Dr Amanullah De Sondy

The Study of Religions Department at UCC is the only department dedicated to the study of religions on the island of Ireland. Our courses are solely taught from a non-theological and non-confessional perspective. But why should one pursue the study of religions? Religion, in all its understandings, continues to play an influential role in the world, both for good and for ill. Teaching students at university about ‘religion’ is not only essential but a pivotal step in preparing them for their time after graduation.  

A deeper study of religions allows one to better understand the world we live in. Religion is inextricable from various avenues, including politics, society, economics, literature, music, and art (to name but a few!). It is for this reason alone that we need an understanding of religions – in all their various manifestations – so that we can make sense of our changing world.  

Few days pass without reports proliferating in various media streams on the impact of religions upon both local and global events, and on the lives of individuals and communities. These issues affect students, and the Study of Religions offers a safe learning and teaching environment where they can participate and deliberate on these thoughts and navigate the study of religions from a geopolitical perspective. 

The Study of Religions Department here at UCC allows students to research and explore these important questions, specifically how they relate to foreign policies, laws, gender roles, diet, dress, and ethical and moral beliefs. Religions influence the ways in which people interact and communicate and can be a powerful means of both cooperation and antagonism.  Religious dimensions affect freedom of expression, equality and tolerance and sometimes provide justifications for violence and war. Our students will explore the study of religions in light of these contemporary debates.  

The ‘Godless colleges’

The relationship between University College Cork and religion has a long and complicated history. Initially part of the ‘Godless colleges’ (Belfast, Cork and Galway), established between 1850-1882, the ‘Queen’s University of Ireland’ and its three ‘Queens Colleges’ were not permitted to offer instruction in ‘theology’. This was in place to uphold the vision of establishing universities that would ‘afford a university education to members of all religious denominations in Ireland’. This separation from ‘religion’ was established in the Universities Act 1908 (7.4), an act later amended in the Universities Act 1997 (46-D). This change in legislation led to discussions and to the establishment of the Study of Religions Department in UCC in 2007.