FAQs

Do I need any advance knowledge of theology or philosophy?

No. You will be encouraged to read a few passages from the Bible over the summer as preparation; and you may wish to familiarise yourself with some of the texts to check you're interested in the questions they raise. But you do not need any specific knowledge to take this module.

Will the module address ideas of faith or belief?

The focus of the module is on literary, theological, and philosophical texts that engage with the history and tradition of mysticism, a word that describes the search to connect with and write about God. You do not need to have any particular views on religion; but the module asks that you acknowledge that the writers we explore together held their (various forms of) faith as profoundly meaningful and central to their lives.

Why does the assessment include a 'spoken assessment'?

In addition to the more familiar literature review and essay, the module also asks you to sit a short spoken assessment. The spoken assessment is a one-to-one assessment with the tutor, and asks you to discuss one text (intermediate students) or two texts (finalists) from the module of your choice. The assessment is not a presentation but a conversation and has been set to encourage you to voice your own interpretations of the module material without recourse to digital technology. You can find more information on the 'Assessment' page.

What are the associated costs of the module?

Most of the module texts can be found online as public domain documents. Links will be sent out to students registered on the module. You are encouraged to buy copies of the texts you wish to write your essays about.

Is there a particular edition of the Bible recommended for the module?

No. The translation of the Bible from its original languages (Hebrew, Aramaic, Koine Greek) into other languages like English has a complex history, and many different editions and versions exist. The King James Bible, completed in 1611, is the most common source for many writers in English writing after this date; some of the very early writers we'll explore relied on the Greek translation (the Septuagint), the old Latin translation (Vetus Latina), and the 'new' Latin translation (the Latin Vulgate). In the 1940s, several Christian and Jewish texts were newly discovered: the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Nag Hammadi treatises. Some of these treatises are copies of texts already included in the Bible; others are currently not included in the Bible.

Academic theology departments tend to use the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV), particularly the New Oxford Annotated Bible with Apocrypha. If you own your own copy of the Bible, you are welcome to use this for background reading if you wish. Most versions of the Bible can be found online at theBible Gateway website.