The Crux of Religion

Apply for PhD, check. Get accepted for PhD, check. Write the proposal, uhm.

The starting point of the journey as a PhD student is really an exciting place to find yourself. You get to shape and narrow down your exact thoughts as to what you want to do and how! However, having an idea of what you want to do and writing a proposal that needs to be reviewed by a committee in order for you to begin are two different things. Trying to accomplish everything at once can feel overwhelming and lead to feeling burned out. It is important to remind yourself that you need to take it step by step and day by day. Imagine that the process is a ladder, and as you complete each task or write a chapter, it is a step up the ladder. Focus on what you have to do right now or celebrate what you have already accomplished instead of thinking of all the work that needs to be done.

So, where do I start? Start with the basics: (1) Decide in which department you want to specialise in (i.e., Religion Studies, New Testament, Old Testament, Missiology, etc.), (2) identify the supervisor you want to work with, (3) determine your research field, and (4) narrow down your focus in the research field.

Narrowing down your field can sometimes feel really limiting. However, you will discover a wide range of related fields to your study during this journey.

My PhD exchange took place between the University of Pretoria (UP) and the Protestante Theologische Universiteit (PThU). In addition to its Groningen campus, PThU also has a campus in Amsterdam. My exchange took place over the course of three months at the PThU Groningen campus.

As part of this exchange, I was responsible for meeting with supervising mentors for my thesis, presenting with a colleague, doing research, and meeting predetermined deadlines. I'm looking forward to sharing some of these experiences with you soon!

The Crux of Religion presents the first Q & A interactive post!

See the illustration above for the question that has been sent in as well as my response.

It gives me great pleasure to announce that I will be participating in a PhD exchange student program in the Netherlands! This partnership is between my home university, the University of Pretoria in South Africa, and the Protestantse Theologische Universiteit. There are two locations for the PThU, namely one in Amsterdam and one in Groningen. I will be situated in Groningen, in the northern part of the Netherlands. During my three month stay in the Netherlands, it will be expected from me to adhere to all my PhD deadlines, as well as attend seminars, workshops, and conferences, to name a few, during this period.

During 2022, I was appointed as a Peer Advisor for the Faculty of Theology and Religion under the FLY@UP programme. This was the first activation that took place, alongside other Peer Advisors, on the Hatfield campus of the University of Pretoria. FLY@UP stands for the Finish Line is Yours. This initiative is to assist students to finish their degrees on time, providing them with Peer Advisors who are usually postgraduates and Student Advisors who are appointed by the University of Pretoria. Other events include collaborations with SpecSavers to financially support students who need glasses as well as exam activations.

Crux of Religion is doing a Q&A this month. Please submit your questions via the Instagram story or send them in through direct messages on Instagram or Facebook. A few examples can be seen on the attached image.

Introducing a new interview for the Crux of Religion!

This interview is between myself, Iwana Hartmann, and Dana Mahan, titled 'Junction or Severance: Religion and Universities'. In this interview, Mr. Mahan gives his views on the relationship between academia and religion. The insights of Mr. Mahan are especially significant seeing as he possesses extensive experience in both the academic and church side of theology and religion. Having studied at Harvard University, as well as being involved at the Faculty of Theology and Religion at the University of Pretoria, his opinions are highly valued.

For the full video of this interview, click on the following link:

https://youtu.be/cOlyry__BHY

The Faculty of Theology and Religion hosted an event at the end of last year titled 'Laduma: Get your head in the game'. This was organised through the faculty's Student Advisor, Dana Mahan. This workshop served as a preparation workshop for the upcoming exams. My presentation was titled 'Stress and Exam'. Physical events (actions) causing stress and the implications of stress were the foci of this presentation. This presentation used the words of William James as a guide: The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one though over another.

Have you ever wondered what the basic steps leading up to and during an interview are? This post encapsulates the basic steps that the Crux of Religion takes to complete an interview.

The above quote by Isabel Apawo Phiri and Sarojini Nadar in 'The personal is political: Faith and Religion in a public university' is only an extract of their article in which they explain how important religion, and the education thereof, is in religious Africa.