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Email academic.registry@tcd.ieReligion plays a significant role in diverse cultural, social and political contexts. Religious world-views, values and symbols play a critical role in shaping cultural norms, traditions and practices. This is the case both in religiously plural contexts, as well as those dominated by particular traditions. The contours of religion are evident not only in the artefacts that transmit a culture’s heritage (such as architecture, visual arts, illuminated manuscripts, literature, etc.), but also in contemporary debates about the evolving identities of societies in a world characterised by religious pluralism.
Students on this course will be engaged with contemporary debates about, for example, the nature and impact of political religion, religion and modernity, religion and gender, religion and violence, religion and human rights, and ethics in politics.
This course offers you a broad-based study of Religion and Theology. Within the Cultural Study of Religion, you have the opportunity to explore the monotheistic religions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, the religions of Asia and Africa, as well new atheistic and religious movements. With Theological Studies, you can investigate the development of Christian self-understanding in a number of different modes, from historical movements to contemporary theological projects engaged with liberation, postcoloniality, justice, gender, interreligious conversation, and the environment.
In combining theological study with the study of religion, this degree is unique in Ireland. Trinity’s School of Religion is internationally recognised for its strengths in biblical studies, philosophical and theological ethics, peace studies, theological studies and religious studies. These strengths ensure that student experience combines in-depth analysis with breadth of subject matter that presents religious traditions in their historical, intellectual, cultural, aesthetic, political and ethical dimensions, as well as examining how religious traditions have interacted, and continue to interact, with the context of their origins and development.
The pathways available are Single Honours, Major with Minor and Joint Honours. There may also be an opportunity to take this subject up as a New Minor Subject from second year.
This course offers students the opportunity to develop all four of Trinity’s graduate attributes of thinking independently, communicating effectively, developing continuously and acting responsibly. Graduates from our School have entered a wide range of professions, including: law, education (primary and secondary), information technology, pastoral ministry, the civil service, creative arts, publishing, accountancy, as well as continuing on to further research in Ireland and abroad.
In your first year of study, twelve modules help to immerse you in this field of scholarship. The Hebrew Bible, and the New Testament – are introduced in their historical contexts. You will study Judaism, Islam, the religions of the ancient Mediterranean world, religious diversity in Asian contexts. You will be introduced to ethics, philosophy and the study of religion, as well as theology through an engagement with some of their major thinkers, texts and methods. Before moving into your second year, you will be invited to consider the direction that you would like to pursue in your studies over the coming years in each specialism of the course.
Throughout these years, your modules offer an increasingly focused and state-of-the art engagement in your chosen field. Different genres of literature and historical reconstruction are addressed in biblical studies. Theology looks both to the emergence and reception of classical doctrines, as well as to topical issues of religion and science, and theology and social justice. The field of ethics is explored through issues of gender and human rights, bioethics, technology, environment and war and peace. There is an opportunity to study the Qur’an within Islamic and Late Antiquity contexts, and explore the message and heritage of the prophet Muhammad. During these years it is also possible for you to study Hebrew or Greek.
The major accomplishment of your final year is your Capstone project – an individual research project. This is an important achievement of supervised and self-directed research and writing. In addition to the Capstone research project, final year modules offer you the opportunity to engage with current issues of research activity within the school. These areas currently include: religion, war and peace; multiple modernities; theologies of church and eucharist; the study of ritual; queer theological ethics; religion and the arts; Islamic perceptions of gender.
There are QQI/FET routes available for this course. Please see www.cao.ie for details.
Click here for further information on modules/subject.
This degree is also available within the Dual BA Programme between Trinity College Dublin and Columbia University.
The range of assessment strategies reflects the goal of enhancing student education through diversity and quality of experience. Some modules are assessed by end-of-semester exams combined with summative essays; others rely exclusively on essays; others require the creation of a portfolio of short assignments; others include in-class tests.
Students in the School of Religion, Theology, and Peace Studies may avail of opportunities to study abroad or in K.U. Leuven, Belgium.
The Dual BA Programme between Trinity College Dublin and Columbia University offers students a unique opportunity to earn two BA degrees while spending the first two years at Trinity and years three and four at Columbia University in New York.
This course is for those interested in expanding their experience to gain a truly international education. Students in the Dual BA Programme graduate with two BA degrees, one from Trinity and one from Columbia. After the first two years in Trinity, students then spend a further two years at Columbia, where they fulfil the requirements for one of the approved majors while also completing Columbia’s core curriculum. Students also undertake additional study to meet the requirements of the Trinity BA, including a Capstone project.
At Trinity students will undertake a programme designed to facilitate a broad-based study of Religion structured around four pillars: The Study of Religion; Religions in Antiquity and Biblical Studies; Ethics and the Politics of Religion; and Christian Theology. Students can study Islamic, Buddhist, Jewish, and Christian sources, as well as examine the place of religion in the world today. Students can choose one of two majors at Columbia: Religion or Philosophy. Students also undertake an intensive Summer School, based in Trinity.
Applicants to the Dual BA Programme must apply by 2nd January 2022 for September 2022 entry. The admissions process includes
a review of the applicant’s academic history, letters of recommendation, an essay, and an interview conducted in English. Standardized test scores (SAT/ACT) can be submitted but are not required for 2022 entry. Applications are reviewed by a joint committee with representatives from both Institutions. EU applicants to the Dual BA Programme must also apply to and receive an offer from their chosen programme at Trinity through the Central Applications Office (CAO).
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Further information and contact details:
www.tcd.gs.columbia.edu
E columbiadualba@tcd.ie
Click here for a full list of undergraduate fees.
To apply to this course, click on the relevant Apply Link below
Read the information about how to apply, then apply directly to CAO.
Read the information about how to apply for Advanced Entry, then select the link below to apply.
I have recently completed my undergraduate course in Religion. I chose Trinity for this undergraduate degree programme as it had the particularity of offering courses in the Study of Religion and World Religions, which were my main areas of interest. While these are the areas that I found attractive in the field, I ended up choosing many courses in Theology and Biblical studies as well and they proved to be really enriching and I loved the philosophical and ethical issues that we addressed. I also had the opportunity to take up a language in my second year and I chose Arabic, I have always enjoyed learning languages and this is one of my favourite classes. This is a small course and the department makes each student feel welcome and the lecturers really are amazing. The course is varied and interesting and I would certainly recommend it to anyone interested in learning more about Religion in the modern world but also key debates and challenges in the history of religion
