Religion and Theology (BA)

Research is central to the student experience at Cardiff University and all our teaching is informed by the latest findings. Many of your classes will be taught by internationally recognised experts involved in contributing to original knowledge in their fields.

We offer a supportive learning environment, where you'll develop a range of skills and a wealth of specialist knowledge. You'll learn through a wide range of teaching methods from interactive lectures, lively discussion-based seminars, and workshops to group work and tutorials. These on-campus activities are supported by resources available through Learning Central, an online environment designed to enhance your learning experience and enable you to extend your studies beyond the classroom. Seminars and workshops offer a rewarding experience to engage critically with the key ideas and reading on a topic. They provide a valuable opportunity to explore ideas, work closely with your tutors, and to learn from other students. In your second and final years, you have the opportunity to undertake a range of independent projects with the support of an expert in the field and one-to-one tuition.

Our teaching methods foster intellectual skills, such as critical thinking, close analysis, evaluating evidence, constructing arguments, using theory and the effective deployment of language in writing and in debate. We also help you gain experience in team-working, independent research and time management.

How will I be supported?

You are supported by a number of different staff, some focussing on academic performance in a particular area and some looking at learning and progress more holistically.

You'll be allocated a personal tutor, who will guide you for the duration of your studies. You'll meet your personal tutor regularly to reflect on your progress and development across your studies.

Additional module-specific support is provided by seminar tutors, lecturers, and/or module convenors; support for independent research projects is provided by an academic advisor who will meet with you regularly. Your module leaders have weekly office hours sessions during teaching weeks that you can attend if you have any questions about course materials or assessments.

Our undergraduate Education Support Teams provide academic and student support and are there to provide information and guidance in response to any queries you may have.

We have a Learning Central website where you can access videos, images, presentations, lecture handouts, bibliographies, links to further reading, electronic exercises, and discussion circles. Where possible, in-person lectures will be recorded so you can watch and study in your own time. Excellent libraries, rich archives and special collections, and resource centres are also available to you.

The University offers a range of support services via our Student Life teams. These services are located in the purpose-built Centre for Student Life. These services include Student Futures (the University's careers service), counselling services, disability and dyslexia services, as well as advice on health and wellbeing or money matters.

We aim to create an inclusive, supportive and welcoming environment that respects the dignity of staff and students of all ages, ethnicities, disabilities, family structures, genders, nationalities, sexual orientations, races, religious or other beliefs, and socio-economic backgrounds. 

How will I be assessed?

We will be assessing your level of knowledge and understanding in each module through a combination of assignments, including creative projects, reviews, presentations and source criticisms alongside more traditional forms of assessment such as essays. Some of our assessments allow you to work collaboratively on a project, while others include writing and creating for different audiences; for example, you might be asked to design a museum exhibition or write a news article; and you may have the opportunity to create podcasts and digital texts for social media. These assessments allow you to become an expert and apply your knowledge in a wide range of professions.

All our assessments are designed to support you in developing your ideas, skills, and competencies. We provide formative opportunities to test your thinking and learning and feedback throughout your learning journey to prepare you for the summative assessments that shape your graduating mark. The assessments equip you with skills to link your knowledge to local, national and global issues and encourage you to be innovative and creative, to find new ways to address problems or ask questions, to collaborate in solving problems and presenting findings, and to present evidence-based arguments. The theoretical and applied skills developed and assessed throughout your degree prepare you for entry into a range of graduate careers.

What skills will I practise and develop?

The Learning Outcomes for this programme describe what you will achieve by the end of your programme at Cardiff University and identify the knowledge and skills that you will develop. They will also help you to understand what is expected of you.

On successful completion of your programme you will be able to:

Knowledge & Understanding:

KU 1: Systematically comprehend key texts, events, themes, and issues in the study of religion and theology.

KU 2: Identify and contextually situate contemporary developments in religion and in the study of religion and theology.

KU 3: Demonstrate systematic knowledge and understanding of the complexity of underpinning ideas, concepts, and terminology relevant to religions and to the study of religion and theology.

KU 4: Critically apply a variety of approaches to the study of religion and theology such as historical, theological, philological, philosophical, anthropological, sociological, linguistic, and material-cultural.

Intellectual Skills:

IS 1: Develop and apply arguments about the nature of religion as a category of human behaviour.

IS 2: Organise and defend arguments about processes of change and their causal factors in relation to theology and religion in human society.

IS 3: Generate and justify arguments about the ethical impact of religious dialogues in historic and contemporary society.

IS 4: Critique received understandings of the place of religions and their teachings in societies.

Professional Practical Skills:

PS 1: Demonstrate professional and personal skills needed to operate in the workplace confidently and professionally.

PS 2: Apply critical thinking, reasoning and the ability to assimilate and summarise complex information and ideas through the analysis and evaluation of evidence.

PS 3: Assess and solve problems independently, taking the views of others into account in a systematic and evaluative way.

Transferable/Key Skills:

KS 1: Demonstrate a capacity for problem-solving and originality in thinking by using knowledge and skills to tackle familiar and unfamiliar problems.

KS 2: Manage time and personal organisation in the completion of tasks.

KS 3: Possess the ability to communicate complex information in a variety of formats such as oral and written reports and presentations, vlogs, essays, and dissertations.

KS 4: Work individually on theoretically informed and empirically grounded projects that draw on appropriate and relevant research evidence.

KS 5: Generate original, creative and entrepreneurial projects, using initiative, balancing risks and identifying opportunities.

KS 6: Identify, actively reflect, and articulate with reference to own studies and self-identity, own skills, knowledge and understanding confidently and in a variety of contexts.