Durham University
Programme and Module Handbook

Undergraduate Programme and Module Handbook 2023-2024 (archived)

Module THEO2321: RELIGION IN CONTEMPORARY BRITAIN

Department: Theology and Religion

THEO2321: RELIGION IN CONTEMPORARY BRITAIN

Type Open Level 2 Credits 20 Availability Not available in 2023/24 Module Cap Location Durham

Prerequisites

  • None.

Corequisites

  • None.

Excluded Combination of Modules

  • None.

Aims

  • To introduce students to the broad cultural landscape of Britain during the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries.
  • To explore ways in which religion- both traditional religious groups and alternative religious movements- have interacted with this environment, drawing from historical, sociological and theological sources.
  • To reflect on how religion might develop in Britain in the future and how it might have a role to play in the construction of British identity, given past histories and present concerns.

Content

  • This module explores the contours of religious movement in contemporary Britain, working from the Second World War onwards. Focusing on how religious phenomena are shaped by changing cultural contexts, we will address the state of British society in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, before examining how this context shapes the development of religious traditions movements and practices. Traditional world religions, such as Christianity and Islam, and more marginal developments such as the New Age, will be examined in relation to topics such as national identity, multiculturalism and the power of mass media.

Learning Outcomes

Subject-specific Knowledge:
  • A knowledge of the major issues facing traditional and alternative religious groups in the contemporary British context.
  • A knowledge and critical understanding of different scholarly attempts to explain or interpret the state of religious phenomena in contemporary Britain.
Subject-specific Skills:
  • Skills in the analysis and critical use of select theological, historical, and sociological sources in making sense of how religious movements interact with the British cultural context.
Key Skills:

    Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

    • Lectures convey information and exemplify an approach to the subject-matter, enabling students to develop a clear understanding of the subject and to improve their skills in listening and in evaluating information.
    • Seminars enhance subject-specific knowledge and understanding both through preparation and through interaction with students and staff, promoting awareness of different viewpoints and approaches.
    • Formative essays develop subject-specific knowledge and understanding, along with student skills in the acquisition of information through reading and research, and in the structured presentation of information in written form.
    • Examinations assess subject-specific knowledge and understanding, along with student skills in the structured presentation of information in written form under time constraints.
    • Summative essays assess subject-specific knowledge and understanding, along with student skills in the acquisition of information through reading and research, and in the structured presentation of information in written form.

    Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

    Activity Number Frequency Duration Total/Hours
    Lectures 22 1 per week 1.5 hours 33
    Tutorials 1 As required 1 hour 1
    Seminars 7 3 in term 1, 3 in term 2, 1 in term 3 1 hour 7
    Preparation and Reading 159
    Total 200

    Summative Assessment

    Component: Examination Component Weighting: 60%
    Element Length / duration Element Weighting Resit Opportunity
    examination 2 hours 100%
    Component: Summative Essay Component Weighting: 40%
    Element Length / duration Element Weighting Resit Opportunity
    essay relating to the topics addressed in parts one and two 3000 words 100%

    Formative Assessment:

    One 2000 word essay.


    Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University