English Studies and Religion

English studies and religion is a combination that brings together two of the most enduring forms of human meaning-making: literature and faith. English studies develops the skills of close reading, critical analysis, and textual interpretation, engaging with literature across historical periods and cultural traditions. Religious studies examines the beliefs, practices, texts, and institutions through which human beings have understood their place in the universe and organised their moral and communal lives.

The two disciplines intersect throughout Western literary history and across the world's literary traditions, where sacred texts, theological ideas, and religious experience are woven through the finest literature in almost every culture.

At Stirling, this four-year programme develops both subjects to honours level, giving you a thorough grounding in English literature alongside a rigorous engagement with the academic study of religion. You will study literary texts across periods and genres, developing the analytical precision and interpretive range that honours-level English study requires. In religious studies, you will examine the world's major religious traditions, the philosophy and ethics of religion, the sociological and psychological study of belief, and the historical relationships between religion, culture, and power.

A year abroad is built into the programme, broadening your cultural and academic perspective.

Graduates go on to work in education, journalism, publishing, the civil service, interfaith work, religious organisations, heritage, and cultural policy. The combination of literary analysis and religious literacy is particularly valuable in contexts involving cultural difference, community relations, and the ethical dimensions of public life. Many graduates continue to postgraduate study in English, theology, religious studies, or cultural studies, and some pursue academic careers or professional roles in ministry and religious education.