The Student Room Group

Subsidiary subjects

How exactly do you go about signing up for a subsidiary subject at Durham? I know that you don't have to decide what you want to do until you get there, but do you have to speak to the department/have an interview or anything like that before you can take a subject? I'm considering doing two modules of Theology alongside my four modules of French...does anyone know if this is possible?

P.S Any info about the Theology dept would be much appreciated! :smile:

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Reply 1
As long as the modules aren't too oversubscribed and you have the required prerequisities (i.e A levels etc) then you should be fine. You speak to the department lecturers during registration, tell them what you want to do and they sort it out. Everything will become clear during freshers week/registration, don't worry :smile:!
Reply 2
loggins
As long as the modules aren't too oversubscribed and you have the required prerequisities (i.e A levels etc) then you should be fine. You speak to the department lecturers during registration, tell them what you want to do and they sort it out. Everything will become clear during freshers week/registration, don't worry :smile:!


Thanks for clearing that up for me :smile: So, I guess it's a good idea to have a few options just in case your first choice is oversubscribed?
Winnipeg
Thanks for clearing that up for me :smile: So, I guess it's a good idea to have a few options just in case your first choice is oversubscribed?


Yes in particular in the History department if you for some reason decide to change from Theology.

I did two subsids in History in my first year (Foundations of Medieval England and 1966 and all that: Modern British Cultural History). Both were really good although FME was not my first choice because I signed up for the module as a 'plan b' on the boards in the History department I managed to get in.
Reply 4
you should be alright with theology though, they dont tend to cap their modules. incidentally, which ones were you thinking of taking? i took some theology modules last year, and a lot of my friends did full theology so i have a bit of info if you're interested :biggrin:
Reply 5
sidekick
you should be alright with theology though, they dont tend to cap their modules. incidentally, which ones were you thinking of taking? i took some theology modules last year, and a lot of my friends did full theology so i have a bit of info if you're interested :biggrin:


The module that really appeals to me is Biblical Hebrew but I'm not completely sure about which other one I would choose...possibly "Study of Religions", I don't know...they all sound interesting :smile: I would love to hear anything you can tell me about Theology (positives and negatives) :biggrin: Out of interest, do many people take it as a subsidiary?
Reply 6
Winnipeg
The module that really appeals to me is Biblical Hebrew but I'm not completely sure about which other one I would choose...possibly "Study of Religions", I don't know...they all sound interesting :smile: I would love to hear anything you can tell me about Theology (positives and negatives) :biggrin: Out of interest, do many people take it as a subsidiary?


woo hebrew! i did hebrew :biggrin: firstly, the teacher is a legend. he's the reason most people choose to do it lol. prof hayward, he's just hilarious. hebrew is good, quite intense doing a whole new language from scratch - i do greek and latin aswell, but have done them for years, so kind of forgot what it's like having to do grammar and everything with no previous knowledge. it was ok though, there were homework sentences out of the book (weingreen's grammar) and vocab tests and stuff. but hayward is quite laid back so you have to be vigilant and force yourself to do it, otherwise you get behind and end up doing a lot of cheating *cough not that i did that at all...* oh and he likes you to work in pairs or little groups of people from your college outside of lessons and test each other, so it's quite a good way to get to know people. yeah, i'd defs recommend doing it. although i'm not doing it next year (partially because it's a different teacher, and also because i actually knew no grammar, and am doing 2 greek and 1 latin so would be too many languages) it was still cool. you can pass the exam without knowing any grammar lol, i got 75 by knowing the exegesis and translation, so yeah go for it!

a few of my friends did study of religions and all i can remember them saying seems to have been pretty positive. that's quite a popular one for people to do as a subsidiary module, and i think you focus on 7 different religions and theories and stuff.

