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: replacement teaching costs for Investigators Postdoctoral Research Associate salary travel to research sites, project seminars,

dissemination at conferences

To run September 2009-August 2012

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)

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

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

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

Case Studies

Durham University University of Leeds University of Derby

Dissemination of results

Academic publications and conferences

Briefings to interested parties HEIs, Government, Religious organisations

Knowledge transfer through a website