Our Theology and Religious Studies Discovery Day was held at New College on 14 June 2022. Image On 14 June, we were delighted to host our now-annual Discovery Day for Higher and Advanced Higher RMPS pupils and their teachers. Discovery Days are a fantastic way for pupils to learn more about the study of Theology and Religious Studies at university, and to talk about the value of the humanities more broadly. Image Pupils began their day in the Rainy Hall, where they were welcomed by Head of School, Professor Helen Bond. After their welcome, pupils and teachers headed up to the Elizabeth Templeton Lecture Theatre, where academics delivered a variety of taster lectures spanning the discipline. Our topics included: 'What’s religion got to do with the conflict in Ukraine?', 'Creation in Scottish poetry: two poetic examples', 'Buddhisms: Creating and solving human problems', 'Genetic Modification: Some ethical and theological perspectives', and 'Faith, healing and medicine in a time of COVID-19'. During their lunch break, pupils were able to view artefacts and books from the New College Library Special Collections. They asked questions of Kirsty Stewart, the Scottish and University Collections Archivist, to obtain a better understanding of the background and history of New College. Items on display included an Early Bible printed in 1583, a photo of New College women in 1926, a series of satirical cartoons lampooning New College staff, and much more. Our Discovery Day was full of good conversations, new discoveries, and a chance to explore New College. We can’t wait for our next Discovery Day in June 2023. Join our mailing list for news about our plans! Schools Outreach Mailing List There is not much CPD available for RE teachers so I personally enjoyed attending with my students. It was very useful as we are about to begin the Higher course it certainly gave them questions to think about and stretched their understanding New College Library Special Collections The New College Library Special Collections include manuscripts and archives, rare books, theses, photographs and objects. The collections relate to New College, the School of Divinity at the University of Edinburgh, and the religious life of Scotland and the wider world. A substantial proportion of New College Library’s collections were presented by the Church of Scotland on permanent loan to the University of Edinburgh in 1962. In total they have over 1 km of historic material, available for consultation in the Funk Reading Room at New College Library. Find out more about New College Collections Links School of Divinity Schools Outreach Dr Linden Bicket - Schools Outreach Officer This article was published on 2024-03-19
