Religion (JH)

Overview

What is Religion?

Religion 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, and literature), 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.

Do you enjoy:

• Encountering the otherness of religions through their sacred writings, histories and traditions?
• Entering into critical debate in the field of ethics – concerning, for example, sport, media, environment, gender or politics?
• Exploring the ways in which truth claims are advanced, debated and embodied in arguments, doctrines and institutions?

Religion: The course for you?

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.

Religion at Trinity

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.

Pathways

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.

Graduate skills and career opportunities

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.

Your degree and what you’ll study

First year

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.

Second and third years

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.

Fourth year

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.

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.

There are QQI/FET routes available for this course. Please see www.cao.ie for details.

Click here for further information on modules/subjects.

Study abroad and internship opportunities

Students in the School of Religion, Theology, and Peace Studies may avail of opportunities to study abroad. Further information on study abroad can be found at: www.tcd.ie/study/study-abroad/outbound