students in a lecture theatre

Welcome to Theology and Religion at Exeter!

We are a discipline (subject) that teaches several degree programmes, including BA Theology and Religion (a single-honours degree), BA Classical Studies and Theology (a combined-honours degree), and BA Philosophy and Theology (a combined-honours degree).

Our discipline is part of the Department of Classics, Ancient History, Religion and Theology (CAHRT for short), which is itself part of the Faculty of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS).

If you are taking BA Theology and Religion, you will be taught mostly by lecturers from Theology and Religion. If you are taking BA Classical Studies and Theology, you will be taught partly by lecturers from Theology and Religion and partly by lecturers from Classics and Ancient History. If you are taking BA Philosophy and Theology, you will be taught partly by lecturers from Theology and Religion and partly by lecturers from Philosophy. 

You can find out more about lecturers in the CAHRT department on our staff profiles.

It’s also possible that you are on a Flexible Combined Honours (FCH) degree with a Theology and Religion component.

Key discipline contacts for Theology and Religion

We are a small and friendly discipline, and we look forward to getting to know you all. Most Theology and Religion classes are small enough that you will soon know everyone by name and your lecturers will know you too (and notice whether or not you’re there!).

Expectations for attendance and engagement

We expect you to attend all your timetabled classes. If you are unable to attend a class because you are ill, you should report your absence via the iExeter absence reporting tool. You should also email your lecturer directly to let them know that you will not be able to attend, and to find out what work you will need to do to make up for your absence. If you have a longer illness and are absent for more than 7 days in a row, you will need to get a doctor’s certificate and lodge this with the Amory Hub. 

Most of your timetabled sessions will be for the modules you are taking for credit. However, sometimes you will have timetabled sessions for non-credit-bearing activities such as Employability and Preparation for Learning. You are expected to attend all these sessions, and to report your absence due to sickness in the usual way if you cannot attend. 

What can I do to prepare for my degree?

You might be wondering what you can do ahead of time to begin to acclimatise yourself to your degree course. Our best advice is that you stay curious and take notice of the world around you. Be aware of the media you are consuming, and the messages about religion that you see in it. What do you make of the general quality of public discourse (conversation) about religion in Britain (and the wider world) today? 

Get into the habit of reading national and international news daily. No source is neutral or unbiased, and each outlet will have its own slant, but we recommend that you get your news from reputable sources. Some good examples are The BBC, The Independent, The Guardian, Religion Media Centre (for stories and factsheets about current news about religion and belief), and Times Higher Education (for news specifically to do with universities and higher education in Britain). 

A couple of years ago we came up with some sets of links to videos, podcasts, articles and other things to get students thinking before they started their degrees. We would recommend these as a good place to start if you want some ideas about what to read, listen to and watch! 

You can also find suggestions for preparatory reading. We are not recommending you purchase these books - or read them all before your start! However they are a good indication of the books that you will be coming across in your first term. This list is a good place to start if you are interested in getting on with some of the reading before starting with us in September. These suggestions are taken from all core modules:

  • Ahdar, Rex and Ian Leigh, 2016. Religious Freedom in the Liberal State, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  • Carr, David McLain and Conway, Colleen M., 2010. An Introduction to the Bible: Sacred Texts and Imperial Contexts, Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell
  • Collins, John J., 2018. Introduction to the Hebrew Bible (3rd edition), Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press
  • Davie, Grace, 2015. Religion in Britain: A Persistent Paradox, Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell
  • Gooder, Paula, 2013. The Bible: A Beginner’s Guide, London: T&T Clark
  • Higton, Mike, 2008. SCM Core Text: Christian Doctrine, London: SCM Press
  • Ludlow, Morwenna, 2009. The Early Church, London: I.B. Tauris
  • Martin, Dale B., 2012. New Testament History and Literature, New Haven, CT: Yale University Press
  • McGuire, Meredith, 2008. Lived Religion: Faith and Practice in Everyday Life, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  • Migliore, Daniel L., 2014. Faith Seeking Understanding: An Introduction to Christian Theology (3rd edition), Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans
  • Moore, Stephen D. and Sherwood, Yvonne, 2011. The Invention of the Biblical Scholar: a Critical Manifesto, Minneapolis: Fortress Press
  • Wells, Samuel, 2010. Christian Ethics: An Introductory Reader, Oxford: Blackwell
  • Wilken, Robert Louis, 2013. The First Thousand Years: A Global History of Christianity, New Haven, CT: Yale University Press
  • Zagzebski, Linda, 2007. Philosophy of Religion: An Historical Introduction, Oxford: Blackwell

Our Community

You will have a student representative for CAHRT who you may meet in Welcome Week. You can contact them if you would like to provide feedback on any aspect of your teaching, learning or wider student experience. There will also be the chance to become a student representative for your year group yourself. 

Look out for the Theology Society advertising their events in Welcome Week and throughout the year. They are a friendly subject society who run social events and other activities.


Once you have finished reading about your department(s), you can skip to end of this section rather than clicking next and reading through all department pages.


Última atualização: quinta-feira, 5 set. 2024, 09:07