MA Religions and Theology / Course details

How might a student in the humanities most effectively and innovatively engage with issues relating to religion, gender, sexuality and culture? How has the development of feminist and gender theory impacted upon contemporary thinking about religion and vice versa? This unit offers students the opportunity to encounter a range of different gender and feminist theories and to consider the extent to which these can offer new insight into a range of religious traditions, texts and practices, as well as reflect on how religion has shaped conceptualisations of gender. The first half of the semester will focus on introducing students to a selection of different theoretical issues -- Gender theory; Queer theory; Gender and posthumanism; Feminist hermeneutics; Feminism and anthropology -- by focusing on the work of select theorists and their texts. In the second half of the semester, seminars will be student-led, with a member/members of the cohort analysing and reviewing a different aspect of gender theory and religion through the exploration of a case study relevant to the weekly topic. These topics will likely include, but will not be limited to:  Gender, sexuality and sacred texts; Religion, gender and culture – reception; Gender and ritual; Gender and religious leadership; Gender, religion and violence.

• To provide the critical skills to develop an awareness of the role religion has had on the shaping of gender constructs and gender theory.
• To introduce and assess the impact of contemporary feminist and gender theories on the study of religion.
• To assess the relationship between formations of gender identity, sexuality and religion. 

• Offer an engagement with key developments in feminist and gender theory.
• Assess the impact of feminist and gender theories upon the study of selected religious traditions as practiced in the Western world.
• Understand the role played by religion in the construction of gender.

• Further develop written and verbal communication skills.
• Demonstrate an ability to read closely and critically in response to theoretical knowledge gained
• The ability to conduct independent research, and to present the results in a professional manner with appropriate and detailed reference to sources and modern published scholarship.
• The ability to judge and analyse particular research approaches as a precursor to the development of an independent approach in the MA dissertation.

• Presentation skills
• Time-management
• The ability to engage in critical discussion and debate.

• Construct and defend complex arguments through textual evidence, both in writing and in seminar discussions
• The ability to retrieve information from complex sources and present it in a compelling and cogent fashion, as exemplified by engaging at a sophisticated level with difficult primary and secondary material.