Theology and Religion Foundation

Program Overview

It equips students with essential skills, knowledge, and critical thinking abilities in the field of religion. The program is designed to support students from underrepresented backgrounds who may have faced barriers to academic success. Upon successful completion, students can seamlessly transition into the first year of the BA Theology and Religion program.

Program Outline

Degree Overview:

Objectives:

• This program aims to equip students with the fundamental skills, knowledge, and understanding essential for pursuing a multidisciplinary exploration of religious thought, practices, and scripture.
• It focuses on developing students' analytical and critical thinking abilities in the area of religion.
• The year-long program offers a foundation for undergraduate studies in theology and religion.
• Upon successful completion of the foundation year, participants can seamlessly integrate into the first year (Level 1) of the BA Theology and Religion program.

Outline:

Module Components:

• The modules are spread across four terms in the academic calendar year.

Modules:

• Concepts, Methods & Theories in Arts & Humanities
• Scholarship in Higher Education (Extended)
• Advanced Scholarship in Higher Education for Arts, Business and Social Sciences

Structure:

• 15 credit modules (1 credit equals roughly 10 hours directed instruction and a further expected minimum 100 directed self hours.)
• 20 teaching hours, 10 tutorials/ seminar support hours each module (15 credit)

Course Schedule:

• Students are expected to participate in classes, which include lectures, tutorials workshops, and practical work, for up to 16 total contact hours per year.
• In addition to the scheduled contact teaching hours, students also engage actively in self-learning and complete assigned works such as writing and other exercises (100 additional hours are expected outside formal contact hours every 15credit).

Teaching:

• The Foundation Programme's primary mission is to create supportive and enriching learning and teaching environment that empowers students to cultivate self-awareness , reflective practice,
and knowledge of diverse academic disciplines.
• A variety of pedagogical tools and activities are employed including lectures, seminars , workshops and hands-on exercises for achieving the intended learning aims.
Typically lectures deliver key subject-area concepts and students are given the opportunity to practice and solidify the learnings through small class tutorials/ workshops with the support from professors in the relevant discipline as necessary (e.g., laboratory skills).
• Emphasis rests firmly on building individual confidence within a learning setting of intentionally low student-to-teacher ratio in order to ensure personalized response to learners' requirements.
As the students traverse throughout the program , and near its' concluding stages, the onus of learning shifts further toward student-guided self exploration not only as a method of content assimilation in preparation for classes but for independent project completion relevant to the learner's chosen pathway. This pathway choice, in itself provides a significant opportunity that necessitates individual initiative as it lays groundwork for the undergraduate journey.

Other:

• Students enrolled in the Foundation Year Programme are typically those whose prior educational journey has been marked primarily by underrepresentation of their particular group (i.e., socioeconomic) as compared with the broader enrollment at this university.
These are generally students who could not attain their full capacity in prior academic pursuits due largely to social inequities and disruptions which often lead to disadvantaged academic performance and the lack, or inability to acquire, necessary qualifications which would make them eligible.

The tuition fees for 2025/26 academic year have not yet been finalised, they will be displayed here once approved. The tuition fees shown for home students are for one complete academic year of full time study and are set according to the academic year of entry. Fees for subsequent years of your course may rise in line with an inflationary uplift as determined by the government. The tuition fees shown for overseas and EU students are for one complete academic year of full time study, are set according to the academic year of entry, and remain the same throughout the duration of the programme for that cohort (unless otherwise stated).