Theology and Religious Studies

· See also: Faculty of Divinity website

· Theology and Religious Studies at Murray Edwards College - what are we looking for?

Theology and Religious Studies cannot fail to fascinate. Not only does it tackle the deepest and most intractable problems of human existence, and bring you into touch with some of the most brilliant and sensitive minds in human history, but it also examines the practical influence of religion in world affairs, which is enormous - for good and evil. Today more than ever the significance of religion is vital for understanding our world and its peoples, and if religion is to be a blessing, not a curse, it is vital for people to study it critically.

Theology and Religious Studies at Cambridge attracts students who come from many different religious backgrounds and traditions and others who come from no religious background at all. The teaching staff are as distinguished and diverse as any in the country, and they also represent a wide variety of religious traditions. Teaching in College draws on the resources of the whole Faculty, because so much depends upon the particular combination of subjects each student offers. More than half of those reading Theology at Cambridge are women. Murray Edwards College usually takes two to three students in Theology and Religious Studies each year, and the majority gain Upper Second or First Class degrees.

What does the course cover?

In Part I, taken at the end of the first year, you have to choose five papers out of eight. One must be a scriptural language - Greek, Hebrew, Arabic or Sanskrit. Another must be either Old Testament or New Testament. The remaining three can be taken from Modern Church History, Who is Jesus Christ?, Understanding Contemporary Religion, World Religions in Comparative Perspective, and Philosophy of Religion and Ethics

In Part IIA, taken at the end of the second year, you choose four out of about sixteen different papers, which develop the specialities introduced in the first year, but also allow you to move into new areas if you wish.

In Part IIB, taken at the end of the third year, you choose four out of more than twenty options, including the possibility of a dissertation of up to 10,000 words. Your Director of Studies helps you to construct your own course. For details, consult the Faculty of Divinity pages on the Cambridge University website.

And after Cambridge?

Employers recognise that Theology is an excellent education, involving many disciplines - historical, philosophical, literary, linguistic - as well as encouraging sensitive awareness in a multi-faith society. The Careers Service statistics show that Theology and Religious Studies graduates end up in almost every walk of life from banking to the BBC, from teaching, research, and social work to ministry and chaplaincy.

Theology and Religious Studies at Murray Edwards College - what do we offer?

For a subject that is relatively small in size, Murray Edwards enjoys a strong presence of Fellows from the Divinity Faculty. Sarah Coakley, the Norris-Hulse Professor of Professor of Divinity, was herself an undergraduate at the College (class of 1973) and has been a Fellow at Murray Edwards since taking up her current post at Cambridge in 2007. The second Fellow from Divinity is Daniel Weiss, the Polonsky-Coexist Lecturer in Jewish Studies, who also serves as Director of Studies for TRS at Murray Edwards. The DoS is responsible for overseeing students' academic progress and for finding appropriate supervisors for each of the students' various papers, and Murray Edwards is one of only a few Cambridge colleges to have a DoS who is both a Fellow of the College as well as a University Teaching officer, rather than a college's chaplain or dean of chapel.

In terms of areas of particular strength, the presence of both Prof Coakley and Dr Weiss provides Murray Edwards with notable resources in philosophy of religion (in both its Christian and its Jewish varieties) and in inter-faith studies. Prof Coakley's research and teaching focuses on the relation of philosophy to the Christian theological tradition, and she also has a particular interest in gender theory and in Patristic thought. Dr Weiss's research and teaching focuses on modern Judaism and Jewish philosophy and ethics, and on the ways in which such modern thought intersects with classical Jewish textual sources (both biblical and rabbinic). In addition, Prof Coakley and Dr Weiss are both actively involved with the Cambridge Inter-Faith Programme, which promotes joint scholarly study and research among the Jewish, Christian, and Islamic traditions, and places an emphasis on dialogue and encounter among representatives of these traditions.

Beginning this Michaelmas term, Murray Edwards will also be participating in the ‘Huntington Theology Group,' which will bring together Theology and Religious Studies students from the various Cambridge colleges in the Huntington Road vicinity for student discussion and symposia, guest speakers, and social events.

In all, Murray Edwards provides an engaging environment for students of Theology and Religious Studies, and has, in addition, had very good results in the Tripos: for the past several years, nearly all of the TRS students have received at least a 2.i, and there has been at least one first-class mark in each of the past three graduating classes.

Theology and Religious Studies at Murray Edwards College - what are we looking for?

Any combination of A levels or subjects in the International Baccalaureate is acceptable. While some candidates for Theology and Religious Studies will have done Religious Studies at A-level (or equivalent), this is by no means a pre-requisite. Other arts subjects such as History, English and Modern Languages are equally appropriate. A mixture of arts and sciences is also acceptable but at least one subject should be an arts subject that gives practice in sustained essay writing. Linguistic ability is important, since candidates who read Theology and Religious Studies for three years have to do Greek, Hebrew, Arabic or Sanskrit. We do not assume that anyone will have done this at school, and language teaching is provided from scratch.

A degree in Theology and Religious Studies is an interdisciplinary one, drawing upon textual, critical, historical, philosophical and theological skills (though not necessarily all of them). In considering applications, therefore, we look for evidence of broad-ranging interests, both academic and non-academic. The subject interview is intended to discover what you do know, not what you do not: we invite you to indicate the kind of topics you have covered at school. You do not need a particular religious commitment in order to read the subject, but neither is such a commitment a hindrance. Many of the papers in the course involve some contemporary reference, so you should be interested in what is happening in the world. We look for evidence of a critical approach to issues, and the ability to present an argument which considers multiple sides of a question. Finally we are interested in why you want to study the subject, since self-motivation is of fundamental importance.

To find out what a current student thinks of studying Theology and Religious Studies at Murray Edwards see our student profiles.

Checked by ER, August 2011