The MA in Religion, Health and Wellbeing is a
multidisciplinary programme, and so you will benefit from the
expertise of the
Centre for
Religion, Health and Wellbeing
and its
affiliated scholars. The Centre for Religion, Health and Wellbeing
is part of the Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies and
focuses on these specializations.
Spiritual Care
Spiritual care professionals and chaplains contribute to healthcare
by providing support and sustenance for people who struggle with
questions posed by their life events; such as severe physical and
mental illness. These life events may bring up questions around
meaning, purpose, self-identity and value, which require an
interdisciplinary approach informed by a blend of sociological,
philosophical, ethical; anthropological, theological and
psychological theories. These theories explore religion,
spirituality, coping; human relationships and health/wellbeing.
Research in the field focuses on how theoretical and empirical
insights can be used to inform both practice and policy to improve
or maintain biopsychosocial-spiritual well-being and how healthcare
and community-care can be organised to support these goals.
Ethics and Cultural History
Study in this field concentrates on a culturally and historically
informed analysis of generally-held key concepts and practices
around both health and wellbeing. This then develops into
identifying the key theoretical concepts which are put to work in
the proposals of (for example) the World Health Organisation. The
concepts are critically examined; both in terms of their
feasibility and their situation within a larger cultural-historical
map.
Health Psychology
One of the avenues of research is explicitly psychological;
focusing on the role of behaviour, psychology and culture in
physical health and wellbeing. More specifically, topics in this
area include the prevention of illness through behaviour change,
optimisation of medical treatment through the application of
psychological theory and ideas of coping, stress and diversity
(socio-economic status, culture, gender and religion). Health
psychology is an interdisciplinary field; drawing from the social
sciences, psychological traditions, humanities, medicine and life
sciences.
Cultural Anthropology and Sociology of
Culture
This field of research is informed by anthropological and
sociological approaches within the sub-fields of the anthropology
of religion and medical anthropology. Furthermore, feminist
approaches to issues of embodiment and health are explored.
Empirical research is developed from the standpoint that many
people look for holistic ways of addressing health and
wellbeing.
Lecturers and their expertise
Staff members within the MA in Religion, Health and
Wellbeing bring their own research into teaching; preparing
graduates for a career at the cutting edge of any chosen
specialism.
-
Christoph Jedan
is Professor of Philosophy of Religion and Ethics. Central
terms in his research are the history of death, dying and
bereavement; religion and emotion; and 'levenskunst' (Art of
Living).
-
Kim Knibbe
is an associate professor in Sociology and Anthropology of
Religion. She researches the relationship between religious and
secular notions concerning sexuality in the African Diaspora and
looks into how religion, globalization and health are
intertwined.
-
Brenda
Mathijssen
is assistant professor of Psychology,
Culture, and Religion. Her expertise lies in the fields of human attitudes to death, and the role of
ethnic-cultural and religious diversity in relation to health and
welfare.
-
Hanneke
Muthert
is an assistant professor of Psychology of
Religion and Spiritual Care. She specializes in the
the relationship between mental disorders and religion, and
in trauma, mourning and coping with loss.
-
Anja
Visser
is an assistant professor in Spiritual Care.
She
is an expert on forms of spirituality and religion
outside traditional religious institutions and specializes in the
role of spirituality when coping with curable or chronic forms of
cancer.
