BA Theology and Religious Studies (TRS)

The Theology and Religious Studies Faculty is the heart of the college. Students focus on Vaishnavism, especially as represented through the teachings of A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. The college attracts leading scholars in ISKCON and the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies. The Bachelor of Arts degree, accredited by Chester University, provides students with a profound understanding of the Vaishnava culture, heritage, and theology, from traditional and academic perspectives. Graduates enter professions linked to ISKCON, academia, and a range of ethical, multicultural, and people-centred initiatives. The Theology Faculty also offers a range of enrichment courses, with online options. Aims of the Programme are:

• A broad yet profound understanding of Vaishnava heritage, culture, and theology.
• The ability to apply theological insight to all aspects of personal growth and transformation, and to develop the commensurate values and attitudes.
• The opportunity to become competent, exemplary and independently-thoughtful representatives of their tradition, especially in making theology relevant to contemporary issues and audiences.
• Knowledge and understanding of, and appreciation for, other religious traditions and a wide range of worldviews and philosophies.
• The knowledge, skill and disposition to evaluate Vaishnavism from the respective viewpoints of (a) the tradition itself (b) the academy, and to develop mature, balanced and reflexive approaches towards ‘faith and reason’.
• Transferable professional skills, especially academic, pastoral, and inter-personal.
• Preparation for a range of ethical and fulfilling jobs, careers and vocations.

Year 1 (Level 4)

1. Introduction to Western Philosophy (20)
2. History of Vaishnava Thought (10)
3. Introduction to Hinduism (20)
4. World Religions (20)
5. Theory and Method in the Study of Religion (10)
6. Modern Interpretations of The Bhagavad-Gita (10)
7. Introduction to Sanskrit (10)
8. Core Skills for Teachers 1: Planning and Delivery (10)
9. Introduction to Ethics (10)

Year 2 (Level 5)

1. Pre-modern Indian Theologians: Rupa and Jiva Goswamins (20)
2. Science and Religion (10)*
3. Hindu Theories of Knowledge and Learning(10)*
4. Sociology of Religion (20)
5. Vedas and Upanishads (20)
6. Sacred Texts: The Bhagavata Purana (20)
7. Classical Indian Literature: Ramayana and Mahabharata (10)*
8. Pastoral Care (20)
9. Western and Hindu Approaches to Contemporary Ethical Issues (20)*

Year 3 (Level 6)

1. The Six Classical Indian Philosophies (20)
2. Modern Hinduism (20)
3. Indian Sacred Biography: The Case of the Chaitanya Charitamrita (20)
4. Chaitanya Vaishnava Literature (20)*
5. Theory and Practice of Managing Conflict in Faith-Based Organisations(20)*
6. Dissertation (40)

Extracurricular modules taught every 2-3 years: 1. Interfaith; 2. Congregational preaching;3. Communications

• Knowledge and Understanding

  Students will be assessed on their ability to:

  • demonstratea detailed knowledge and critical understanding of the major religious, philosophical, and ethical ideas within Hinduism, and a very good knowledge and analysis of the lives and teachings of some of the influential teachers of modern Hinduism;
  • demonstrate a thorough knowledge and understanding of the key concepts and history of Western philosophy and how they relate to Vaishnava perspectives;a mature analysis of key ideas that have shaped the development of modern philosophy and the impact of those ideas on contemporary approaches to religion;
  • demonstrate an advanced knowledge and understanding of the central concepts of the six major philosophical schools within Hindu tradition and their contribution to the development of a) Vaishnava and b) ISKCON theology and practice;
  • demonstrate a critical understanding and appreciation of the diversity of beliefs and practices of the major world religions and an in-depth study of the relationship between science and religion and the significance of this relationship for religion in the modern era.

• Thinking or Cognitive Skills

  Students will be assessed on their ability to:

  • attend to, critically evaluate, and interact with ideas, arguments, and abstract concepts;
  • undertake self-directed study and reflect on one's strengths and weaknesses as a learner;
  • show independence in thought and critical self-awareness about one's own beliefs, commitments, and prejudices;
  • engage with empathy, integrity, and critical reflection with the convictions and behaviours of other faiths and cultures.

• Practical Skills

  Students will be assessed on their ability to:

  • IT skills to identify appropriate source materials, support research, process data, and enhance presentations.

• Key Skills

  • Communication: the threshold assessment criteria include assessment of clear expression, observing academic form including, in written work, accuracy in spelling and grammar, and conclusions communicated clearly for specialist and non-specialist audiences as appropriate;
  • Information Literacy and Technology: students must be able to use information technology and computer skills for data capture, to identify and retrieve material and support research and presentations;
  • Improving own learning and performance: the threshold assessment criteria (where relevant to modular learning outcomes) assess the independent learning ability and self-evaluation required to continue to advance the student’s knowledge and understanding, and to develop new skills appropriate to a professional context;
  • Working with others: some learning methods and some assessment methods develop and demonstrate these skills
  • Problem solving: the threshold assessment criteria include assessment of the ability to deal with complex issues systematically, sensitively and creatively, and make sound judgements; and (where relevant to modular learning outcomes) collaborative or individual problem-solving, and planning and implementing of tasks appropriate to a professional context.

