Religion, Culture and Society (MA)

Religion has a long history and remains a powerful force in the contemporary world. This degree in Religion, Culture and Society provides the tools and skills to help you get to grips with this vital field of study. It has a focus upon ethics and philosophy, art and literature, and on those factors of culture which shape our history. It is key to understanding an individual's identity, ethnicity, and relationships across different cultures.

You will study the ideas and concepts, the doctrines and the ethical systems, and the material culture and the rituals which underpin religious belief and practice, as well as their role and function in culture and society.

This degree enables students to encounter different world views and to challenge dominant narratives about the nature of human existence. It can involve an encounter with politics and ethics, with gender and sexuality, and with creative interpretations of human and non-human existence in literature, art and poetry.

Why study this programme

Studying Religion, Culture and Society at Edinburgh allows you to develop:

• knowledge and understanding of the histories, practices, society and culture of ancient religious tradition, indigenous religions, and how they are practiced in contemporary societies

• skills in collecting and analysing materials from a wide range of sources such as those derived from field studies, texts, artefacts, oral traditions, archaeology and testimonies of adherents

• the ability to evaluate and critique work with a range of methods including lived religion, the study of religious texts, and the study of ethics and culture

• the ability to formulate research questions and develop arguments which represent different attitudes and positions in religion, culture and society

• the ability to engage with views different from their own and express ideas and arguments clearly, both orally and in writing

Programme benefits

• You will join a vibrant, tight-knit community of around 450 students and 40 staff, based in their own building – the beautiful and historic New College.

• Our friendly and approachable teaching staff consist of internationally respected scholars in a wide range of specialisms.

• The School of Divinity has a fantastic onsite library which is one of the largest religion and theology libraries in the UK.

• You will study over four years, including one abroad (if desired).

• You do not need qualifications in religious studies to take up the study of religion. Our students come from backgrounds in arts, humanities, social sciences and natural sciences.