i think theology is quite a popular subject for subsidiary modules, i suppose because most people did a fair amount of religiousy stuff at school, and the department is really accommodating and helpful, and dont tend to cap their modules so you can pretty much do whatever you like. i took old testament and god and the world aswell last year. i would really recommend god and the world, especially if you took a level or even gcse RS, as it kind of builds on those but still remains interesting. old testament.... hm wouldnt really recommend. the idea of it is cool (OT from a literary angle) but the lectures were pretty uninspiring and it just didnt really appeal to me. some people loved it though, but most weren't keen (though i think the fact that it was a 9am lecture on a wednesday morning after studio tuesday nights might have been a factor hehe)

so yeah, theology = awesome. any other specific questions feel free :biggrin: hope i've helped and havent rambled too much!
I'm a single honours theologian- what do you want to know? :biggrin:

Hebrew is supposed to be great fun- I'll be taking it next year, as I took Greek in my first year. But sidekick is right, as with any language you have to be prepared to put in consistent work through the year, rather than just cramming in the last few weeks before the exam (which does actually work for some first year Theology modules- I got a good first doing that for Christ in the Christian Tradition!).

Study of Religions is also fascinating- you look at several other major religions besides Christianity (we did Islam, Confucianism, Judaism, Hinduism and Buddhism, but the year before us did Mormonism, so I think it changes according to who the co-ordinating lecturer can rope in to do the lectures/seminars), then you study the work of important anthropologists and sociologists on the area of religion, through topics such as ritual, sacrifice, fundamentalism, death and the afterlife, etc. It's a very well-taught module.

I must disagree with sidekick on Old Testament- it was my absolute favourite module, utterly worth getting up for a 9.00 start. Professor Moberly is very well respected in the field, and his approach to the Old Testament is very refreshing and totally eye-opening if you're unfamiliar with narrative theology. However I must add the caveat that I am a complete geek for the Bible and was already very familiar with the OT before I began the course- if you're not particularly well versed or interested in becoming so it's not a great option.

Definitely don't worry about not getting on to any of the modules- Theology is a very small department, and I don't think there were ever more than about 80 people in any of my lectures last year. It is a great department to be involved with though- they take good care of students, and all the lecturers are approachable and fairly easy to get hold of. I loved my first year's study, and I can't wait to get back for another year of it!
Reply 8
bravenewcentury

I must disagree with sidekick on Old Testament- it was my absolute favourite module, utterly worth getting up for a 9.00 start. Professor Moberly is very well respected in the field, and his approach to the Old Testament is very refreshing and totally eye-opening if you're unfamiliar with narrative theology. However I must add the caveat that I am a complete geek for the Bible and was already very familiar with the OT before I began the course- if you're not particularly well versed or interested in becoming so it's not a great option.


I think we were the first year ever not to love Prof Moberly, it was just a feeling in the year... We did like him at first, but I don't know, the enthusiasm from both us and him seemed to wane as the year went on. He didn't even teach the last few lectures, and I know he has his personal reasons and stuff but still. I really do think the approach was cool, and I've read bits of his books and really liked them. If I'd done more of my own research it would have been better I think but I'm a bit of a lazy one. :redface: I've heard he's really well respected though, I've met people who go to his seminars and stuff, and he does really know his Old Testament. I think it was just a clash with our year, because everyone else has said they like him. I was just a bit uninspired.

That's just me though, I would never ever say not to do a module just because of the lecturer... oh dear. I should shut up :tongue:
Reply 9
Thanks so much for the info - it's really good to hear from people with first hand experience :biggrin: The other Theology module that I like the sound of is "Seers and Sages" - I thought as it is about Judaism it would complement my study of Biblical Hebrew...does anyone know anything about it? :smile:
Reply 10
afraid i know nothing about seers and sages! don't even know anyone who took it. but i think it's pretty safe to say that the whole department's good :biggrin: i bet if you emailed the department, they'd get someone who took it to email you, seems like something they'd do... just a thought. unless someone on here has the knowledge, of course :biggrin:

(and thanks for the rep! :wink:)
Winnipeg
Thanks so much for the info - it's really good to hear from people with first hand experience :biggrin: The other Theology module that I like the sound of is "Seers and Sages" - I thought as it is about Judaism it would complement my study of Biblical Hebrew...does anyone know anything about it? :smile:


Seers & Sages basically involves the inter-testamental period- you study the Biblical apocrypha and I think various other Jewish documents from the period. It's taught by Professor Stuckenbruck (who is great, and has hair which may or may not be made from solid steel), so you probably look at the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Qumran community, as he's obsessed with them.

