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Christianity and the University Experience in Contemporary England

Christianity and the University Experience in Contemporary England. Dr Mathew Guest (Durham) Dr Kristin Aune (Derby) Dr Rob Warner (Lampeter). The Project in Brief. The project explores how students (aged 18-25) negotiate Christian identities at university Large Grant (£334,000), funding:

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Christianity and the University Experience in Contemporary England

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  1. Christianity and the University Experience in Contemporary England Dr Mathew Guest (Durham) Dr Kristin Aune (Derby) Dr Rob Warner (Lampeter)

  2. The Project in Brief • The project explores how students (aged 18-25) negotiate Christian identities at university • Large Grant (£334,000), funding: • replacement teaching costs for Investigators • Postdoctoral Research Associate salary • travel to research sites, project seminars, dissemination at conferences • To run September 2009-August 2012

  3. Freedom vs equality at Exeter University? "The Evangelical Christian Union is the only society identified that has barriers to entry - both for membership of the society and to be on the committee of the society. This is certainly not a debate regarding the beliefs of the society, it is one of equal opportunities." (Exeter University Students Guild) “Going to court is the last thing we want to do, but we really feel that our fundamental freedoms of belief, association and expression are being threatened here.” (Ben Martin, Christian Union committee)

  4. Arising Questions • How does the university experience influence student Christian faith? • Liberalise, neutralise, consolidate, repudiate, or radicalise? • Symbolic boundaries and social construction of ethical certainties • How forceful are the dynamics of secularization and fundamentalism? • How does student Christian faith influence the university experience? • Social capital? Quality of learning? Social cohesion? • Or privatized? – autonomous religious consumption

  5. Aims • To identify the religious beliefs and social values of Christian undergraduates • To explore the impact of the university experience – educational, social and religious – on those beliefs and values, and vice versa • To identify how organized Christian groups – from chaplaincies to CUs – help students respond to the university experience, and to examine their impact upon cohesion and division within the student body • To address implications of these findings for HEIs, government policy, and religious organizations

  6. Methods • Quantitative - A nationwide student survey of religious and ethical convictions, and attitudes to university • Qualitative – Interview-based case studies of undergraduate Christian faith and practice three universities

  7. Case Studies Durham University University of Leeds University of Derby

  8. Dissemination of results • Academic publications and conferences • Briefings to interested parties • HEIs, Government, Religious organisations • Knowledge transfer through a website

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