Undergraduate Divinity 2024-2025

This course will explore ancient Greek attitudes towards death and dying and explore the various ways in which it meant to be dead in Ancient Greece. This course will be interdisciplinary in approach, looking at: performative texts (ancient Greek plays and epics), visual culture (monuments, sacred sites), philosophy and science (Presocratic, Plato and Epicurus).

The course will take a firm thematic approach exploring: poetic death and the heroic, locales of the departed and cosmic death and the promise of revival.

The Philosophy of Religion investigates fundamental and longstanding questions about the nature and rationality of religious beliefs and practices. Key topics include arguments for the existence of God, the concept and attributes of God, the nature of religious language, the problem of evil, the question of miracles, and the challenges of religious pluralism. In this course we will explore such questions through close attention to classic texts within the mainstream tradition of Philosophy of Religion. The course presumes no previous philosophical knowledge, only a keen interest in thinking patiently and critically about the subject matter.

This course discusses the issues involved in reconstructing the history and religions of ancient Israel and Judah. It provides an overview of the history and religions of Ancient Israel and Judah, as portrayed in the Hebrew Bible, as illustrated by archaeological findings, and as understood within their larger Ancient Near Eastern context. It further teaches the students how to evaluate critically these portrayals and, as a result, how to reach independent and informed interpretations of the Biblical text

What does it mean to read the Bible responsibly? This question is vitally relevant to anyone working closely with biblical texts, whether in academic study or in the context of faith communities who consider the biblical texts to be their Scriptures. This course will bring together the theory or philosophy of biblical interpretation with the associated methods and skills. Students will learn how the way we think about biblical interpretation has changed through the modern period and will learn how to implement the critical methods associated with the various theories. As well as acquiring and refining an interpretive skill-set that will immediately benefit their own engagement with the Bible, students will be exposed to theories of interpretation that are radically different to traditional approaches. Whether or not they agree with these, the knowledge will allow them to understand why other readers of Scripture hold very different beliefs about what is “biblical”.

This course will explore the language of the ancient Greeks with the view to connecting the Classics. This course will provide an overview of classical Greek and look to draw upon (adapted) texts, for example, of Plato, Euripides, Xenophon, Herodotus and fragments. This course will not only delve into ancient Greek language and grammar, but also the culture of the ancient Greek world.

This course is an introduction to classical biblical Hebrew without presupposing any prior knowledge. It involves the study of grammar and syntax and the translation of simple Hebrew prose texts. 

This course considers the questions of gender, sexuality and identity are discussed and considered in relation to religion or the concept of God. The course will be delivered by a range of lecturers who will offer historical, philosophical, ethical and theological reflection on questions of identity as they relate to sexuality, CIS and non-CIS identity, genders and non-binary identity and associated issues at the heart of today’s world.

This course will explore the rise and fall of Empires from the ancient world and beyond; examining to what extent religion, power struggles, conflict and politics impacted the shaping of an ancient Empire and the world today.

This course is the second part of an introduction to classical biblical Hebrew. It involves the study of grammar and syntax and the translation of simple Hebrew prose texts. Only students who have taken DR1042 or equivalent are eligible to take this course. 

This course will build on the foundations laid in Ancient Greek Language 1, introducing further study of ancient Greek language, grammar, and culture of the ancient Greek World.

How did the Jesus movement turn into the church? At what point did the church decide Jesus was God? How can God be one and three? What is heresy and why did it matter? How did Christianity relate to surrounding philosophy? Did theology develop and change? What were the sources for Christian thought and doctrine? The course introduces students to these questions through the rich history of Christian thought by considering a number of representative theological thinkers, such as Origen, Athanasius, Augustine, Anselm, Aquinas, Luther and Calvin. Assessment is through weekly discussion boards, a short essay, and a final essay.

This course will explore ancient Greek attitudes towards death and dying and explore the various ways in which it meant to be dead in Ancient Greece. This course will be interdisciplinary in approach, looking at: performative texts (ancient Greek plays and epics), visual culture (monuments, sacred sites), philosophy and science (Presocratic, Plato and Epicurus).

The course will take a firm thematic approach exploring: poetic death and the heroic, locales of the departed and cosmic death and the promise of revival.

The Philosophy of Religion investigates fundamental and longstanding questions about the nature and rationality of religious beliefs and practices. Key topics include arguments for the existence of God, the concept and attributes of God, the nature of religious language, the problem of evil, the question of miracles, and the challenges of religious pluralism. In this course we will explore such questions through close attention to classic texts within the mainstream tradition of Philosophy of Religion. The course presumes no previous philosophical knowledge, only a keen interest in thinking patiently and critically about the subject matter.

