Religions, Philosophies and Ethics

You’ll explore religions, philosophies and ethics from a global perspective, not just a Western one. We examine the philosophies and ethics of the Indian subcontinent and China, and a range of religious traditions, from Buddhism to Christianity to Paganism.

We relate these systems and traditions to topical and emerging issues in the contemporary world: gender, identity, our relationship to the natural work and environmental crisis, among many others. The course is dynamic, staying up-to-date with changing religious and philosophical thinking, and the context in which these changes takes place. It demands, and helps you to develop, rigorous and systematic thinking.

Year One
We introduce you to the study of religions as an academic discipline, including the study of contemporary religious traditions from Druidry to the Bahá’i faith. You’ll be introduced to the principles of philosophical and ethical enquiry. These are the building blocks of the course, alongside a number of optional modules.

Year Two
You’ll examine philosophies in the Indian and Chinese traditions. There are optional modules which explore contemporary morality, environmental ethics and politics, and some of the major religious traditions.

Year Three
You’ll undertake fieldwork on a religious community, staying with them for a short period of time and observing current practice. Students have travelled to the Samyeling Buddhist monastery in Scotland, a Christian convent, or worked with the Salvation Army. You’ll find more information about this unique aspect of the course on our Living Religion website.

Optional modules explore issues in contemporary religion, philosophy and society. You can opt to undertake detailed research or an employment-related project through the Dissertation and Advanced Project modules.

Assessment is primarily by coursework such as essays, reports, presentations, and online discussion boards. There are some timed assessments, as well as opportunities to work on creative projects such as making a film or designing a website.

We offer lectures, seminars and workshops, and support you throughout your degree with individuals tutorials. Visits, fieldwork and encounters with people from different religious backgrounds and traditions of belief form an important part of our teaching.

Our students make good use of the opportunities to study abroad through Erasmus and other programmes, usually in the second year, with one of our many partner universities. You’ll be able to find out more about this during your first year, including meeting up with students who have already benefited from the experience.

If you opt to join one of the study abroad programmes, you might find yourself in Denmark, Spain, Australia or North America. We have developing partnerships with universities in China and the Far East.

Fieldwork and visits are an integral part of the course. We visit religious communities, mosques, temples, gurdwaras and churches.

We have excellent links with third sector organisations, working with environmental and educational charities, as well as others. These links support your study, as we’ll explore how religious, philosophical and ethical perspectives can be applied to current issues.

Our graduates have careers in:

• The police service
• Health administration
• Education
• Social work
• Journalism

Many graduates go on to train as teachers – the course is widely respected as a foundation for a career in education.

This optional placement year provides you with the opportunity to identify, apply for, and secure professional experience, normally comprising one to three placements over a minimum of nine months. Successful completion of this module will demonstrate your ability to secure and sustain graduate-level employment.

By completing the module, you'll be entitled to the addition of “with Professional Placement Year” to your degree title.

Before your Professional Placement Year, you'll work to secure your placement, constructing a development plan with your module leader and your placement coordinator from our Careers and Employability team.

On your return to University for your final year, you'll submit your Placement Portfolio, detailing your development on your placement.

The course is taught at our Newton Park campus, which combines outstanding modern facilities with a beautiful setting.

The Library provides many core resources, both in print and online. We draw on a wide range of resources, and encourage the use – and creation – of different materials.