Unit information: Challenges in Abrahamic Religions in 2025/26

Please note: Programme and unit information may change as the relevant academic field develops. We may also make changes to the structure of programmes and assessments to improve the student experience.

Unit name Challenges in Abrahamic Religions
Unit code THRS20228
Credit points 20
Level of study I/5
Teaching block(s) Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24)
Unit director Dr. Toby Matthiesen
Open unit status Not open
Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units)

None

Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units)

None

Units you may not take alongside this one

None

School/department Department of Religion and Theology
Faculty Faculty of Arts

Unit Information

Why is this unit important?
Contemporary issues and conceptual reflections in society are shaped by religious and intellectual history. In countries where the majority or former majority religion is an Abrahamic religion (Islam, Christianity, or Judaism), religious ideas form the unshakeable core of cultural and philosophical perspectives on life and society. Cultural practices and ideologies change and develop with time and place, raising questions about the intellectual assumptions we bring to the study of religious traditions. In this unit, you will have the opportunity to engage with different arguments, perspectives, and scholarly debates in the study of Abrahamic traditions such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. You will also be asked to investigate issues of particular importance to specific Abrahamic traditions such as: secularism, theistic ethics, theological doctrine, faith and reason, hope and doubt, authenticity, women’s rights, antisemitism, violence, radicalism, modernity, authority, and politics. You will actively analyse and construct solutions for major concepts in Abrahamic dialogue or discussions over time, past and present. This approach will help you deepen your understanding of the way religious priorities, perspectives, concepts, and philosophical reflection on them may be unique to a specific cultural tradition or period, while at the same time overlapping with more universal concerns or patterns of beliefs.

How does this unit fit into your programme of study.

Second-year mandatory units are a required component of your degree. They are designed to deepen your understanding of traditions and issues studied in your first year, as well as to develop new critical perspectives. These units also facilitate your discipline-specific skill development by allowing you to apply methodologies learned in year one to concrete scenarios.

Your learning on this unit

An overview of content

In this unit, we build on the first-year introduction to the study of global Abrahamic religious traditions to examine particular aspects or philosophical approaches to one or more Abrahamic religions – Christianity, Judaism, or Islam – in greater depth. Through a series of lectures and seminars, we will investigate and discuss tradition-specific questions, practices, debates, and disagreements. Abrahamic religious thinking continues to inform and characterise the core of both secular and religious societies in which an Abrahamic religion is or was the majority religion, and takes the “challenges” within Abrahamic religions to a global level, beyond overt religiosity or historical study and into cultural, intellectual, and social identities indelibly marked by Abrahamic traditions. Themes covered may range across secularism, theistic ethics, theological doctrine, faith and reason, hope and doubt, authenticity, women’s rights, antisemitism, violence, radicalism, modernity, authority, and politics. Themes may also cover ancient, medieval or contemporary angles; yet, regardless of time period, themes and issues may be generally chosen for their centrality in conceptual reflections, imprint upon different contemporary societies, or their relevance globally or historically. Each week, you will engage with scholarly readings and (where relevant) with a range of primary materials, to gain a deeper understanding of the religious and philosophical traditions studied but also learn to navigate debates and do research in the study of religions.

How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit

As part of this unit, you will be introduced to exciting new perspectives relevant for the study and understanding of Abrahamic Religions. You will be stimulated to appraise leading scholarly debates at the forefront of related methodologies and disciplines, assess preconceptions and challenge received views. Where relevant, you will also engage with a variety of primary source materials, which will allow you to become familiar with different religious texts, visual and material sources.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the unit, students will be able to:

  1. Situate specific Abrahamic religious ideas or issues in their relevant contexts.
  2. Identify and appraise key perspectives and leading discussions in the study of Abrahamic religions.
  3. Articulate opinions and ideas based on scholarly reading and (where relevant) primary sources.
  4. Apply the knowledge and skills developed in the unit to the discussion of concrete scenarios.

How you will learn

Classes will involve a combination of long- and short-form lectures, class discussion, investigative activities, and practical activities. Students will be expected to engage with readings and participate on a weekly basis. This will be further supported with drop-in sessions and self-directed exercises with tutor and peer feedback.

How you will be assessed

Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):

  • “White paper” report (600 words) (20%) [ILOs 3-4]
  • 2-hr exam (80%) [ILOs 1-4]

When assessment does not go to plan

When required by the Board of Examiners, you will normally complete reassessments in the same formats as those outlined above. However, the Board reserves the right to modify the format or number of reassessments required. Details of reassessments are confirmed by the School/Centre shortly after the notification of your results at the end of the year.

Resources

If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.

If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. THRS20228).

How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks, independent learning and assessment activity.

See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.

Assessment
The assessment methods listed in this unit specification are designed to enable students to demonstrate the named learning outcomes (LOs). Where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, schools will make reasonable adjustments to support a student to demonstrate the LO by an alternative method or with additional resources.

The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit. The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.