Department of Philosophy

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Tim Hutchings

Associate Professor of Religious Ethics, Faculty of Arts

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Biography

Dr Hutchings is a sociologist of digital religion and Religious Education. His PhD (Durham University, 2010) was an ethnographic study of five online Christian churches. His subsequent work has included postdoctoral fellowships at Durham University and The Open University (UK) and Umea University and Stockholm University (Sweden), studying topics ranging from the Bible as a digital text to death and mourning in online communities. He joined the University of Nottingham in 2018.

Expertise Summary

Dr Hutchings is interested in the relationship between religion, media and culture, with particular attention to digital forms of Christianity. His research has included studies of online worship; digital evangelism and formation; online community; digital publishing and e-reading; apps and games; and death and dying. He also studies the teaching of Religious Education in primary and secondary schools, and works with the national organisation TRS-UK to build better links between schools and universities. His teaching focuses on religious ethics, media ethics, the study of religion, and research methods.

Teaching Summary

Dr Hutchings teaches undergraduate courses in "Religion, Media and Ethics" and "Abraham's Children" (an introduction to method and theory in the study of religion, with particular attention to… read more

Research Summary

Dr Hutchings researches widely across the field of religion, media and culture. His current studies include attention to Christian videogames, online worship, Christian responses to the Covid-19… read more

Recent Publications

Dr Hutchings teaches undergraduate courses in "Religion, Media and Ethics" and "Abraham's Children" (an introduction to method and theory in the study of religion, with particular attention to religious pluralism and interfaith contact). His teaching experience includes classes in social-scientific research methods, death studies, popular culture and digital media.

Dr Hutchings is available to supervise graduate research on issues related to: religion, media and culture; digital religion; the sociology of religion; interfaith relations; religious media ethics; religion and popular culture; religion and journalism; or the study of RE/Religion and Worldviews teaching.

Current Research

Dr Hutchings researches widely across the field of religion, media and culture. His current studies include attention to Christian videogames, online worship, Christian responses to the Covid-19 pandemic, and religious journalism.

He is also researching the shift to "religion and worldviews" in RE teaching in England, including studies of worldview as an approach, teaching worldviews in the classroom, and teacher responses to the worldview debate.

Future Research

Dr Hutchings is developing a multi-religious research programme exploring how communities think ethically about media and technology. His research explores three questions: How do religious communities use digital media to teach ethical principles? What ethical principles guide religious communities in developing a healthy relationship to media use? And how do religious communities understand the positive and negative contributions of media to a flourishing society?

Department of Philosophy

University of Nottingham
University Park
Nottingham, NG7 2RD

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