Lucy Hulme
BA (Hons) Education and Religion
The course is not at all what I was expecting when I chose to study Religion. But in a good way. We look at religion through lots of different lenses, including sexuality, gender, feminism, family origins and disability, which I hadn’t even considered before.
When you think about studying Religion, you imagine you’ll be focusing on the six world faiths. That’s what I thought, anyway. I had no idea when I started the course that those concepts would form only a small part of what I’d be learning, and that my mind would be opened up to so many new ideas and ways of thinking about religion.
We look at religion through lots of different lenses. They include sexuality, gender, feminism, race and disability, which I hadn’t even considered before.
The course is not at all what I was expecting when I chose to study Religion. But in a really good way. I’ve taken optional modules on spirituality and mindfulness to explore how religion links to contemporary subjects like mental health and wellbeing.
The education side of the course focuses on the theory behind education, rather than the practice of teaching. It’s been perfect for me because I can keep my career options open. That’s what attracted me to the course, it’s more about applying what you learn to teaching.
When I start my PGCE next year I feel I’ll have a better understanding of why teachers do what they do. It’s a really good theoretical foundation to take into a postgraduate teaching degree.
I’ve changed as a person over the last three years. I haven’t just developed academically, I’m much more open-minded about everything now, and a lot more confident in my abilities.
I sometimes forget I’m doing a degree because I’m enjoying myself so much. I always felt quite average at school, and I hated doing A levels because I didn’t really enjoy the subjects. But here, I love what I study, so I’m much better at it. I don’t want it to end.
Anything you can do to make sense of the world is a good thing. So I’d definitely recommend this degree – it’s a good way to keep your options open and increase your understanding of the world.