Religion

Religion has a huge influence on society, whether you identify with a religion or not. Choosing a topic in this area can be fascinating and if you are interested in human rights in relation to religion, this topic may be good for you!

Example religion dissertation topic 1:

Religious discrimination: An exploration of the requirement to sing the national anthem and pledge to God in optional social groups and organisations.

In 2012, the story of young George Pratt’s refusal to say the Boy Scouts’ pledge to God made national headlines on the pretext of the group’s expulsion of him as an infringement of his right to practice religion or not. This thesis examines whether groups such as the Boy Scouts, the membership of which is optional, must create alternative pledges, not merely for religions other than Christianity (as they already do for Islam and some other religions) but also for the absence of a belief in a Supreme Being. While many would say that under the recent Equality Act 2010 discrimination based on religious grounds is unacceptable it is arguable that Master Platt was not discriminated against on the basis that he did not believe in God, but on the basis that he would not say the oath. This is a dissertation that has potential at the level of undergraduate, Master’s, or even beyond, for the right candidate.

Suggested initial topic reading:

• Cragun, R. T., Kosmin, B., Keysar, A., Hammer, J. H. and Nielsen, M. (2012). ‘On the receiving end: Discrimination toward the non-religious in the United States’, Journal of Contemporary Religion, Vol. 27(1), pp. 105-127.
• Hammer, J.H., Cragun, R.T., Hwang, K. and Smith, J.M. (2012). ‘Forms, frequency, and correlates of perceived anti-atheist discrimination’, Secularism and Nonreligion, Vol. 1, pp. 43-67.
• Reuveni, E. (2006). ‘On Boy Scouts and anti-discrimination law: The associational rights of quasi-religious organizations’, Boston University Law Review, Vol. 86(1), pp. 109-171.