Religion, Theology and Culture (extended degree) BA/BSc (combined honours)

Our BA Theology and Religious Studies degree offers an exploration of traditions with deep historical roots which continue to shape politics, society, and culture. You will concentrate on four fundamental areas: Religion, Ethics, Philosophy, and Theology/Biblical Studies, which will provide you with the skills to understand the impact of religion and theology in both the contemporary and the ancient and classical world.

Studying these four primary areas will also provide you with the basic tools of analysis essential for understanding the impact of religion in the contemporary world. In the Theology degree at Roehampton, you can tackle issues such as poverty and inequality, social justice, racism, violence, anti-Semitism, feminism and post-colonialism in the context of religion and theology.

The extended degree programmes include a foundation year, which will provide you with a sound introduction to key elements needed for studying Theology at degree level. Our extended degree programme will provide you with a thorough and supportive academic preparation for study. The foundation year is carefully designed to build confidence in your abilities, develop essential academic and study skills, and provide you with the subject specific knowledge essential for success.

You will also gain the intellectual skills essential for understanding the significance of religion in the ancient and classical world. This enables you to think about the origins of religion in its various forms of expression, especially Christianity and Islam. You will be able to explain, for example, the biblical and historical origins of Christianity centred as it is in the historical figure of Jesus of Nazareth. This means that you will come to understand Christianity as an enduring historical phenomenon in terms of its development out of Judaism from the first century onwards.

You will have the opportunity of studying the sacred texts from Islam and Indian religion in the context of history and the contemporary world, especially issues of gender, western culture, and methodology. You will analyse the cultural, historical and theological issues which inform the discourse on Islam, developments in Islamic countries, and Islam in Europe. Special emphasis will be given to the Muslim 'insider' perspective on issues and how this perspective compares with that of 'outsider' (especially Western) perceptions.