Module Description

To provide an overview of the key themes, developments and concepts in the intersection of religion and global political affairs.

Principal module aims

1. Provide an overview of some the key and contemporary issues involving religion in global political affairs.
2. Engage with the literature on religion in global politics and the key debates with which scholars are presently engaged.
3. Encourage students to think critically about the various ways in which religious beliefs, organisations and actors are involved in global politics, drawing on insights from various academic disciplines, as well as contemporary events and examples.
4. Provide the theoretical and empirical tools necessary to understand and critically assess different perspectives on global politics and religion. Encourage students to build coherent and persuasive arguments in both written and verbal form.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the module students should be able to:

• Demonstrate a clear grasp of the key theoretical arguments and substantive issues concerning religion in global politics.
• Demonstrate knowledge of the role played by religious beliefs, organisations and actors in global political affairs, drawing on insights from a range of academic disciplines as well as contemporary events and examples.
• Apply the knowledge they have gained to developments in key thematic areas, such as religious regulation, development, globalisation and the politics of climate change.
• Present work coherently and to a high academic standard.