Course summary

Foundation Year courses have been designed for students who do not have the necessary academic qualifications needed to enter directly into the first year of a degree but who have the ability and commitment to do so. Once the Foundation Year has been completed successfully, you can then go on to complete your degree. This course places the big questions of philosophy and ethics in conversation with the religious traditions that have shaped them across the globe and throughout history, and that continue to shape them here and now. You will learn from subject specialists who have expert knowledge of the traditions they teach, and the experience to help you draw connections between ancient wisdom and the urgent debates of our time: the nature of authority, how belief shapes behaviour, the relationship between rights and responsibilities, what it means to be human, and how to balance competing claims for justice. Our first-year curriculum gives you the skills and knowledge to dive straight in. Our staff have the range of expertise to support you wherever your curiosity takes you. You can also put your learning into practice by volunteering in the local community or participating in community engagement events. Our Department has particular strengths in Asian philosophies and religions, Christian philosophical theology, moral and political philosophy, and religious ethics. We also have expertise in feminism and gender studies, religion and race, religion and politics, secularism, popular culture, the Bible, and religious education. The social life of the Department is centred around our student-led Theology and Religious Studies society, which organises regular events such as quizzes and the regular ‘Hollywood at Hollybank’ movie nights.