• Transferable Professional Skills

  • formulate a coherent argument, with appropriate use of data and evidence, and with an awareness of the implications of divergent views;
  • exercise personal responsibility and decision-making, necessary for employment and ministerial vocations;
  • communicate information, ideas, problems and solutions (both orally and in written form) to both specialist and non-specialist audiences;
  • make use of scholarly reviews and primary sources (e.g. refereed research articles and/or original materials appropriate to the discipline such as writings of theologians, and historical sources and writings);
  • make decisions in complex and unpredictable contexts.

• The College requires that teaching staff demonstrate personal integrity, expertise in their respective fields, and competence as teachers, lecturers, and mentors.

• E.C. Abala Andrew, BA

  Abala is originally from Greece, and read ‘Western Philosophy with Religious Studies’ in Oxford, where she also gained a PGCE in Religious Education (Secondary-level). At the College, she currently teaches Philosophy and Religious Studies and coordinates the much-esteemed Bhakti Shastri Course. Abala strongly believes in helping young people - especially ISKCON’s second generation - in realizing their distinctive potentials and in securing social and economic stability. She co-ordinates the College’s mentoring scheme and it’s recently-launched career-guidance service.

• Edith Best, PhD

  Urmila Dasi (Dr. Edith Best) has a Bachelor's of Science (BSc) from Excelsior College of the University of the State of New York in Religion and Education; Master of School Administration (MSA), and Doctor of Education (EdD) in Educational Leadership from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her research is in the field of job satisfaction of teachers, and she's done the only comprehensive, international study of the primary and secondary schools in the Hare Krishna Movement. Urmila is a member of the Sastric Advisory Council to ISKCON's Governing Body Commission (GBC) and has been an associate editor of Back to Godhead magazine since 1990. She has published Vaikuntha Children, a guidebook for devotional education, dozens of articles, and Dr. Best Learn to Read, an 83 book complete literacy program with technology enabling the story books to speak in 25 languages at the touch of a special "pen". Urmila has three decades of experience teaching primary and secondary students, which include 19 years of experience as a school administrator and leader.

• Anuradha Dooney, M.St.

  Anuradha Dooney was awarded her BA in Social Science, from University College Dublin, and her M.St. in the Study of Religion, from Oxford University. Her masters thesis was an exploration of faith development in the Vaishnava tradition. She is currently a Fellow of the OCHS, acting as a faculty member of the Continuing Education Department. Anuradha has been a tutor for courses in London, Birmingham, Oxford, Cambridge, and Leicester since 2003. She has acted as the principal curriculum writer for undergraduate degree courses granted by the University of Wales, Lampeter, courses taught in the UK and Belgium. She has also organised and run academic and interfaith workshops, seminars and conferences internationally. Anuradha is a respected lecturer and broadcaster.

• Gopal Hari Dasa, PhD

  Gopal Hari Dasa teaches Readings in Vaisnava Acharyas and Science and Religion at the Bhaktivedanta College. He is a disciple of H. H. Gopal Krishna Goswami. Gopal Hari completed a Masters in Science and Religion and is currently pursuing a doctorate in Hindu Studies at the University of Oxford, UK. His research interests include conceptions of consciousness, nature and divine agency in classical and contemporary Indian thought. Before coming to the UK, Gopal Hari completed a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and an M.S. in Artificial Intelligence from Boise State University in Idaho, USA, where his parents run the ISKCON Boise temple. Gopal Hari is a regular speaker at interfaith events and university classes, and has been a contributor to radio and television channels on topics of religion, ethics, and science and religion.

• Ravi Gupta, PhD

  Ravi M. Gupta, is a notable Vaishnava scholar. He is an Associate Professor of Religious Studies at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia and a member of the faculty at Bhaktivedanta College. He received his doctorate from Oxford University on the topic of Jiva Goswami's Vedanta, and has a Post-Doctoral Fellowship from Linacre College. He grew up in Boise, Idaho, where his academic accomplishments were documented in the Idaho Statesman. On April 17, 2008, he met with Pope Benedict XVI and presented a gift to him on behalf of the Hindu American community.

• Hanumatpresaka Swami, BA

  After finishing Encina High School in 1966, he entered the University of California, Davis, graduating in 1970 with a first place prize in Psychology and minor studies in Biology and Electrical Engineering. He then began Doctoral studies at Northwestern University in Chicago while also participating in the famous "Second City” improvisational theater troupe. Soon he became convinced that Western knowledge was lacking much that might be augmented by Oriental wisdom. His mentor, Donald T. Campbell, President of the American Psychology Association, agreed so he then headed East obtaining a black belt in Okinawan karate, and then receiving initiation and taking vows as a brahmacari, novice monk, from A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada in 1974. He continued in this Indian tradition taking vows as a sannyasi in 1984, and becoming an initiating guru in 1994. Since 1990 Hanumatpresaka Swami has also developed a program of global lecturing and travel. This has included work as associate director of the "Bhaktivedanta Institute” which organized two "World Congresses for the Synthesis of Science and Religion", Bombay, 1985, Kolkatta, 1997. These included participation of Nobel Laureates such as George Wald, Charles Townes, Sir John Eccles, Arch-Bishop Paulos Mar Gregorios (President of World Council of Churches), the Dalai Lama and many others. In March 1999 Hanumatpresaka Swami was the Chief Guest for the University of Calcutta's critical seminar on "National Seminar on Science and Technology in Ancient India".

