ziegler and David Law. Warmest congratulations!

Religion and Gen Z on Radio 4

Student voices. Members of Gen Z, including students in our department, recently spoke on Radio 4 about Gen Z and attitudes to religion and spirituality, which suggests a majority describe themselves as 'fairly spiritual'. Listen here.

Ehrhardt Seminar in Biblical Studies

 

Biblical Studies. On 27th Feb, the Ehrhardt Seminar will be joint with the Classics and Ancient History Research Seminar, which gives us a new time and place. Peter Pormann will be speaking on "Δεισιδαιμονεστέρους: an Enigmatic Example of Enantiosemy in Acts 17:22b" at 2pm in Samuel Alexander A7. For the Zoom link, please email Melanie Giles.

Jewish Community Scholar Program, US

Jewish Studies. In March, CJS HRF Lindsey Taylor-Guthartz will be teaching a series of online lectures on 'Translating the Bible' for the Jewish Community Scholar Program, Orange County, California. Lindsey's sessions are 6, 20 and 27 March. Further information.

Spotlight on Louis Lovell Thomas, alumnus

Accountancy and consultancy.  Louis studied Religions & Theology from 2016 to 2019. After completing his studies, he transitioned into Professional Services, starting at a mid-tier accountancy and consultancy firm in regulatory compliance. He has recently moved to a Big Four accountancy firm, where he continues his work in the same field, and he went onto gain further qualifications from the International Compliance Association. Despite his professional path, Louis remains passionate about theology and hopes to return to further studies in the future. He featured in an exhibition called Corporate Queer, which explored themes of identity and the workplace. This was showcased in the Houses of Parliament in 2023. Louis has remained in Manchester building a strong circle of friends and a good social life in the city.