Current and former students in Theology and Religious Studies at the University of Chester are calling for the University to put a stop to the unnecessary, compulsory redundancies planned for the Department. We are utterly appalled by the University’s decision to make cuts across the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, and particularly in our subject area. As students, we acknowledge the huge efforts our lecturers have gone to during the pandemic to support our learning and wellbeing. For the University to announce in March that 86 jobs are at risk is a complete insult to the staff that have been working incredibly hard through these troubling times.
 
The TRS Department at Chester is a well-venerated hub of excellence that makes an outstanding contribution to the discipline of theology and religious studies. Our lecturers are involved in many important projects that shape and influence the subject area. This has led to the Department attaining its admirable reputation across the country and beyond.
 
Nobody understands better than us the contribution staff in TRS Chester have made, not only to the wider discipline of theology and religious studies, but to the day to day lives of us, their students. We would not be in the position we are today without the support, kindness, and community that has been fostered within Hollybank. All of which is a testament to the fantastic lecturers that work within the department. To make any lecturer redundant would be to the detriment of our learning and our student experience. The expertise each lecturer possesses means students have a unique and valuable experience at undergraduate, masters and doctoral level. This is reflected by the sheer versatility of specialist courses and modules offered to both undergraduate and postgraduate students, which are crucial as theology and religious studies is interdisciplinary. Studying towards a degree in TRS has given us a plethora of transferable skills such as critical thinking, independent research skills, religious literacy, problem solving, evaluation skills, communication and teamwork- these are crucial for a wide range of careers. In particular, these skills have prepared many of us for careers in teaching. Without our specialist education and degrees in the subject, we would not be able to share and impart our knowledge with our students. The redundancies therefore pose a huge threat to the wider subject area and the future of Religious Education.
 
Being a student at TRS Chester is an experience like no other. You only have to look at the NSS surveys to see how highly regarded the Department is by its students. Our lecturers go above and beyond to support the needs of each individual student that walks through the door, even if it means stopping and having a cup of tea in between lectures. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that this news is absolutely devastating to us all. Help us put a stop to the compulsory redundancies planned for our much-loved Department by signing and sharing this petition.
 
Students, alumni, and anyone from any walk of life who appreciates the work of TRS Chester in supporting religious and cultural literacy is welcome to sign.