Why Pembroke?

Religion and Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at Oxford represents a unique degree programme offering a variety of perspectives on world cultures, religions, and civilisations. Students can choose from a range of papers in both subjects across all three years of the degree, but typically students will be encouraged to specialise in any one of the following traditions: Buddhism, Eastern Christianity, Hinduism, Islam or Judaism. The course also contains an intensive language learning component throughout, which may be in Pali, Tibetan, Sanskrit, Arabic, Hebrew or Greek.

We have a lively community of students across Theology and Religion, and Asian and Middle Eastern Studies. Pembroke is also especially well-resourced for this course from a teaching perspective, since it has two Fellows in each of these subjects. Our two lead Theology and Religion tutors are Professor Justin Jones, a specialist in world religions with a particular focus on modern and contemporary Islam, and the Rev. Dr Andrew Teal, our College Chaplain whose research interests include historical and systematic theology, the history of Christianity and the study of religions. Our lead tutors in Asian and Middle Eastern Studies are Professor Christopher Melchert and Professor Nicolai Sinai, who are both Tutorial Fellows in Arabic and are also responsible also for Persian, Turkish and Hebrew.

Pembroke is an excellent college for joint schools, and our tutors in both these subjects work closely together to ensure that you get the most out of your studies.

What other activities do we offer?

Pembroke hosts regular events to bring the respective communities from Theology and Religion and Asian and Middle Eastern Studies together. Such events include academic seminars, informal social gatherings as well as subject dinners. Students also benefit from valuable workshops on general study skills, including exam timetabling, revision skills and dissertation subjects.

Could you become a Religion and Asian and Middle Eastern Studies Student at Pembroke?

As well as the ability to write essays and conduct research, a natural flair and interest in acquiring foreign languages is important. There are no specific pre-requisites to apply.

Have you considered our joint honours courses?

Theology and Religion can also be taken as part of a joint honours degree with Philosophy (Philosophy and Theology) or as a single honours degree. Find out more about these courses on their respective course pages.