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Theology and Religion

Theology and Religion is one of the most challenging and stimulating subjects you can study. Religion is a major factor that shapes the world in which we live. All religions raise ethical and philosophical questions that are among the most fundamental we face as human beings: Is there a meaning and purpose to human existence? Is there a god or gods? How should we understand good and evil? How do we decide what’s right or wrong in relation to war and peace, birth and death, sex, and the environment? Can we better understand the tensions in Eastern Europe, the Middle East or Northern Ireland if we first understand the religious traditions that often separate communities from one another?

Studying Theology and Religion at Exeter gives you the opportunity to wrestle with these questions in depth, through a disciplined and rigorous framework. Good theology engages with the political, cultural and social issues that affect our lives and communities, and we offer a demanding and rewarding programme enabling you to develop a wide range of skills that will stretch your intellectual abilities to the full. You will work as a historian, anthropologist, literary critic and philosopher, gaining all the essential skills you need to be fully equipped for a wide range of future careers.

Our department is welcoming and supportive, with a lively and dynamic team of scholars of theology, religion, history, ethics, philosophy of religion, biblical studies and anthropology. We pride ourselves on the quality of our undergraduate programmes, and our members of staff are at the forefront of innovative research; our research feeds directly into your undergraduate studies, ensuring you are taught cutting-edge ideas that are relevant to contemporary society. Our research interests and teaching expertise span a wide range of subject areas, with particular research strengths, including: biblical studies, the reception of Christian and Jewish traditions, disability studies, religion in the public sphere, sex and gender, and religious art and architecture.

Our broad and varied curriculum is taught by enthusiastic staff. You do not have to be religious to find the issues our Theology and Religion programmes raise (or the ways in which we tackle them) compelling. Our friendly department is made up of students and staff with diverse opinions and ideas about religion and faith, atheism and secularism. All you need is the desire to study with enthusiasm and an open mind.