New BA in Religion, Politics & Society
Posted on 26/11/2012
The Department of Theology & Religious Studies at King’s College London is delighted to announce the new BA in Religion, Politics & Society, the first degree programme of its kind in the United Kingdom, launching in 2013-14.
This new degree, designed for students interested in politics, religion and society, illuminates their complex intersections so visible in the world today. It provides an innovative social scientific approach to the study of politics and society, linking it with sociological and anthropological perspectives. The programme provides a new understanding of one of the central problems of our time: the role of religion in domestic, international and transnational politics. Conversely, the programme also allows students to analyse how contemporary religious expressions shape and are shaped by global and local cultural, social, and political trends.
This programme builds on and complements the existing range of undergraduate programmes offered by the Department, including BA Religion, Philosophy & Ethics, and BA Theology.
Professor Jan Palmowski, Head of the School of Arts & Humanities, commented:
“The degree brings out a critical aspect of global politics, the significance of religion. Many conflicts between states and within states have religious dimensions, and religion shapes national politics in critical ways: we know this from Northern Ireland, we have just witnessed this in the US Presidential elections, and it is all too evident in Asia and Africa.”
He also explained why Kings’ is exceptionally placed to offer this pioneering programme:
“At King's we have world-leading expertise on the interconnections between religion, politics and society. Professor Madawi Al-Rasheed is a World authority on politics, religion and gender in Saudi Arabia. Our academic staff have genuine global knowledge, their outstanding expertise ranging from the world's largest Muslim state (Indonesia) to the World's largest country (Russia).”
Students graduating from this programme will develop key transferable skills in critical analysis, argumentation and communication that are indispensable in a wide variety of occupations, as well as a robust grounding in social sciences and the study of religion that would form a basis for further study.
King’s College London is one of the world’s top-30 universities, and one of the top-four in the UK for Arts & Humanities. The Department of Theology & Religious Studies is a vibrant department reflecting a wide range of approaches to the study of religion: anthropological, cultural, economic, historical, political, philosophical, sociological, textual, and theological. The Department is ranked in the top 7 UK Religious Studies and Theology departments in the Guardian's 2013 subject guide and performs strongly in the National Student Survey, with 92% of students praising the clarity and enthusiasm of our teaching staff (NSS 2012).
Applications for this exciting new degree are now being accepted – see the Online Prospectus for details.
Further information about the programme, including a video with contributions from the programme leaders, can be found on the Department of Theology & Religious Studies’ website.