The Faith Centre seeks to bring religious identities from the margins of campus life to the centre of student experience and learning. The religious subject is not something ‘other’ to be distanced and critically observed; it is among us, it is us.

The Beecken Faith & Leadership is our flagship extra-curricular student programme, designed to enable you, the next generation of leaders, to positively engage with religious difference and build a more peaceful global society.

The course consists of three modules which take place in the Autumn and Winter terms, then a weekend retreat in Spring term. You can take the full course or the modules individually.

Module 1: Religious Imaginations in Today's World Understand the fundamental imaginative foundations of different religious traditions and their role

Module 2: Religion & Climate Change Explore faith perspectives and religious approaches to the climate crisis

Module 3: Conflict Transformation Develop tools and perspectives for effective conflict transformation across different contexts

Residential Retreat 

We will be running a weekend retreat for a selection of students who have participated in the Beecken Faith and Leadership programme throughout the academic year. This will be an opportunity to meet other students across the BFL cohort, delve deeper into some of the ideas and concepts you have been trained in, and further build your understanding of leadership across difference.

The retreat will take place from Saturday 27th April, 12.30pm until Sunday 28th April, 4.00pm and is free of charge (including overnight stay and food). 

To apply, please fill in this form: https://forms.office.com/e/r1VF7VFd8j. If there is anything limiting your ability to participate, please get in touch. 

FAQs

Why should I do it?

LSE forms future leaders. Our students come from all over the world and go on to positions of leadership in business, finance, government and civil society. 

To lead successfully in today’s world it is increasingly clear that you need a sophisticated understanding of religion. Three quarters of humanity now profess a religious faith. That is set to rise to over 80 per cent by 2050.

But we’re increasingly aware that religion can be used for the bad as well as the good. The twenty-first century requires leaders who are sufficiently informed to understand the complex relation of religious narratives to social and political change and relate their own faith commitments wisely to the responsibilities they bear.

"Probably the best course I have taken at the LSE." - Previous student

"I gained a greater understanding of different faiths, but deeper than this an understanding of living with difference beyond tolerance." - Previous student

How do I apply?

For each module you will need to complete a short application form online. Applications for each module close just before the module begins. For links to the application forms and the deadlines for each term, visit the module pages above.

What is the commitment?

The course is free of charge with no preparatory reading and no final assessment, we just ask that you commit to attending the sessions and taking part.

What’s involved?  

Our flagship Faith and Leadership course runs throughout both Autumn and Winter terms, and is divided into three individual modules. Each module runs on Monday evenings and culminates in a half-day applied workshop, usually on a weekend. Students are able to apply to as many modules as they like, and a full calendar of the sessions is available on our website. The whole programme will culminate in a weekend retreat in early April 2023. Students that successfully complete at least one module will be able to apply to take part in the weekend retreat.