معرفی
Dr James D. Holt is Associate Professor of Religious Education at the University of Chester, Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. He serves as subject leader for Religious Education and Social Science, teaching across all Initial Teacher Education programs including PGCE Early Years, PGCE Primary, BA QTS, and PGCE Secondary.
James Holt holds a BA, MA, and PhD from the University of Liverpool, an MEd from the University of Birmingham, and a PGCE (Secondary Education) from Manchester Metropolitan University. Prior to his academic career, he was a secondary school Religious Education teacher for 13 years.
Holt's research focuses on Religion and Education, particularly the representation of religions in the classroom. His work spans four key areas: Religious Education pedagogy across educational stages, Christian Education with emphasis on faith-based teaching practices, Religion and the arts with focus on fantasy literature, and Systematic theology with specialization in Mormon theology and inter-faith dialogue. His research has led to numerous publications including a series of guides for teaching world religions and books on Religious Education methodology.
Holt's recent publications show a strong trend toward practical classroom guides for teaching specific world religions, particularly through his Bloomsbury series 'Teaching Religions and Worldviews.' His work bridges academic theology with practical classroom application, making complex religious concepts accessible to educators. There's also a consistent thread of exploring Mormon theology and inter-faith dialogue throughout his scholarly output.
- Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (2015)
Holt has supervised EdD students and welcomes postgraduate research students. His grant history includes significant projects such as the AHRC-funded 'Christian Ethics of Farmed Animal Welfare Education Project' (2021-2023) as Co-principal investigator, the LASAR Centre's 'Epistemic Insight Initiative' (2019-2020), and the 'Big Ideas' project led by Professor Michael Reiss from UCL (2016-2017).
While not explicitly mentioning specific labs, Holt is deeply involved in research networks including the LASAR (Learning about Science and Religion) Centre at Canterbury Christ Church University and has collaborated with the National Institute for Christian Education Research. His work connects academic research with practical classroom application through various teacher training initiatives.
