University and BBC co-create exciting Religions and Theology learning tool

28 Mar 2024

A new A Level learning resource has been co-created by a team of academics from the Religions and Theology department in the School of Arts, Languages and Cultures, with the support of the BBC Beyond Belief team.

The resource has been created to support students in schools and colleges to access a collection of innovative research produced by researchers at the University and the rich resource that is the Beyond Belief archive. Designed for students studying Religion, Ethics and Philosophy at A Level, the resource is a collaboration between academics from the Religions and Theology Department and the team behind BBC Radio 4’s ‘Beyond Belief’ programme. 

“It’s an exciting and unique way to learn about Religions and Theology,” said Holly Morse, senior lecturer in Bible, Gender and Culture at The University of Manchester, who has co-ordinated the development of the resource.

“We were particularly excited about the way a collaboration (with the Beyond Belief team) would give students access to different kinds of material beyond textbooks.”

The webpages are dedicated to supporting students learn more about the research and how it can enrich their own studies. It’s a guide that takes them through a range of fascinating topics that also connect the RS A level, offering students a way to support their learning with the help of the world-leading Beyond Belief radio series and cutting-edge research produced at The University of Manchester. 

The Going Beyond Belief resource has unique contributions from a range of specialisms including Christian theology, Jewish studies, Islamic studies and Biblical Studies, as well as expertise in understanding the complex relationships between religion(s) and philosophy, science, and textual studies, and explorations of highly contemporary issues such environment, sexuality, gender, race relations, and artificial intelligence. 

Holly added: “The resource is designed to encourage students to feel empowered and to make connections between what is being studied in the classroom and the wider world today, both in terms of major events taking place on the world stage but also lived day-to-day experiences. 

“The hope to inspire the next generation of religions and theology researchers and academics by highlighting to students how important, powerful, and potentially world-changing studying religion can be.”