Religion and the Common Good
Entry requirements
A 2:2 honours degree, in Theology, Religious Studies, or a relevant subject discipline. Holders of other qualifications will be considered individually.
If English is not your first language you require an IELTS overall score of 6.5 with no element below 6.0.
Months of entry
September
Course content
The MA in Religion and the Common Good explores the engagement between faith communities and wider society, working together across divides for the common good. We look at what religion brings to issues of shared concern in today’s world, and investigate how and why faith communities often build relationships with other religious and secular groups in pursuit of peace and the common good. How should the moral values of religious faiths be applied to today’s increasingly contested ethical issues? What is the public role of faith in our diverse, globalised, multicultural world? What do faith communities think about education and schooling, health care, inequality, the environment, and freedom? What should they do about them?
As well as providing a postgraduate qualification in theology and religious studies, the MA Religion and the Common Good develops knowledge and understanding relevant to charity and community work, to hospital and other types of chaplaincy, as well as to educational institutions and the school sector. A special route award, MA in Chaplaincy and Spiritual Care is available to those seeking to study carefully designed modules of special relevance to the role of the chaplaincy today.
The course is made up of carefully designed curriculum covering key areas of study. You will begin with study of Religion and the Common Good, Interfaith Dialogue, and Contemporary Religious Thought. These lead on to study of Moral Philosophy and Applied Ethics, Critical Spirituality and Reflective Practice, and Biblical Interpretation. Finally, students complete a dissertation on a relevant topic. Each module has been deliberately designed to enable expertly-informed reflection on faith and the common good.
The course is aimed at everyone interested in studying faith in action in today’s world. We focus on the relevance of religion to modern life. Whether you be a recent graduate of Theology and Religious Studies, a teacher of Religious Education, a leader in a “Faith School”, a person active in a charity organisation, or someone called to religious ministry, this course is for you.
This MA course lets you dive into a critical questions of faith in action in contemporary society. You will explore how people of faith have instilled life with religious meaning, and gain understanding of how beliefs and values are relevant to the world we share. Critical engagement with questions of religion and politics, moral philosophy and applied ethics, is a valuable experience in its own right – perfectly suited to anyone seeking to ask big questions concerning life’s meaning and what we should do. The course also addresses the application of these questions in professional contexts. It will help develop careers in teaching, provide additional knowledge and understanding for anyone holding a role with a faith organisation, give essential postgraduate experience for those planning to go on to a PhD, and it will give you an edge in the professional job market.
You will be taught by a team of exceptional tutors, all researching and publishing in their fields, with expertise in topics such as pastoral theology, faith relations, applied ethics, Christian education, and spiritual care. This MA is shared with the National Institute for Christian Education Research as well as the Kent and Medway Medical School.
Fees and funding
For up to date fee and loan information please visit our website.
Qualification, course duration and attendance options
- MA
- full time12 months
- Campus-based learningis available for this qualification
Course contact details
- Name
- Course Enquiry Team
- courses@canterbury.ac.uk
- Phone
- 01227928000