History and Religion

History and religion are disciplines that belong together more deeply than their separate departmental homes sometimes suggest. Religion has been one of the most powerful forces shaping human history, driving conflict and cooperation, inspiring art and architecture, legitimating political authority and justifying resistance to it, and providing the frameworks within which billions of people have made sense of life, death, and suffering. Studying history without taking religion seriously means misunderstanding some of the most consequential forces in the human past.

And studying religion without attention to its historical development and social context means treating it as timeless rather than as the product of real communities in real circumstances.

At York St John University, this four-year full-time programme brings the two disciplines into genuine dialogue, exploring the beliefs people hold alongside how the past led us to our current contexts and situations. You will study historical periods and themes alongside religious traditions and theological ideas, developing skills in primary source analysis, historical argument, textual interpretation, and religious literacy. The combination develops both the critical thinking skills of the historian and the interpretive sensitivity that religious studies requires.

The programme includes a foundation year, a sandwich year, a year abroad, and work placement, making it one of the more structurally rich combinations available in the humanities.

Graduates from history and religion programmes go on to careers in education, religious organisations, heritage, journalism, the civil service, international development, social work, and cultural organisations. The analytical and interpretive skills the degree develops are valued in any profession that requires careful engagement with texts, communities, and complex ideas. Further study at postgraduate level in history, religious studies, theology, or related fields is a natural route for those who wish to develop specialist expertise.