• Dragana Jagusic, MA

  Dragana Jagusic (Jahnava Lila dd) is a head librarian and a teacher assistant for Introduction to Philosophy and Theories and Methods in the Study of Religion courses. She also teaches on-site Bhakti Shastri Sri Isopanisad and the Disciples Course. She holds a Master’s degree in Philosophy and Comparative Religion from the University of Zagreb and a Bhakti-Shastri degree from Bhaktivedanta College.

• Krishna Kshetra Dasa, PhD

  Krishna Kshetra dasa (Dr. Kenneth R. Valpey) holds a B.A. in Religious Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara, an M.A. in Religious Studies from Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, an M.St. in the Study of Religion from Oxford University, and a D.Phil. (Ph.D.) from Oxford University (2004) for his thesis on Caitanya Vaisnava image worship. He has taught at the University of Florida, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the University of Pula (Croatia), and (since its inception) Bhaktivedanta College in Belgium, where he has taught a module on the Caitanya-caritamrita to third-year College students since 2007. In addition to various published articles and his published doctoral thesis, he is now collaborating with Radhika Ramana dasa (Dr. Ravi M. Gupta) on a pair of books on the Bhagavata Purana, to be published by Columbia University Press, New York. He is a permanent Research Fellow of the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies.

• Ana Knez, MA

  Ana joined ISKCON in Croatia in 1995, where she did congregational preaching and Deity service. She holds a M.A. in philosophy and religion from the Jesuit College at the University of Zagreb and a B.A. in theology from Bhaktivedanta College. Previously she taught philosophy and religion at a high school. At Bhaktivedanta College Ana teaches World Religions.

• Mahendra Dasa, BSc

  Mahendra Dasa teaches Classical and Medieval Philosophy. He began practicing Krishna consciousness in 1989 in Bulgaria and served as the ISKCON temple president in Sofia in the mid-1990s. He was the headmaster of the former children's school in Radhadesh for two years. He holds a B.A. in Philosophy (Sofia University) and a B.Sc. (Hons.) in Information Systems and Management (University of London, London School of Economics).

• Rembert Lutjeharms, PhD

  Rembert Lutjeharms is from Brussels, Belgium. Rembert is the Librarian at the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies, and as a member of the Academic Planning Committee also helps to organise lectures and seminars at the Centre. He was awarded his BA and MA in Oriental Studies from the University of Ghent, Belgium, and successfully completed his D.Phil. in Theology at the University of Oxford in 2010, focusing on the theology of the sixteenth-century Caitanya Vaishvana poet and literary critic Kavikarnapura. His research interests are Sanskrit poetry and poetics, early Caitanya Vaisnava history, and Sanskrit hermeneutics. At Bhaktivedanta College, Rembert has been teaching Introduction to Hinduism, Bhagavata Purana, and Vedas and Upanishads.

• Pranava Dasa, PhD

  Pranava Dasa teaches Modern Hinduism at year 3. He has previously taught courses such as The Six Classical Indian Philosophies and Science and Religion. He started his academic career in the year 2000 and has been a teacher at the Bhaktivedanta College since 2002. He has completed a M.A. and Ph.D. in History of Religions at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden. He is the academic director of the Bhaktivedanta Research Centre in Kolkata and a fellow at the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies. He and his wife, Kamala Priya, live in Stockholm.

• Seth W. Spellman, JD

  He joined ISKCON in 1973, inspired by the political activism of the In God We Trust Party for Purified Leaders, organized by members of ISKCON. He is a member of the Governing Body Commission and head of the Ministry of Educational Development. He served as the temple president of both Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia; as the Managing Editor of Back to Godhead magazine; and as the North American Secretary of the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust. He attended the United States Military Academy and later received a degree in Political Science from the State University of New York, Albany. In 1991 he earned a Juris Doctor degree from the UCLA School of Law. He lives in Alachua, Florida, with his wife and two daughters.

• Yadunandana Swami, MA

  Yadunandana Swami has been the Principal of Bhaktivedanta College since its opening, in 2002. He joined ISKCON in 1977 in Spain and received initiation from Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami and later sannyasa initiation from Jayadvaita Swami (both disciples of Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada). He has performed leadership and educational services in ISKCON since 1982. The latter include ministering spiritual education and counseling to many persons; teaching scriptural, academic, and vocational courses; and lecturing in more than twenty universities. He holds a MA in the Study of Religion from the University of Wales. He is the ISKCON Minister of Educational Development in Europe and the Rector of the Instituto de Estudios Bhaktivedanta in Spain.

The table below indicates the TRS Career prospects in four main areas: