Module THEO2321: RELIGION IN CONTEMPORARY BRITAIN

Department: Theology and Religion

THEO2321: RELIGION IN CONTEMPORARY BRITAIN

Pre-requisites

Corequisites

Excluded Combinations

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

• 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.

• 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.

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

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment

One 2000 word essay.