Sometimes people like to do some reading and thinking before they join the course. If you’d like to do this, here are some reading suggestions.

Reading suggestions

These are some fictional books that introduce and reflect on key theological and philosophical ideas. Any of these books would be great to read before you start your studies:

• Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie
• Holy Cow by David Duchovny
• Mary Shelley, Frankenstein
• Pat Barker, The Silence of the Girls
• Natalie Haynes, A Thousand Ships
• Tom McCarthy, Remainder
• Alice Walker, The Colour Purple (also a film).
• My Heart Hemmed in by Marie NDiaye, translated by Jordan Stump
• The Factory, Hiroko Oyamada, Translated by David Boyd
• Ursula K. Le Guin, The Dispossessed

Here are some non-fiction books you could look at:

• Davies, B., Philosophy of Religion: A Guide and Anthology (Oxford University Press 2000)‎
• Plantinga, R. Thompson, T. and Lundberg, M., An Introduction to Christian Theology. Second Edition (Oxford University Press 2022)
• Malone, E., Inventing Knowledge: A Global & Historical Introduction to Philosophy (OER 2025).
• Sanghera, S., Empireland: How Imperialism has Shaped Modern Britain (Viking 2021)
• Warburton, N., Philosophy: The Classics (Routledge 2000)‎
• Woodhead, L. and Catto, R., Religion and Change in Modern Britain (Routledge 2012)‎

Introductory Online Resources for Philosophy

Here are some links to videos and podcasts to get you thinking about philosophical ideas: ‎

• The Philosopher’s Zone: https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/philosopherszone
• TED talks on philosophy: ‎https://www.ted.com/topics/philosophy
• Introduction to philosophy: https://podcasts.ox.ac.uk/series/philosophy-beginners
• Philosophy Bites : https://philosophybites.com/

Introductory Online Resources for Religious Studies

• The Religious Studies Project: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/

Introductory Online Resources for Biblical Studies

Here are some links to online resources introducing aspects of biblical studies:‎

Podacre: https://podacre.blogspot.com/ – a series of podcasts by the contemporary biblical scholar Mark ‎Goodacre; especially useful are the ones on the historical Jesus; the synoptic gospels; the synoptic ‎problem; and Paul

Timeline Theology Videos: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf6tMd_iJlCfV0kra1yhURQ – a series of short introductory ‎videos on different books of the bible recorded as part of the St John’s Timeline Project

Other articles and videos can be found on the following two sites:‎
Bible Odyssey: https://www.bibleodyssey.org/
Biblical Studies Online: https://biblicalstudiesonline.wordpress.com/

• Wednesday 16 September 2026
  • 10:30am to 2pm
  • Room: HI103

IMPORTANT: Please bring your photo ID with you on this date to complete enrolment.

• Thursday 17 September 2026
  • 3pm to 6pm
  • Room: HI102

What we’ll cover:

• Meeting the teaching team and the other people on your course
• Getting your university ID
• Dates in the diary for the next 12 weeks
• Meeting your personal tutors
• How to manage university systems (IT, communications, attendance registering)
• Work set for class on 23 and 24 September
• Please bring something to take notes with

Semester 1 – Week beginning 21/09/2026

• Wednesday 09:00 – 11:00
• Thursday 11:00 – 13:00 and 15:00 – 18:00

Full details of your individual academic timetable, including Semester 2 timetable which may differ, will be available via your university email calendar after you have completed the pre-arrival task online and set up your student login.

In this degree, teaching and learning is built around group discussion. You’ll be asked to look through some material before each class, make some notes and have a think.

Each class will focus on this material, with discussion and debate to help us understand more.

The first semester runs up to mid-December. During this time, we’ll cover the following modules:

*Living With Others: Ethics, Politics, and Religion*

In this module, you will explore some core ideas and challenges that come from living alongside other beings, both human and non-human. You’ll look at some key ideas and texts from the history of philosophy and politics, and compare them to contemporary case studies. You will discuss questions like the nature and extent of freedom, what a society needs to have if it’s to be fair and just, why we live with others, and whether societies can fail.

*God, Atheism and the Cosmos*

This module introduces you to key foundational philosophical and theological questions about existence, meaning, and the nature of reality. Through a critical exploration of different theisms and atheisms, the module will examine diverse perspectives on topics like the origins of the cosmos, human uniqueness, the problem of evil, human and nonhuman salvation and purpose.

By engaging with different tools of analysis, for example from the philosophy of religion, history, theology, and the social sciences, you will have the opportunity to begin to develop your own reasoned positions on some of the most enduring questions about God, humanity, and the wider universe.

Tom Hunt

Louise Hickman

Richard Goode

• Tom Hunt is Programme Lead and teaches modules on philosophy, politics and religion. Speak to Tom if you have any issues around your timetable, accessing IT, or general questions about enrolment.
• Louise Hickman specialises in Philosophy of Religion.
• Richard Goode works on the Bible and the ways that it is read in contemporary society.