This is an In-person course which requires your attendance to the weekly meetings which take place in Oxford.
Religion has played a highly important part in the lives of human beings.
Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are three of the great religions of the world and on this course you will learn about some of their foundations. This course considers their birth and early historical development, their key texts, some of their fundamental beliefs and practices, and the bases of their ethics.
The course does not assume any prior specialist knowledge.
Course starts: 30th Sept 2024
Week 1 Introduction to Judaism: the Hebrew Bible; early (traditional) history
Week 2 Judaism: early (traditional) history continued; beliefs
Week 3 Judaism: Philo; ethical foundations
Week 4 Judaism: ethical foundations continued
Christianity: the Bible
Week 5 Christianity: Jesus; the early community; Paul
Week 6 Christianity: Gnosticism; early Church and Church Fathers; ethical foundations
Week 7 Christianity: ethical foundations continued
Islam: pre-Islamic Arabia; Muhammad; Qur’an.
Week 8 Islam: Qur’an continued; Sunna and Hadith; expansion and divisions
Week 9 Islam: Law and duties; Theology; ethical foundations
Week 10 Islam: ethical foundations continued
All weekly class students may become borrowing members of the Rewley House Continuing Education Library for the duration of their course. Prospective students whose courses have not yet started are welcome to use the Library for reference. More information can be found on the Library website.
There is a Guide for Weekly Class students which will give you further information.
Availability of titles on the reading list (below) can be checked on SOLO, the library catalogue.
Preparatory reading
To complete the course and receive a certificate, you will be required to attend at least 80% of the classes on the course and pass your final assignment. Upon successful completion, you will receive a link to download a University of Oxford digital certificate. Information on how to access this digital certificate will be emailed to you after the end of the course. The certificate will show your name, the course title and the dates of the course you attended. You will be able to download your certificate or share it on social media if you choose to do so.
| Description | Costs |
|---|---|
| Course Fee | £285.00 |
| Take this course for CATS points | £30.00 |
If you are in receipt of a UK state benefit, you are a full-time student in the UK or a student on a low income, you may be eligible for a reduction of 50% of tuition fees. Please see the below link for full details:
Dr Karim Esmail was educated at London, Oxford, Cambridge, and Harvard. He was awarded a British Academy Studentship and the Gregg Bury Prize at Cambridge. During his career, he has been a Research Fellow at Oxford and Burney Student at Cambridge and a Visiting Fellow at Harvard. Alongside international articles, he is the author of four clear, concise, and original volumes on God's nature and existence. As well as working for the University of Oxford's Department for Continuing Education, he is a Course Director and Tutor in the University of Cambridge.
To provide an understanding of some of the foundations of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Lectures (principally) and discussion.
Sessions consist of clearly structured talks and an encouragement to ask questions and to make comments.
Participants are assisted in their understanding of the subject.
There is in each session an opportunity to engage with other participants.
By the end of the course students will:
3 short (c. 500 words) pieces of written work.
or
1 essay (c. 1, 500 words). (In this case, students will be asked to provide a very short plan.)
Only those who have registered for credit will be awarded CATS points for completing work of the required standard.
Students must submit a completed Declaration of Authorship form at the end of term when submitting your final piece of work. CATS points cannot be awarded without the aforementioned form - Declaration of Authorship form
To earn credit (CATS points) for your course you will need to register and pay an additional £30 fee per course. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online.
Please use the 'Book' or 'Apply' button on this page. Alternatively, please complete an application form.
No prior specialist knowledge is required.
The Department's Weekly Classes are taught at FHEQ Level 4, i.e. first year undergraduate level, and you will be expected to engage in a significant amount of private study in preparation for the classes. This may take the form, for instance, of reading and analysing set texts, responding to questions or tasks, or preparing work to present in class.
Credit Accumulation and Transfer Scheme (CATS)
To earn credit (CATS points) you will need to register and pay an additional £30 fee per course. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online. Students who register for CATS points will receive a Record of CATS points on successful completion of their course assessment.
Students who do not register for CATS points during the enrolment process can either register for CATS points prior to the start of their course or retrospectively from the January 1st after the current full academic year has been completed. If you are enrolled on the Certificate of Higher Education you need to indicate this on the enrolment form but there is no additional registration fee.
