History and Religion, Theology and Spirituality (Hons) Liverpool Hope University

Overview

The History and Religion, Theology and Spirituality (Hons) programme from Liverpool Hope University you will gain insights into ancient wisdom, rituals, and sacred texts that influence millions today. 

Plus, you’ll actively participate in critical debates about human existence in a world facing numerous crises. You will tackle ethical and theological questions concerning the beginning and end of life, sexuality, gender, evil, suffering, and contemporary issues like radicalisation, ecology, violence, inter-religious dialogue, secularisation, post-secularism, health, wellbeing, and near-death experiences. You will examine how our beliefs about our place in the universe impact how we treat our planet and all life forms.

The city will be a constant backdrop to our studies. It is home today to new and changing religious traditions. We will visit and take a close look at places of worship – both the traditional and the strikingly new. And we will also explore the other ways that people find meaning, hope and community here – looking at the ways they actively create and use different types of ritual performance and expression to shape their spiritual identity. In this city, that of course includes art, music and football! 

People who study this programme will benefit from the experience of meeting people who make sense of their lives in very different ways. The course challenges its students to broaden the way they think of other people and their beliefs. So, it provides excellent professional grounding for the kinds of careers that involve understanding and working with people, especially in contexts where complex ethical decisions are needed – for example, in community planning and support, education, politics, and the civil service.

Career opportunities:

This Major gives you the skills valued by employers across a huge range of jobs, including law, media, analysis, public administration, and social, pastoral, church and community work. It is an excellent preparation for the teaching profession and for professional chaplaincy work.

Crucially, it gives you skills of thinking, analysis, empathy and argument which will help you be flexible and move between employment opportunities across your career. Graduates with this Major would be skilled in working within interdisciplinary and multi-cultural contexts and a range of research methods and approaches.

Graduates will be able to navigate complex issues relating to what it means to be human in the global context. They will be aware and literate in dealing with philosophical, ethical, religious and historical/political complexities as they manifest themselves in todays world. An advantage of this Major would be the versatility of the graduates, enabling them to apply for a range of job opportunities.