Theology, Imagination and Culture Modules List

Theology and Human Culture (Core)

20 or 30 credits

This module introduces students to the relationship between theology and culture as we consider how culture impacts theology, and how theological ideas and themes can be found in culture (for instance in works of visual art). Students will become familiar with the different ways in which this relationship between theology and culture is studied; we will investigate sociological, philosophical, and theological approaches to this relationship.

Students will learn about influential theologians and questions that have sparked debate within this area, and will also have the opportunity to explore how theological themes have been explored in the creative arts.

with Professor Graeme Smith & guest lecturers

++ Great intro module to get to grips with how theology and culture relate to each other.

Text, Interpretation and Imagination (Core)

20 or 30 credits

In this module, students have the opportunity to examine the role that stories and images from the Bible play in our Western cultural imagination. We consider how our own, and other people’s, cultural presuppositions play into how we read biblical texts, as well as thinking about how the texts themselves challenge these presuppositions. Students will compare biblical texts with other types of text to ask questions like ‘what makes a text sacred?’, as well as being encouraged to creatively and critically interpret the biblical texts themselves.

++ Great opportunity to delve into the Bible and have the chance to do some biblical hermeneutics from both a creative and a critical perspective.

Research Skills in Theology & Spirituality (Mandatory)

10 credits

This co-validated module is designed to help students learn to differentiate and reflect on particular methodologies and skills relevant to disciplines present in their studies, to determine which methods and skills (including both text and empirical research) are useful for particular research purposes, to identify ethical issues related to research conduct, and to develop those skills by demonstrating how they might be applied in future research.

with Dr Jayme Reaves, Dr Michael Hahn, Professor Graeme Smith, Dr James Woodward.

++ Open to anyone who wants to better understand how to do theology.

Theology, Imagination and the Arts (Optional)

20 or 30 credits

In this module, students will explore the relationships between theology, arts, and imagination. We will consider questions like ‘How might we think differently about God after having seen this film, or this play?’ and ‘How do concepts of beauty influence how we imagine God?’

Students will have the opportunity to learn about historical and cultural developments in the field of theological aesthetics, and how Christian doctrine has been shaped by art throughout history. We will reflect theologically together on works of art (including visual art, performance art, music, and so on), and will also consider theological accounts of the imagination. Some of the guest lecturers will be practitioners of or experts in the creative arts.

with Professor Graeme Smith & guest lecturers

++ Great for anyone interested in the creative arts and human imagination from a theological perspective, whether as a practitioner or not.

Theology & Film (Optional)

20 or 30 credits

In this module students will explore how theology engages with film and television. This is a rapidly growing field of research in academic theology. We will look at the history of cinema and television, and the language that has evolved alongisde these art forms, and will investigate how new ways of creating and communicating meaning have emerged through film and television. We will explore how theological themes have been addressed in films, and how Christians and Christian organisations have responded to these portrayals. Students will have the opportunity to learn about key ideas and methods in film criticism and interpretation, and will consider the claim that films and television are now taking the place of religion in many people’s lives in our cultural context.

with Professor Graeme Smith, Dr Jayme Reaves & guest lecturers

++ This will appeal to all film and television fans (who don’t need to be an expert!) who also enjoy thinking about theology.

The Bible: Cultural Critique and Transformation (Optional)

20 or 30 credits

In this module students get the chance to explore the relationship between reality as depicted in biblical texts and reality as we experience it in our current cultural context. Instead of focusing on questions of historical veracity and credibility of the biblical texts, students will consider how the Bible critiques certain cultural norms, and how these critiques might be voiced today. We focus on questions of public theology and the role theology and biblical hermeneutics can play in the public square. This module focuses on ways of reading the Bible that challenge prevailing cultural norms today.

with Professor Graeme Smith, Dr Jayme Reaves & guest lecturers

++ This module will appeal to anyone interested in thinking about how the Bible can speak into our current cultural and political context.

Church, Culture and Society (Optional)

20 or 30 credits

In this module students will consider the life and work of the church in today’s culture. We will explore the idea that the church is a diverse expression of human culture, and will consider how doctrines are shaped by different cultural contexts. This module allows students to think about how ministry, worship and mission might best respond to the cultural landscape we see in 21st Century Britain, as well as considering other cultural contexts, both historical and geographical.

with Professor Graeme Smith & guest lecturers

++ This is a great module for anyone interested in thinking through how the church can effectively relate to the cultural context in which it finds itself. Good for clergy.

Guided Reading Module (Optional)

10, 20 or 30 credits

This module provides the student with an opportunity to engage with a topic of their choice. Tutors are assigned according to expertise and guided reading is provided. The amount of tutorial time is increased as there are no lectures for this module.

Tutor assigned according to topic.

