Religious Studies and Theology
Research in Religious Studies and Theology at the University of Gothenburg encompasses studies of the function, variability and interpretation of religions in history and present.
About the subject
Research in Religious Studies and Theology at the University of Gothenburg is closely linked to the basic education of the subject, in particular the Theology Bachelor’s degree program and RE teacher education.
In these programs teaching is often but not exclusively based on five specializations: Biblical Studies (Old and New Testament Exegetics), History of Christianity (Church History, Mission Studies and Practical Theology), Religious Behavioral Science (Sociology of Religion and Psychology of Religion), History of Religion and Systematic Theology (Dogmatics, Ethics and Philosophy of Religion); Religious Didactics can also be added to these specializations.
The research conducted in these different fields has clear methodological points of contact with other humanistic and social science research, while subject-specific theories and methods have been developed within the fields, which contain both descriptive and constructive research approaches.
Consequently, research within the subject is characterized by a broad theoretical and methodological scope, which is necessary in order to be able to provide research-based teaching within the various educational programs for which we are responsible. This breadth contributes to a creative research environment as a whole in which there is also collaboration between the different fields, which means that Religious Studies and Theology as a research area constitute a diverse and integrated whole.
