Christianity and the Arts is taught in association with the National Gallery.
Investigate how Christian scripture, beliefs and practices have found expression in art over 2,000 years; trace the idea of beauty in Western theological tradition; make use of examples in London. Leads to further research or careers in teaching, journalism or the church.
KEY BENEFITS
- The MA will enable students to work across disciplinary and specialism boundaries, and in particular to explore simultaneously the art-historical and theological dimensions of Christian art – approaches which are generally pursued in isolation from one another.
- The MA will use rich cultural resources beyond the College – and specifically the artistic, human and web-based resources of the National Gallery.
- The MA will provide opportunities for students to learn outside the College, in the context of an art museum, with likely additional visits/links to institutions with related collections, like the Courtauld Gallery, and the Victoria and Albert Museum.
- The MA will enhance the experience of international students at the College by giving them a stimulating and privileged understanding of one of London’s (and the world’s) greatest treasuries of art.
KEY FACTS
Student destinations
We would expect graduates to go into research in the Department of Theology; the media; museum work; teaching; journalism; careers in the church.
Programme leader/s
Professor Ben Quash, Professor of Christianity and the Arts
Awarding Institution
King's College London in Association with the National Gallery
Credit value (UK/ECTS equivalent)
UK 180/ECTS 90
Duration
One year FT, two years PT, September to September.
Location
Strand Campus.
Year of entry 2013
Offered by
School of Arts and Humanities
Department of Theology and Religious Studies
Closing date
31 August 2013.
Please note that applicants wishing to apply for funding (e.g. AHRC) must submit their application by the relevant funding deadline, which is usually early in the year. Please see
http://www.kcl.ac.uk/study/pg/funding/sources/index.aspx for information on the available funding opportunities and deadlines.
No set number.
Fees
PT Home: £3950 (2013)
PT Overseas: £8125 (2013)
FT Home: £7900 (2013)
FT Overseas: £16250 (2013)
CONTACTS
Contact information
Postgraduate Officer, Centre for Arts & Sciences Admissions (CASA)
tel: +44 (0) 20 7848 2765 / 2232 / 7232
fax: +44 (0) 20 7848 7200
Email
Website
PURPOSE
To enable students to work across disciplinary and specialism boundaries, and in particular to explore simultaneously the art-historical and theological dimensions of Christian art – approaches which are generally pursued in isolation from one another.
DESCRIPTION
The MA in Christianity and the Arts will investigate how Christian scripture, beliefs and practices have found expression in the arts over 2000 years, tracing the idea of beauty in Western theological tradition, and making use wherever possible of examples and case studies in London.
STRUCTURE OVERVIEW
Core programme content
- The Idea of Beauty in Western Theology.
- Dissertation.
Indicative non-core content
- The Devotional Use of Art in Christianity
- Art as a Theological Medium
- Christianity and Literature
- The Christian Text
- Religion and Sprituality in Modern Art
FORMAT AND ASSESSMENT
Taught core and optional modules assessed by coursework plus a dissertation.
MODULES
More information on typical programme modules.
NB it cannot be guaranteed that all modules are offered in any particular academic year.
Module code: 7AATC999
Credit level: 7
Credit value: 60
Semester:
summer session 1; summer session 2;
Teaching pattern: The dissertation is to be on a topic chosen by the candidate with advice from his or her supervisor, and written under supervision.
Assessment:
coursework
Assessed by 1 x dissertation of up to 15,000 words
For a full module description and further information, please see the
module page on the Department of Theology & Religious Studies website.
Module code: 7AATC411
Credit level: 7
Credit value: 40
Semester:
Full-year
Assessment:
coursework
Assessed by 2 x 5,000-word essays.
The module will teach students about the sustained and rich discussion of the theme of the beautiful in the Western Church, a discussion which runs through every century of its history and has often provoked fierce contention (as in the Reformation). It will introduce students to this tradition, tracing its debts to classical models of the relationsihp between beauty and goodness (especially in the works of Plotinus), through the medieval discussions of beauty as a transcendental (especially in the work of Aquinas), to the theological influence on philosophical aesthetics in the 18th and 19th centuries (including the observation of a distinctively British tradition in Coleridge, Ruskin, Hopkins and others). It will conclude with the major works in the area of theological aesthetics that have been produced since the 20th century (Jacques Maritain, David, Jones, Hans Urs von Balthasar, Davie Bentley Hart, Rowan Williams).
http://www.kcl.ac.uk/artshums/depts/trs/modules/level7/7aatc411.aspx
Module code: 7AATC413
Credit level: 7
Credit value: 20
Semester:
Semester 2 (spring)
Teaching pattern:
Assessment:
coursework
Assessed by 1 x 5,000-word essay
This module will look at how art has acted as a means of expressing and developing religious ideas; a way to make theological points that has its own status alongside the academic treatise, the sermon, or the ecclesiastical pronouncement. It will investigate how pictures have both transmitted and innovated on religious tradition, and will ask whether there are distinctive things that the visual arts can achieve which other modes of theological communication cannot manage so easily (if at all).