As a compliment to Hebrew... well I don't know how it would go, as most of my course-related friends are also single honours, and thus couldn't do both modules, but to be honest Old Testament is probably more likely to gel, as inter-testamental documents are usually in Aramaic.
Reply 12
sidekick
afraid i know nothing about seers and sages! don't even know anyone who took it. but i think it's pretty safe to say that the whole department's good :biggrin: i bet if you emailed the department, they'd get someone who took it to email you, seems like something they'd do... just a thought. unless someone on here has the knowledge, of course :biggrin:


Good idea - I think I'll do that :biggrin:
Reply 13
Winnipeg
Good idea - I think I'll do that :biggrin:


cool :biggrin:

... on a completely unrelated note, ooh just seen your avatar! have you seen the show??
i have :biggrin: it's amazing :biggrin:
Reply 14
sidekick
cool :biggrin:

... on a completely unrelated note, ooh just seen your avatar! have you seen the show??
i have :biggrin: it's amazing :biggrin:


Yes - I saw it on 1st August and I agree, it is absolutely amazing :biggrin: I am also completely in love with Lee Mead :wink: lol
Reply 15
Winnipeg
Yes - I saw it on 1st August and I agree, it is absolutely amazing :biggrin: I am also completely in love with Lee Mead :wink: lol

isn't it fab!! we went to see a preview, was so amazing. and obv we hung around afterwards to meet lee - i got a kiss on the cheek hehehe :biggrin: :suith:
Reply 16
sidekick
isn't it fab!! we went to see a preview, was so amazing. and obv we hung around afterwards to meet lee - i got a kiss on the cheek hehehe :biggrin: :suith:


Me too! I got some great photos of him as well :biggrin:
Reply 17
Winnipeg
Me too! I got some great photos of him as well :biggrin:

:five: we are the coolest :biggrin:
Reply 18
sidekick
:five: we are the coolest :biggrin:


Of course! :biggrin:

Now back to the subject of Theology (not that I wouldn't love to talk about Lee Mead all day :rolleyes: )...what sort of format does the teaching of Biblical Hebrew take? Is it translation in the sense that you always translate from Hebrew-English or do you do English-Hebrew as well? (I imagine that that would be really difficult :s-smilie: ). Do you learn pronunciation? In A-level Latin pronunciation didn't matter but I don't really know much about Biblical Hebrew - apart from the fact that it sounds really interesting! :smile:
Reply 19
Winnipeg
Of course! :biggrin:

Now back to the subject of Theology (not that I wouldn't love to talk about Lee Mead all day :rolleyes: )...what sort of format does the teaching of Biblical Hebrew take? Is it translation in the sense that you always translate from Hebrew-English or do you do English-Hebrew as well? (I imagine that that would be really difficult :s-smilie: ). Do you learn pronunciation? In A-level Latin pronunciation didn't matter but I don't really know much about Biblical Hebrew - apart from the fact that it sounds really interesting! :smile:


hehe yes, back on track.
ok well it's all taught with weingreen's grammar book, we basically started at the beginning and worked our way through. first of all it gives you a fair amount of basic vocabulary and gets you to do sentences from hebrew to english and english to hebrew (but it's really not hard, just the basic stuff. it's before you even learn any grammar so it's just words lol). if you've done a level latin though you wont have a problem, i always thought learning the grammar etc must be harder for people who've never done a language before (especially who havent done an ancient language before). although hebrew grammar is a bit insane... it's not too bad, not as insane as greek with all the irregulars or anything but the verb system is a bit random... but you get used to it. not particularly hard, just different.
yeah you do learn pronunciation, prof hayward is v keen on reading the hebrew aloud so you'll get pretty good and speaking the words :biggrin: