Exploring Theology

The Exploring Theology 2022-23 (Year B: Exploring Christian Belief) Autumn term begins on 27 September 2022. Registration will be open until 25 October as the course is designed so that you can join within four weeks of any term start date. If you join within that period you are able to catch up via recordings and online material.

Year order is not fixed so you can start with either Year A or B, and do the other the second year. If you wish to write an essay to get an educational reference or take your learning further, see details below. Administration for essays is arranged separately.

Year B 2022-2023 focuses on the variety of historical influences, theological debates, and ways in which Christian belief has been shaped and practiced.

View the 2022-23 draft schedule 

The Autumn 2022 Term explores the history of Christian belief, starting with the emergence of the early church and its parting of ways from Judaism through to its relationship to empire, the developments of creeds, understanding influences related to schisms and reformations, and up to the rise of modernity and the Enlightenment.

The Winter 2023 Term explores thematic conversations in the development of modern theology, and we will consider questions related to why bad things happen, developments in mission, how to understand God in relation to science, feminist and liberation movements, and the influence of politics, economics, nationality, race, and sexuality in how we think about theology and God’s work in the world.

Together the two terms gave a quick survey of significant theological themes over the centuries that highlights the diversity of thought and belief within the Christian tradition.

The Spring 2023 Term, which finishes in June, then explores how Christians find a diversity of ways faith and belief is put into practice, and we will consider topics related to ethics and practical theology related to lived experience

Register for the Autumn 2022 term

Please contact Dr Jayme Reaves if you would have queries about the curriculum or course structure.

Exploring Theology participants are always very varied in their professional and personal experience, as well as any religious commitment they have (or not as the case may be), and that variety is welcomed.

The teaching team for each term consists of both Sarum College staff members and external tutors whose expertise relates to the topic of the week.

The College Library is a very valuable resource for students, and a discounted membership is available for those who sign up for a full term of Exploring Theology (or you are entitled to a free membership if you sign up to write essays (see below).

All registered participants are given access to SarumLearn, the online learning portal, where a discussion forum will be hosted, recordings and Zoom links shared, and reading/handouts available in advance. Students who wish to have hard copies are responsible for printing their own learning materials.

We offer registration for Exploring Theology on a termly-basis to enroll participants on SarumLearn for online access to materials.

The cost of each term is £95, which includes 10 weekly sessions. If you wish to write an essay to get an educational reference or take your learning further, see the section below for details. Administration for essays is arranged separately.

After registration and payment, you will receive details on how to access SarumLearn where all readings will be available as well as links to live and recorded sessions. Live online sessions are held via Zoom.

The weekly sessions will run according to the following schedule:

1) Each lecture will be presented on Tuesday evenings online via Zoom. Lectures will start promptly and will run from 7pm to 7:45pm. Each lecture will last no more than 45 minutes. The Zoom link for each session will be available on SarumLearn.

2) We take a break between 7:45pm and 8pm. The Zoom room remains live during the break.

3) We reconvene at 8pm for the discussion session. The format will be as follows:
— 8pm to 8:20pm: Q&A with the tutor based on their pre-recorded lecture;
— 8:20pm to 9pm: Immersive Textual Reading & discussion. During this part of the session we read and discuss the assigned primary source text which is made available before the lecture on SarumLearn.

Each session is recorded and a link to the video is posted the following day (Wednesday) for those who wish to watch it for review.

The class ends by 9pm.

‘Doing the written work [for Exploring Theology] enabled me to dig deeper, learn more and undergo degrees of transformation in my thinking and my faith. It’s been revealing, inspiring, transformative.’

In practice most students come to Exploring Theology each week in order to share the experience of exploration and reflection without putting anything on paper, but some appreciate the opportunity to take their learning further and do more, are looking for a soft entry into further academic work, or are in need of an educational reference.  Doing essays as part of your Exploring Theology learning allows students to do just that.

If you opt to write the essays, the course handbook details essay options, resources, guidance and marking criteria. Each term, a shorter book review (max 1,000 words) is followed by a longer essay (max 2,000 words).

For this additional £95 per term, you also receive:

• Membership of Sarum Library for the whole academic year (£30 for others on Exploring Theology).
• Marginal and summative comments on each essay, and a mark commensurate to first-year undergraduate marking criteria.
• One-to-one tutorial (30 minutes).
• Access to essay-writing and study skills sessions
• A graded Sarum Certificate upon completion of twelve essays, or transcripts of marks upon request.
• An educational/academic reference, usually following four or more essays.

Contact Dr Jayme Reaves for all essay enquiries