The World Religions and Education Research Unit (WRERU) has been established as a research and knowledge exchange unit within BGU that can bring together and support current activities, and create new initiatives, committed to research and development in world religions and education. We do not intend to replace or merge projects that are already established, but to create synergies and greater visibility for those projects and to add new work. There is a chance for BGU to have a globally-leading position on research in world religions and education. By ‘world religions’ in the unit’s title we mean those religious traditions of international significance, including – amongst many – Anglican, Roman Catholic, Nonconformist and Orthodox Christianity, Baháʼí, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Jain, Judaism, Sikhism and Zoroastrian. As religious education, globally, often includes education on non-religious ways of life and ethical and values education, these are also included in our work.
The objects of WRERU are:
- Research: to promote high quality, innovative, financially sustainable, research into religions, non-religious ways of life (including ethics and values), and education, whether in education systems or within and between them and religious and non-religious communities;
- Dissemination: to promote openness and the dissemination of the results of such research, through publication (in academic and professional media as well as through open channels such as websites), meetings (such as seminars and conferences), and through contacts and exchange amongst and beyond members and friends of WRERU;
- Impact: to influence the development of policy and practice in religious education and other interactions between world religions and education, both within and beyond educational and religious communities.
All three objects will contribute to the Education and the Theology and Religious Studies units of assessment for the Research Excellence Framework.
In order to progress WRERU’s objects, we will use a range of means including:
- bringing visiting and honorary faculty into the BGU community;
- contributing to the enhancement of BGU as a research-rich environment;
- developing and attracting new research and development projects;
- developing consultancy opportunities for BGU staff in these fields;
- drawing together and supporting, and offering coordination possibilities for, those projects already active in BGU;
- encouraging and supporting students and academic staff who are emerging as researchers in these fields, and who are experienced in these fields;
- providing ways in which research and practice settings, related to the objects of WRERU, can influence each other, for example by providing opportunities for professional staff in educational and religious organisations to draw on and contribute to research in these fields;
- raising the profile of BGU’s research environment both within and beyond the university;
- responding to the educational and research requirements of religious communities;
- supporting the postgraduate and research degree provision relating to WRERU’s objects.
Dr Geoffrey Ahern, Visiting Fellow in Religious and Spiritual Experience
Professor Elisabeth Arweck, Honorary Professor in Contemporary Religion
Professor Michael Buchanan, Honorary Professor in Catholic Education
Professor Francis Davis, Visiting Professor in Social Institutions &International Studies
Rev Canon Dr Randolph Ellis, Honorary Fellow in Sacred Place
Canon Dr Neville Emslie, Honorary Fellow in Ministry Studies
Dr Hümeyra Guleryuz-Erken, Visiting Fellow in Islam and Education
Rev Canon Dr James Francis, Visiting Fellow in Theology and Discipleship
Rev Professor John Gay Visiting Professor in Higher Education
Professor John Harper, Visiting Professor in Sacred Music Studies
Rev Professor Sally Harper, Honorary Professor in Cathedral and Sacred Music Studies
Venerable Professor John Holdsworth, Honorary Professor in Theology and Ministry
Very Rev Professor Susan H Jones, Honorary Professor in Cathedral Studies
Rabbi Dr Eli Kohn, Honorary Reader in Judaism and Education
Professor David Lankshear, Visiting Professor in Church School Studies
Revd Dr Sarah Lawrence, Honorary Fellow in Practical Theology
Professor Patrick Laycock, Visiting Professor in Religions and Statistics
Rev Dr Sally Myers, Visiting Fellow in Ministry Studies
Revd Canon Professor Peter Neil, Emeritus Professor, Bishop Grosseteste University
Dr Kevin O’Grady, Visiting Senior Fellow in Religious Education
Professor Dr Mualla Selçuk, Visiting Professor in Islam and Education
Rev Dr Greg Smith, Honorary Fellow in Ministry Studies
Dr Francis Stewart, Director of the Edward Bailey Centre for the Study of Implicit Religion, Bishop Grosseteste University
Phra Dr Nicholas Thanissarro, Visiting Senior Fellow in Buddhism and Education
Rt Rev Professor David Walker, Bishop of Manchester, Honorary Professor in Anglican Studies
Dr Jacqui Wilkinson, Visiting Fellow in Anglican Education Studies
Professor Andy Wright, Visiting Professor in Religious and Theological Education
Dr Elina Wright, Visiting Senior Fellow in Religious Education
Professor Yaacov Yablon, Visiting Senior Fellow in Judaism and Education
Associate Professor Celeste Yuen, Visiting Reader in Intercultural Education
Catriona Card, researching disciplinary approaches to religious education in the early years
Devora Shabtai Greer, researching connections between psychological type and religious expressions among your female Orthodox Jews
Dr Huw Humphreys, researching how Church of England primary schools find ways to be prophetic and missional
Francis Loftus, researching the application of the SIFT approach to biblical hermeneutics for interpreting the Lucan parable of the rich man and Lazarus
Yehuda Pearlman, researching a curriculum for spirituality in Orthodox Jewish primary schools
Ian Poulton, researching young adolescents’ ordinary theology and its implications for schooling
Gill Simpson, researching an autoethnographic approach to religious education and learning in higher education
Adam Stevenson, researching what is distinctive about Methodist worship from conceptual and empirical perspectives
Alison Stowe, researching children’s responses to primary collective worship
Revd Professor Jeff Astley, Professor of Religious and Spiritual Experience
Dr Ann Casson, Liverpool Cathedral Knowledge Transfer Partnership
Dr Jack Cunningham, Associate Professor of Ecclesiastical History
Emma Eccles, Research Associate in Religions and Education
Revd Canon Professor Leslie J Francis, Professor of Religions, Psychology and Education
Revd Dr Peter Green, Dean of Chapel
Dr Ursula McKenna, Senior Research Fellow in Implicit Religion
Mark Plater, Senior Lecturer, Religion and Education
Revd Dr Tania ap Siôn, Reader of Religions, Humanities and Education
Professor Julian Stern, Professor of Education and Religion