Posted on 05/24/2019 6:52:06 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
The British Academy has warned that theology and religious studies could "disappear" from universities after a study found that the number of students taking the subjects has halved.
An analysis by the British Academy found a staggering decline in the numbers of students enrolling on the courses in just six years, down from over 14,000 students in 2011/12 to 7,585 in 2017/18.
The decline covers a whole spectrum of programmes, from undergraduates, to masters, doctorates, foundation courses and diplomas.
"Theology and Religious Studies has been on a downward trend in both applications and enrolment of undergraduate students from 2012/13 onwards," the report says.
"If this trend continues, [the] provision will come under serious threat at many institutions and the department closures and mergers, which have already started, will likely continue."
The report adds that the cause of the decline is not linked to the study of the subject at high school level as RE at A-level has seen an increase in enrollments in the past six years.
However, the study did find that the number of students taking Philosophy at university-level had increased in the same period.
It also found a lack of diversity among Theology and Religious Studies academics, with staff tending to be male and older than those in other humanities departments.
British Academy vice president, Professor Diarmaid MacCulloch, told The Daily Telegraph that the findings were "alarming".
"I am extremely concerned about the drop in such a short period, it is really very alarming," he said.
"The problem starts at school. Teachers are not directing people in this important direction and not seeing the value in Theology and Religious Studies."
Prof MacCulloch, an expert in church history at Oxford University, added that unless there was an improvement in ethnic and gender diversity, there was "a danger that these highly relevant disciplines disappear from our universities".
Insofar as what passes for higher eduction “theology” these days seems hostile to God, it may not be a bad thing.
Not an accident or happenstance. Muslims taking over the world.
Sort of ironic when Oxford and Cambridge were created to train priests and like.
RE: Sort of ironic when Oxford and Cambridge were created to train priests and like.
So were Harvard, Yale and Princeton.
Christianity in Western Europe is going the way of the Roman pantheon of gods.
Does their curricula include Islamic theology? I don’t think interest in that is decreasing.
Every B.A. or M.A. in Theology in every US Seminary that I know includes a course called: Comparative Religion.
So, the answer is yes. Islam is included in the curriculum, but so is Buddhism, Hinduism and Taoism.
Our Catholic student center cooperates with local Benedictine College and KU to provide courses in theology and ethics that comply with humanities requirements. Seems like a great system.
The Enlightenment forever descends on
America but it mostly lands on Europe.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.