This course discusses the issues involved in reconstructing the history and religions of ancient Israel and Judah. It provides an overview of the history and religions of Ancient Israel and Judah, as portrayed in the Hebrew Bible, as illustrated by archaeological findings, and as understood within their larger Ancient Near Eastern context. It further teaches the students how to evaluate critically these portrayals and, as a result, how to reach independent and informed interpretations of the Biblical text. 

What does it mean to read the Bible responsibly? This question is vitally relevant to anyone working closely with biblical texts, whether in academic study or in the context of faith communities who consider the biblical texts to be their Scriptures. This course will bring together the theory or philosophy of biblical interpretation with the associated methods and skills. Students will learn how the way we think about biblical interpretation has changed through the modern period and will learn how to implement the critical methods associated with the various theories. As well as acquiring and refining an interpretive skill-set that will immediately benefit their own engagement with the Bible, students will be exposed to theories of interpretation that are radically different to traditional approaches. Whether or not they agree with these, the knowledge will allow them to understand why other readers of Scripture hold very different beliefs about what is “biblical”.

This course will explore the rise and fall of Empires from the ancient world and beyond; examining to what extent religion, power struggles, conflict and politics impacted the shaping of an ancient Empire and the world today.

This course considers the questions of gender, sexuality and identity are discussed and considered in relation to religion or the concept of God. The course will be delivered by a range of lecturers who will offer historical, philosophical, ethical and theological reflection on questions of identity as they relate to sexuality, CIS and non-CIS identity, genders and non-binary identity and associated issues at the heart of today’s world.

How did the Jesus movement turn into the church? At what point did the church decide Jesus was God? How can God be one and three? What is heresy and why did it matter? How did Christianity relate to surrounding philosophy? Did theology develop and change? What were the sources for Christian thought and doctrine? The course introduces students to these questions through the rich history of Christian thought by considering a number of representative theological thinkers, such as Origen, Athanasius, Augustine, Anselm, Aquinas, Luther and Calvin. Assessment is through weekly discussion boards, a short essay, and a final essay.

What was the situation of the Church in medieval Scotland? What changes did the Reformation of 1560 bring? Who were the main players in the Scottish Reformation and beyond? Who were the covenanters and which policies and theologies did they represent? What changes did the 19^th and 20^th centuries have in store for the Kirk? This course introduces students to the landmarks of Scottish Church history with reference to relevant primary sources. Assessment is based on two essays.

This course looks at trauma and suffering from a range of theological perspectives, including gender and sexuality, race, and disability. With intersectionality as our guiding framework, these issues will be explored through real lived experiences. Students will have the opportunity to reflect on and learn about the various ways that theologians have responded to suffering, and whether healing and reconciliation are possible in the aftermath of trauma.

So often associated with wine and revelry, this course will explore the ways in which Dionysus was worshipped in ancient Greece. Here, we will consider mystery religion, religious festivals and the secrets of maenadic worship. We will traverse, like Dionysus, across the ancient Mediterranean world from Asia Minor to Thebes to Athens and beyond. We will also explore a broad chronological sweep too – from 5th century BCE to 2nd century CE. For sure, Dionysus will provide intrigue with the opportunity to revel with a variety of primary sources, such as, archaeology, literary sources and fragments.

Religious questions and topics have often played an important part in philosophical reflection in the long philosophical tradition of the West that reaches from Ancient Greece to the present day.  By way of close extended reading, analysis and seminar discussions of one or more classic texts from this tradition of philosophy of religion, this course invites students to delve more deeply into the way religious questions have been approached by important philosophical thinkers as wide ranging as Plato, Hume, Lessing, Kant, Hegel, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Murdoch, James, Wittgenstein, Rorty and Plantinga.

This year the topic will be 'Hell and Its Christian Critics'.

Christian theology involves close reflection upon the substantive claims of the Christian faith, their interconnections and their historical development. This course invites students to detailed exploration of one or more major themes in Christian doctrine by engaging primary texts in the context of lively seminar discussion and debate.

Wisdom – both everyday reasoning about the good life and theological speculation about the figure of Wisdom – inspired the imagination and the faith of many religious men and women in ancient Israel and Judah. This course is dedicated to understanding the lives of these people, the texts which they produced (most of which we find in the Old Testament), and the effects they had on contemporaries and on later generations.

The letters of the New Testament (texts after the Gospels and Acts in the canon) have exercised significant influence over Christian theology. However, much scholarship would question whether they have been interpreted correctly. Significant developments in our understanding of Judaism in the early Common Era and of the socio-cultural realities of the wider Mediterranean world have led to the emergence of new readings of these texts and have demanded fresh accounts of Christian origins. This course will involve exploration and critique of these some of these new approaches.

