Psychology and Religion, Theology & Spirituality (with Foundation Year) - BA (Hons)

Liverpool Hope University

This is a

taught at our Hope Park campus. The Foundation Year aims to develop your skills so that after a year, you will be equipped with the necessary skills needed for studying the full BA Hons degree programme.

Psychology is the study of people, with a particular focus on individuals. Knowledge and skills cultivated within the discipline enable practitioners to intervene at personal, inter personal and systemic levels in order to enable people to live better lives. Choice of programmes allows students to study a course that reflects their prior interests, lived experience, or future goals. Ethical practice and working within a shared set of values is also important to us; our University is deeply committed to serving the common good. We see Psychology as a discipline with the capacity, and responsibility, to make a positive contribution to how people live in everyday life. In our teaching of Psychology, we strive to enable our students to grow into constructive citizens who are curious about people, and motivated to make a positive difference to the lives of others. Beyond classroom learning, there are opportunities to enrich your chosen programme of study in a way that will help you in developing your psychological thinking. They include going on a placement, working as a research assistant in a laboratory, travelling to another country as part of Global Hope, or under the Erasmus study abroad scheme.

This course leads you into a profound exploration of spirituality, wisdom, and mysticism across major religious traditions like Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, and Buddhism. But, unlike traditional Theology and Religious Studies courses, we pay special attention to religious experience and spirituality: the human quest for meaning and purpose. You will tackle ethical and theological questions concerning the beginning and end of life, sexuality, gender, evil, suffering, and contemporary issues like radicalisation, ecology, violence, inter-religious dialogue, secularisation, post-secularism, health, wellbeing, and near-death experiences. Visiting historical sacred spaces adds a tangible element to your studies, as you explore why these places still captivate people amidst modern challenges like technology and climate crisis. In studying this course, you will actively participate in critical debates about human existence in a world facing numerous crises.