Any theology students out there?

[harrisey]

I'm about to (I hope) start direct into 2nd year of a theology degree (though sitting inthe college library on MN when I shoudl be writing an essay for that direct entry route is probably not the best way to go about it!!!)
Just wondered if there was anyone else on the theology circit. I think my brain has died since I last studied (PGCE in 1993!! - 3 children ago!) and could do with a little moral support!

Not exactly theology but I have just printed off my final essay for the Open University diploma in Religious Studies. Finally managed 28 pages, with a 5 page bibliography. PHEW!! I have been studying for the past 6 years and if I pass the final exam in October I will have achieved B.A.(Hons)Humanities, Dip Mus, Dip R.S. (Open). Good luck. I also have 3 daughters.

Well done Faith8!
I am just about to hand in 2 essays for the advanced entry route to skip first year. One on Church History (Martyrdom of Polycarp and the persecution of the church to 260 AD) and one on Mission (Jesus teachings on the Kingdom of God and relevance to the practice of mission today)!!!
Pleased with what I have done, actually, considering how long it is since I did this sort of thing! No 5 page bibliographies but managed a whole page for the mission one, (only 1500 words, I am a bit over).
What are you going to to when you graduate? It is so long since I LAST graduated it seems a million years ago! I have 3 kids of 6 (dd1), 4(ds) and 2 (dd2) and think my brain got thrown away somewhere along the line instead of a placenta!

Hi

Doing a degree in world religion and philosophy at UWN, about to go into second year. love every second of it.

Feel free to CAt me if you want a chat / moan etc

Hi Harrisey and P.C.H.B.H. (hope you don't mind). I have three daughters - 24, 21 and 14. I hope to teach piano from home and do freelance music activites during the day - don't know what yet. I have been organist at our local church for the past 22 years. We have a wonderful Henry Willis pipe organ - sorry I am a real anorak when it comes to the organ. Well done on your essay harrisey. Keep up the good work. Where is UWN? My 21 year old is due to enter her final year at Chester.

UWN is in Caerleon, just outside Newport in Wales. One of the newer Uni's but very up and coming apparently - certainly we have excellent Lecturers, which counts for a lot.

Did geta ccepted for Theology at bristol, but raising children here (theya re 6, 5 and 3) is a lot better than raising them in the hovel we could afford in Bristol for the same money, IYSWIM.

Plan was / is to tach RE at the end of the course; however my eldest has special needs (Higyh Functioning Autism) and we have been refused permission from social services to access childcare which makes the PGCE seem an impossibility. becasue that's always been my dream (I chose this course more for the reason of teaching racial / spiritual tolerance and the like, as opposed to for religious reasons). Am considering librarianship now, I guess after children books are very much my next calling.

(PS if you are owndering about the typing- I have poor eyesight, I can actually spell, just not proof read LOL!)

I'm in South Wales too. The Rhondda valley - small world. My final essay was on Rammohun Roy and Swami Vivekananda and religious toleration (in a nutshell).

Did you go visit the Swami's in carmarthen? they're lovely. And they have an elephant.

Shame I didn't know sooner; my tutor is a renowned expert on hinduism. Typical!!!

Well I have got my exams on Friday and today finished preparing the questions (it is a seen paper with half the options being asked) so I have 3 days to learn it all!! Mind youI know a good bit of it already from the preps.
Just very nervous - it is a very very long time since I sat an exam and though I think I will be OK I am terrified in case dh passes and I fail!

did I mention dh is doing the sam ecourse as me?

I got some of my exam/essay results yesterday. We had 5 subjects - Beleif and Thought, Biblical Studies, (exams) Mission, History of Christianity and Spirituality (essays). Found out I passed (its just a simple pass/fail result at this stage) the History and Spirituality essays and the BS exam! The BS exam was the one that I was most worried about so I am glad I got through it.
Just wanted to brag a bit - and the other results shoudl be out Tuesday or Wednesday.

Well done for passing!

Just started back from Su8mmer- had Islamic Perspectives yesterdau ( a nice easy intro session on the authnticity of the ahadith ), followed by two hours of rpactical ethics. Today was Western thought- basically theology (did JE D P and the origins of the Bible- must have been a recap as I remmeber from alst year); day off tomorrow and on Friday Jainism and Eastern Thought (Hinduism, Skhism and Buddhism- from the kore spiritual side this year, rather than the practicalities).

Only got exams in Easterm rest is presentation , already looking forward to the Ethics one- right up my street.

My exam results for last years were a's and b's so hoping to pull them up a bit; just spent a fortune on Amazon on a new Bible, Qur'an, and some stuff by Nietzsche

Message withdrawn

I am resitting my beleif and thought paper on Monday! I only failed by a whisper so should be OK on Mon, I know what I did wrong, it was more style than substance and I had a chat with the course tutor who says he thinks I should pass this time.

Socci, luckily I dont have to do biblical languages for which I am incredibly greatful!! I do have to do exegesis though, which I find a bit daunting so any tips would be very useful!

This term I am doing 'Law and Narrative in the Old Testament', 'The Gospel in Cultural Context', 'Children and Spiritulaity' and 'Church Planting and Growth'. Looking forward to getting started,though it is going to be a lot of work. PC your courses look interesting. I dont have any exams this term, just 3 course papers and 2 exegesis papers. Oooooh I like being a student!

Well done harrisey and good luck for Monday. My final exam is on the 9th.Trying frantically to revise at the moment. I cant believe that I will not have any more essays or exams after this. Having said that,I have been accepted on a community music tutor training course (it started a month ago), so I will finlly be able to give that 100%.

I ahve a theology degree, will pop back later when my head is not as fuzzy and see if I can be of any help.

PeachyClairHasBadHair am so sorry the teaching has not worked out, was looking forward to ahveing a fellow re teaching mumsnetter whose brains I could pick.

Found out this morning that I passed my resit and so I am in to 2nd year, which is fabulous. Saw my tutor, got my options approved, all ready for first class tomorrow!

Ah the teaching- an update-

Extere does it n a way I can work

AND it's near home, so DH will acceopt it (He's been very homesick altely- very ahrd for him to amke friends here as he works nights on a olling shift system).

So fingers crossed
!!!!!

They also have some excellent looking MA's, as at some point I wouldn't mind doing a PhD (IF I get a decent enough grade)

My thing at the mo seems to be Old Testament / Qur'an ethics. Sad or what LOL? It's a possible for my dissertation- something about searching for evidence of humanitarian ethics in the texts of the Abrahamic Faiths .

We did alecture on the fgenocides of the Bible and it was fascinating, got me looking harder at it all.