This course will explore the ways in which death is considered and responded to in the ancient Greek world and beyond. 

This course will look at 4 core areas: i. Theoretical framings of death, ii. Beautification and defilement of warfare, iii. Beautification and defilement of funerary rituals and remembrance, iv. Erotic beauty and defilement in Greek culture.

The course will explore a range of materials: from ancient Greek textual and archaeological data from the 15th century BCE to 1st century CE. There will also be a fieldwork option in the course to as part of an investigation into the landscapes and eroticism of death and monuments associated with death, corporeal aesthetics and explorations of internal and external beautification and defilement.

What was the situation of the Church in medieval Scotland? What changes did the Reformation of 1560 bring? Who were the main players in the Scottish Reformation and beyond? Who were the covenanters and which policies and theologies did they represent? What changes did the 19^th and 20^th centuries have in store for the Kirk? This course introduces students to the landmarks of Scottish Church history with reference to relevant primary sources. Assessment is based on two essays.

This course looks at trauma and suffering from a range of theological perspectives, including gender and sexuality, race, and disability. With intersectionality as our guiding framework, these issues will be explored through real lived experiences. Students will have the opportunity to reflect on and learn about the various ways that theologians have responded to suffering, and whether healing and reconciliation are possible in the aftermath of trauma.

So often associated with wine and revelry, this course will explore the ways in which Dionysus was worshipped in ancient Greece. Here, we will consider mystery religion, religious festivals and the secrets of maenadic worship. We will traverse, like Dionysus, across the ancient Mediterranean world from Asia Minor to Thebes to Athens and beyond. We will also explore a broad chronological sweep too – from 5th century BCE to 2nd century CE. For sure, Dionysus will provide intrigue with the opportunity to revel with a variety of primary sources, such as, archaeology, literary sources and fragments.

This course involves the writing of a dissertation in one of the sub-disciplines in Divinity and Religious Studies. Independent Research work is done under the supervision of a member of staff. The dissertation is an extended essay, of no more than 10,000 words inclusive of references. Please note the 10,000 words does not include the bibliography

Religious questions and topics have often played an important part in philosophical reflection in the long philosophical tradition of the West that reaches from Ancient Greece to the present day. By way of close extended reading, analysis and seminar discussions of one or more classic texts from this tradition of philosophy of religion, this course invites students to delve more deeply into the way religious questions have been approached by important philosophical thinkers as wide ranging as Plato, Hume, Lessing, Kant, Hegel, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Murdoch, James, Wittgenstein, Rorty and Plantinga.

This year the topic will be 'Hell and Its Christian Critics'.

Christian theology involves close reflection upon the substantive claims of the Christian faith, their interconnections and their historical development. This course invites students to detailed exploration of one or more major themes in Christian doctrine by engaging primary texts in the context of lively seminar discussion and debate.

Wisdom – both everyday reasoning about the good life and theological speculation about the figure of Wisdom – inspired the imagination and the faith of many religious men and women in ancient Israel and Judah. This course is dedicated to understanding the lives of these people, the texts which they produced (most of which we find in the Old Testament), and the effects they had on contemporaries and on later generations.

The letters of the New Testament (texts after the Gospels and Acts in the canon) have exercised significant influence over Christian theology. However, much scholarship would question whether they have been interpreted correctly. Significant developments in our understanding of Judaism in the early Common Era and of the socio-cultural realities of the wider Mediterranean world have led to the emergence of new readings of these texts and have demanded fresh accounts of Christian origins. This course will involve exploration and critique of these some of these new approaches.

This course involves the writing of a dissertation in one of the sub-disciplines in Divinity and Religious Studies. Independent Research work is done under the supervision of a member of staff. The dissertation is an extended essay, of no more than 10,000 words inclusive of references. Please note the 10,000 words does not include the bibliography

This course will explore the ways in which death is considered and responded to in the ancient Greek world and beyond. 

This course will look at 4 core areas: i. Theoretical framings of death, ii. Beautification and defilement of warfare, iii. Beautification and defilement of funerary rituals and remembrance, iv. Erotic beauty and defilement in Greek culture.

The course will explore a range of materials: from ancient Greek textual and archaeological data from the 15th century BCE to 1st century CE. There will also be a fieldwork option in the course to as part of an investigation into the landscapes and eroticism of death and monuments associated with death, corporeal aesthetics and explorations of internal and external beautification and defilement.