This is an in-person course which requires your attendance at the weekly meetings which take place in Oxford.
Religion has played a highly important part in the lives of human beings.
Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are three of the great religions of the world.
This course considers some of the foundations of these religions: their birth and early historical development, their key texts, some of their fundamental beliefs and practices, and the bases of their ethics.
It does not assume any prior specialist knowledge.
Course starts: 29 Sep 2025
Week 1: Introduction to Judaism: the Hebrew Bible; early (traditional) history
Week 2: Judaism: early (traditional) history continued; beliefs
Week 3: Judaism: Philo; ethical foundations
Week 4: Judaism: ethical foundations continued
Christianity: the Bible
Week 5: Christianity: Jesus; the early community; Paul
Week 6: Christianity: Gnosticism; early Church and Church Fathers; ethical foundations
Week 7: Christianity: ethical foundations continued
Islam: pre-Islamic Arabia; Muhammad; Qur’an
Week 8: Islam: Qur’an continued; Sunna and Hadith; expansion and divisions
Week 9: Islam: Law and duties; Theology; ethical foundations
Week 10: Islam: ethical foundations continued
All weekly class students may become borrowing members of the Rewley House Continuing Education Library for the duration of their course. Prospective students whose courses have not yet started are welcome to use the Library for reference. More information can be found on the Library website.
There is a Guide for Weekly Class students which will give you further information.
Recommended reading is optional and you are not required to purchase these books to study this course.
Optional preparatory reading:
Credit Accumulation Transfer Scheme (CATS) Points
Only those who have registered for assessment and accreditation will be awarded CATS points for completing work to the required standard. Please note that assignments are not graded but are marked either pass or fail. Please follow this link for more information on Credit Accumulation Transfer Scheme (CATS) points
Digital Certificate of Completion
Students who are registered for assessment and accreditation and pass their final assignment will also be eligible for a digital Certificate of Completion. Information on how to access the digital certificate will be emailed to you after the end of the course. The certificate will show your name, the course title and the dates of the course attended. You will be able to download the certificate and share it on social media if you choose to do so.
Please note students who do not register for assessment and accreditation during the enrolment process will not be able to do so after the course has begun.
| Description | Costs |
|---|---|
| Course fee (with no assessment) | £300.00 |
| Assessment and Accreditation fee | £60.00 |
If you are in receipt of a UK state benefit, you are a full-time student in the UK or a student on a low income, you may be eligible for a reduction of 50% of tuition fees. Please see the below link for full details:
Dr Karim Esmail was educated at London, Oxford, Cambridge, and Harvard.
He was awarded a British Academy Studentship and the Gregg Bury Prize at Cambridge.
He was a Research Fellow at Oxford and Burney Student at Cambridge and a Visiting Fellow at Harvard.
Alongside international articles, he is the author of a clear, concise, and original work on God's nature and existence.
He is a Course Director and Tutor (Religion and Philosophy) in the University of Cambridge.
Lectures (principally) and discussion.
Sessions consist of clearly structured talks and an encouragement to ask questions and to make comments.
By the end of the course students will:
3 short (c. 500 words) pieces of written work.
or
1 essay (c. 1, 500 words). (In this case, students will be asked to provide a very short plan.)
Only those students who have registered for assessment and accreditation will submit coursework.
To be able to submit coursework and to earn credit (CATS points) for your course you will need to register and pay an additional £60 fee per course. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online. Please use the 'Book now' button on this page. Alternatively, please complete an Enrolment form for short courses | Oxford University Department for Continuing Education
Students who do not register for assessment and credit during the enrolment process will not be able to do so after the course has begun. If you are enrolled on the Certificate of Higher Education you need to indicate this on the enrolment form but there is no additional registration fee.
The Department's Weekly Classes are taught at FHEQ Level 4, i.e. first year undergraduate level, and you will be expected to engage in a significant amount of private study in preparation for the classes. This may take the form, for instance, of reading and analysing set texts, responding to questions or tasks, or preparing work to present in class.
