Workshop on (Non)Religion and Education

by | Aug 10, 2016 | Events

Newman University invites members of the CREST consortium to participate in a workshop on (Non)Religion and Education

*   Date: 8th  September
*   Location: Newman University

Newman University are proposing a CREST workshop in (non)religion and education and would like to invite participants from the CREST consortium who work in areas of (non)religion, education, faith schools and related topics. This informal ideas workshop will be led by Dr Daniel Whisker and Dr Katie Aston, with a view to setting up a research network, which will hopefully lead to ongoing collaborations in this area: perhaps to funding bids, conferences etc.

Whisker and Aston are currently piloting a research project ‘Catchment Christianity: Non-religious Parents and Faith Schools’, which explores the decision making processes made by parents who despite being non-religious show a preference for their children to be schooled in Christian primary schools (Catholic or CofE). This research addresses two questions. The first is how people feel about faith-schools from a ‘none’ standpoint. By understanding parents’ experiences of choosing schools, they hope to learn something about the relationship between parents’ beliefs, identities, feelings and social relationships and their ideas of what makes a ‘good education’. The second considers the very category of religion/Christianity; addressing sociological assumptions about the boundaries of this category (following the work of Abby Day, for example).

The day will involve informal discussion on this topic and related areas of interest. If you are within the CREST consortium and work in similar areas: perhaps addressing issues of education and religion; how moral and social education is managed within the National Curriculum; addressing questions of pedagogy in religious and school contexts; worship in educational settings; historical perspectives on religious education in the UK; policy issues regarding faith schools; then please contact them to express your interest in joining the event.

There will be no need for delegates to present formally but everyone will be asked to introduce themselves and their work. If you have something more substantial to present to the group, please let Daniel and Katie know.

Attendance is free of charge, but please RSVP by the 2nd September.

Download the workshop programme.

Please note this is not a CREST exclusive event so please circulate and invite participants who may be interested in joining this research network and ask them to RSVP by the 2nd September to :

d.whisker@staff.newman.ac.uk and/or k.a.aston@staff.newman.ac.uk