NB There are limited places available on this module due to its taking place in part at the National Gallery, so if you select this module on your module registration form, please submit an alternative choice.
http://www.kcl.ac.uk/artshums/depts/trs/modules/level7/7aatc413.aspx
Module code: 7AATC414
Credit level: 7
Credit value: 20
Semester:
Semester 2 (spring)
Teaching pattern: Taught via one two-hour class per week (10 weeks)
Assessment:
coursework
Assessed by 1 x 5,000-word essay
Through seminars students will explore the ways in which key thinkers/literary texts have sought to make sense of, and come to terms with, the role of Christianity in a period of intense doubt and scepticism. Students will explore such matters largely in an ethical context. The module will be essentially structured around discussion based on the reading of the texts set. Students will have a chance to present material for discussion by the group.
http://www.kcl.ac.uk/artshums/depts/trs/modules/level7/7aatc414.aspx
Module code: 7AATC416
Credit level: 7
Credit value: 20
Semester:
Semester 2 (spring)
Teaching pattern: TBD
Assessment:
coursework
One 5,000-word essay (100%)
In recent years, art and religion have frequently been cast as mortal enemies, with 'modern art' playing the part of the villain, spitting—or worse in the case of Andres Serrano's Piss Christ (1987)—on the symbols and ideals of religion. In this module we will avoid erecting simple binaries between modern art and religion, instead seeking to understand the ways in which each has opened up new understandings and trajectories for the other, sometimes by virtue of tension and controversy. Throughout this module, we will make a special effort to take advantage of the unique resources of London's museums and religious spaces, from Tate Modern and Tate Britain, to such nearby churches as St. Stephen's Walbrook and St. Martin-in-the-Fields.
Module code: 7AATC415
Credit level: 7
Credit value: 20
Semester:
Semester 1 (autumn)
Assessment:
coursework
Assessed by 1 x 5,000-word essay
This module engages with a series of literary texts across historical periods from the perspective of both their theological content and contexts. It therefore offers an analytical, hermeneutical approach to both the history of theological literature (Augustine, Eckhart, Dante), and to theologically related literatures (Hölderlin, Paul Celan and Yves Bonnefoy), as well as to the hermeneutics of language use in specifically theological frameworks (Pauline texts). In this module we will further the study of both the implicit and explicit understandings of language, its possibilities and limitations, in different theological contexts and genres.
http://www.kcl.ac.uk/artshums/depts/trs/modules/level7/7aatc415.aspx
Module code: 7AATC412
Credit level: 7
Credit value: 20
Semester:
Semester 1 (autumn)
Assessment:
coursework
Assessed by 1 x 5,000-word essay
This module will look closely at the ways in which different Christian environments and needs have helped to foster particular kinds of art. This will require art-historical and church-historical input; a knowledge of the history of religious ideas and devotional practices, of the aspirations of patrons as well as of popular piety, and of how all these things shaped artistic commissions and objects.
NB There are limited places available on this module due to its taking place in part at the National Gallery, so if you select this module on your module registration form, please submit an alternative choice.
http://www.kcl.ac.uk/artshums/depts/trs/modules/level7/7aatc412.aspx
ACADEMIC ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
General entry advice
An undergraduate honours degree with minimum 2:1 classification (or overseas equivalent) usually, but not necessarily, in a humanities subject. We know that relevant background can be acquired by informal routes and we are delighted to consider all applications. Aplicants without experience in the field should consider our Graduate Diploma, especially designed to ease the transition to Theology and Religious Studies from another subject.
APPLYING TO KING'S
To apply for graduate study at King's you will need to complete our graduate online application form. Applying online makes applying easier and quicker for you, and means we can receive your application faster and more securely.
King's does not normally accept paper copies of the graduate application form as applications must be made online. However, if you are unable to access the online graduate application form, please contact the relevant admissions/School Office at King's for advice.
APPLICATION PROCEDURE
Your application will be assessed by at least two academic members of staff. We aim to process all complete applications within four to six weeks, although this may take longer in February and March, and over holiday periods.
PERSONAL STATEMENT & SUPPORTING INFORMATION
Please provide a personal statement with your application, which clearly explains why you wish to take our programme, and outlines your relevant background experience.
FUNDING
Small grants (up to c. £2,000) awarded by the King’s Theological Trust to MA and research students in the department. Two Walton Scholarships (approximately £4,500 each year), normally awarded to one full time MA student and one full time research student. Otherwise AHRC, Graduate School and School of Arts & Humanities scholarships and bursaries, self-funded.
For further information, please see our graduate funding page:
http://www.kcl.ac.uk/artshums/depts/trs/study/funding/index.aspx
Student profiles
Christianity & the Arts MAI didn’t so much choose King’s, as it chose me. I was actually looking at a job advertised on the National Gallery’s website when I saw a reference to my course. Intrigued, I had a look at King’s’ site and although I had never considered doing a Master’s it suddenly seemed to be exactly what I was looking for: an opportunity to focus my interests and learn more about a field I was hoping to work in. For several years I had been thinking about ‘Christian art,’ in particular what it might look like today, along with its place and function.
It has been said that art galleries are the cathedrals of today and therefore places where truth and revelation may still be sought. In Western culture where there is a general wariness of organised religion and a turning away from traditional means of Christian communication, perhaps art could be a means of bridging the gap? To embark upon such a course of study may seem unusual for someone like myself with many years of working life already behind them. But rather than cruising towards retirement I felt there was still time to explore something new.
My first year is more than fulfilling my expectations, with great teaching, good support, and a wealth of resources available. I knew of King’s excellent reputation for Theology and its Christian foundation when I applied and for me this adds an extra dimension.
The Chaplaincy keeps me informed of events and services which reflect the rhythm of the church year. And the
college choir is fantastic!
I know what I’m doing is a privilege. Two years will pass very quickly.