Guided Artist Study Module (Optional)

10, 20 or 30 credits

This module is an opportunity to engage with the study of a single artist’s body of work in relationship to theological study. This could be a particular filmmaker, author, musician, painter, poet, sculptor or any other artist. Tutors are assigned according to expertise. There is a greater amount of tutorial time in lieu of lectures.

Please note this module is not open to auditors.

Tutor assigned according to topic.

Dissertation (Core for MA)

The dissertation provides Masters’ students with an opportunity to devise, plan, research, and produce a sustained and substantial project with supervisory support. In 18,000 words, students must present a stated argument and defend it by demonstration of and critical engagement with appropriate resources and the proper use of evidence. The proposition must be one which relates to the subject matter of the programme and which permits the demonstration of independent research, study, reflection and critical analysis.

========== Co-validated optional modules ==========

Texts and the Christian Tradition (Optional)

10, 20, or 30 credits

This focuses on a deep exploration of a particular text as it relates to the Christian Tradition. The text will be either a particular biblical text(s) (e.g. The Gospel of Mark, The Sermon on the Mount, or the Genesis matriarchal narratives) and/or a classic text from the Christian spiritual tradition (e.g. The Rule of St Benedict, The Interior Castle, The Cloud of Unknowing), with a different text chosen for each iteration of the module. The module will allow students to critically engage with the text using particular lenses with enable deeper consideration of its meaning, significance, impact and longevity for the Christian spiritual tradition, its adherents, and/or the wider cultural context.

with Dr Michael Hahn, Professor Graeme Smith & guest lecturers

++ This is a new module, ideal for anyone who wants to experience a deeper reading of a specific text or texts.

Relocating Religion: Cultural and Spiritual Re-Alignments (Optional)

20 or 30 credits

This module is primarily concerned with equivocations and uncertainties that surround the concepts and practices of religion in the modern period, including contemporary and popularly expressed preferences for ‘spirituality’.

As regards ‘religion’, this module will draw upon previous historiographical and philosophical discussions but will focus mainly on how religion can be conceived and understood within the fields of theological and cultural anthropology.

As regards the ‘relocations’ of religion drawn attention to in the title, the module will examine the different modalities in which religious practices have migrated or relocated – wittingly or unwittingly, willingly or unwillingly – in contemporary western society

with Dr Michael Hahn, Professor Graeme Smith & guest lecturers

++ This module will appeal to anyone interested in the shift away from ‘religion’ and towards ‘spirituality’ that has emerged in recent decades, and how people are finding religious meaning outside the church. Good for clergy.

Popular Culture and Digital Media: Theological Engagement and Spiritual Practice (Optional)

20 or 30 credits

The module considers the phenomena of mass consumer technological culture and new media as the backdrop to contemporary reflections on and engagements with spirituality and theology. Students will explore and analyse current habits of work, leisure, and communication, and lifestyle in distinction to traditional conceptions and explore the scale of the impact of current technologies and emerging norms on religious belief and practice. The module will examine the potential for leisure and lifestyle activities to mimic and replace religious modes of knowledge and identity production, examining the writings of sociologists, social anthropologists, social critics and theologians that address and/or interpret this phenomenon.

The module will trace the emergence of the phenomena of popular culture, mass communication, and digital media—exploring how they have been conceptualised and critiqued—and students will be encouraged to develop critical responses to these technologies from the perspectives of theology and Christian spirituality.

with Dr Michael Hahn, Professor Graeme Smith & guest lecturers

++ Ideal module for those interested in digital culture, popular culture and music from the perspective of theology and spirituality.

The Eucharist: Theological Perspectives, Spiritual Practices and Artistic Representations (Optional)

20 or 30 credits

This module offers opportunity for students to examine the development of the Eucharist with reference to theological discourse, eucharistic practice, and artistic engagement with the Eucharist. Students will critically analyse the central place of the Eucharist in the Christian spiritual tradition. The module gives scope to critically engage with a wide range of artistic engagements with the Eucharist including visual art, poetry, prose, and film. The module will examine the contemporary context of Eucharist including current debates surrounding the Eucharist and its relationship to issues of justice, peace, and ethics.

with Dr Michael Hahn, Professor Graeme Smith & guest lecturers

++ This is a new module. Great for anyone who wants to reflect on the history, meaning, role and impact of the eucharist on their own lives and spiritual practice

Inspiration and Imagination: Creative Expressions of the Spiritual Life (Optional)

This module will enable students to understand the relationship between Christian Theology & Spirituality and art. This relationship will be placed in historical, cultural, and theological perspective, and the students will be encouraged to develop their own aesthetic and spiritual awareness alongside the possibilities for developing their own creative practice. This module will also enable students to critically engage with the place of art in Christian worship and the life of the Church.

20 or 30 credits.

With Dr Michael Hahn, Professor Graeme Smith & guest lecturers (co-validated).

++ This is a new module, ideal for artists and anyone interested in creativity who want to explore the place of art in the Christian tradition, whether it’s visual art, music or literature.