Welcome to the Course Essentials section for our Theology and Religious Studies MA awards.
Ralph Norman
Course Director
Course Director
Key dates
Academic Calendar: Trimesters
View key dates for this Academic Calendar for 2024-25 including when teaching starts and finishes and when you break for holidays.
Welcome
You will find here some tips for getting started as well as a recommended reading list. We've tried to include a broad variety of different things for you to look at as you begin to acquire knowledge relevant to the Common Good and Chaplaincy course.
Getting started
Before starting the course, you are invited to make yourself familiar with a wide range of relevant internet sources. These should help you find information about the subject and build knowledge you will find helpful in your studies. Some of these websites contain extensive resources for you to explore. They represent different religious traditions, describe the current place of religion in public discourse in the UK, as well as some sites from around the globe.
- https://togetherforthecommongood.co.uk/
- https://www.faithandsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/APPG_CovidReport_Full_V4.pdf
- https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2019-05/chaplains_on_campus_full_report_final_pdf_.pdf
- www.gov.scot/publications/spiritual-care-chaplaincy/pages/4/
- https://www.faithcommongood.org/
- https://www.acommonword.com/
- https://cbcew.org.uk/plain/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2018/11/common-good-1996.pdf
- https://www.cccb.ca/justice-and-peace/citizenship-and-the-common-good/
- https://barrowcadbury.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Missing_Muslims_Report_execsummary.pdf
Your welcome and induction will be w/c 16 September 2024- we look forward to meeting you then.
Pre-course reading
In advance of joining the course you are invited to read some of the following books. The list is quite diverse, so please pick two or three which best suit your own interests.
- Bauckham, R.J. (2010) The Bible in Politics: How to Read the Bible Politically. London: SPCK.
- Brueggemann, W. (2021) Journey to the Common Good. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press.
- Gilliat-Ray, S. et al. (2013) Understanding Muslim Chaplaincy. London: Routledge
- Gorman, M. (2015) Becoming the Gospel. Cambridge: Eerdmans.
- Haidt, J. (2013). The Righteous Mind. London: Penguin.
- Hollenbach, D. (2002) The Common Good and Christian Ethics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- Ipgrave, M., ed. (2008) Building a Better Bridge: Muslims, Christians, and the Common Good. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press.
- Maritain, J. (1966). The Person and the Common Good. Notre Dame, ND: Notre Dame University Press.
- Norenzayan, A (2013) Big Gods: How Religion Transformed Cooperation and Conflict. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
- Rowlands, A. (2021) Towards a Politics of Communion: Catholic Social Teaching in Dark Times. London: T&T Clark.
- Sacks, J. (2020). Morality: Restoring the Common Good in Divided Times. London: Hodder and Stoughton.
- Sagovsky, N. and McGrail, P., eds. (2015). Together for the Common Good: Towards a National Conversation. London: SCM Press.
It is useful to note that the University Bookshop offers 10% discount on most titles in print and have some price-beating book bundles. They also price match Amazon on core texts recommended in the module handbooks you will receive when you start in September.
International student success programme
International students: don't miss out! Make sure you register for our international student success programme which provides practical advice on preparing to live and study in the UK.