Religious and Cultural Studies

Prof. Uche A. Dike

Head of Department

Religious and Cultural Studies

The Department of Religious and Cultural Studies runs a four-year programme that leads to the award of B. A. (Hons) in Religious and Cultural Studies.

It is aimed at skill development that will impart sound moral knowledge relevant to man to enable him understand the dynamics of the society and also to raise future leaders with societal values such that they can compete favourably with their contemporary in all fields of human endeavour. Apart from this, the Department is about to start Postgraduate Programmes in the seven areas such as African Indigenous Religion, Biblical Studies: Old and New Testaments, Church History, Islamic Studies, Religious Ethics, Sociology of Religion and Philosophy of Religion.

Staff list in the Department

Name	Rank	Area Of Specialisation	Email
Prof. Uche A. Dike	Professor/HOD	Ethno-Philosophy, African Religion & Cultural Studies	uche.dike@ust.edu.ng
Dr. Clifford M. Sibani	Reader	Religion & Human Relation	clifford.sibani@ust.edu.ng
Dr. Goka M. Mpigi	Senior Lecturer	Church History	goka.mpigi@ust.edu.ng
Dr. Moses O. Okai	Senior Lecturer	Sociology of Religion	moses.okai@ust.edu.ng
Dr. Chikodi J. Wachukwu	Lecturer I	Religion & Society	chikodi.wachukwu@ust.edu.ng
Dr. John C. Okoko	Lecturer I	Philosophy of Religion	john.koko@ust.edu.ng
Dr. Emmanuel E. Amadi	Lecturer I	African Traditional Religion	amadi18@ust.edu.ng
Dr. Emmanuel C. Nheeme	Lecturer I	Biblical Studies Old Testament	emmanuel.nheeme@ust.edu.ng
Dr. Anoriochi H. Ogwunka	Lecturer I	African Traditional Religion	anoriochi.ogwunka@ust.edu.ng
Dr. Kenoye O. I. Uwom	Lecturer II	African Traditional Religion	kenoye.uwom@ust.edu.ng
Dr. Lolo F. Bob-Manuel	Lecturer II	Sociology of Religion	lolo-bobmanuel@ust.edu.ng
Mr. Dandy Ezeeli	Assistant Lecturer	Islamic Studies	dandy.ezeeli@ust.edu.ng
Mrs Goodness Lazarus Aribibia	Admin Officer II		goodnesslazarus15@gmail.com
Mrs Abigail Owhuru	Admin Officer II
Mr Bright U. Nyekwe	Higher Executive Officer

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The main duties and responsibilities of the Department is Teaching of students. The department also functions effectively by use of various committees, officers and coordinators such as Departmental Board, Postgraduate Board, Postgraduate Coordinator, Seminar coordinator, Centre for Continuing Education (CCE) and open and Distance Education (ODE) Programmes Coordinators, Students Advisers, Examination Officer and Welfare Officer. There are two (2) Administrative Officers whose primary responsibility is administrative work. There is Head or Acting Head of Department appointed by University administration who reports directly to the Dean of the Faculty of Humanities.

STRUCTURE OF THE UNIT

The Department of Religious and Cultural Studies came into existence following the decisions of the Rivers State Government and the Senate of the University to establish programmes and courses that would appreciate the diversity of the human race and address the social, moral, cultural and religious gaps that are evident in contemporary society.

Currently Dr. (Ven.) Chikodi J. Wachukwu is the Acting Head of the Department. To make the history of the Department visible and palpable, the structure of the Department is better represented in the chart below:

Dean

HOD

Secretarial

Services

Programme

Coordinators

DEPARTMENTAL BOARD

POSTGRADUATE BOARD

EXAMINATION & RESULT

DEPARTMENTAL STUDENTS ASSOCIATION EXECUTIVE

STUDENT BODY

PHILOSOPHY OF THE PROGRAMME

The Philosophy underlying the Religious and Cultural Studies degree programme is to produce graduates that are adequately equipped with appropriate knowledge required to transform and develop the human society. It also places emphasis on how the divergent cultural and religious views that constitute human society can be harnessed and positively utilized for the overall development of human society rather than the destruction of it. Overall, the programme is concerned with the critical study of human religious and cultural life in the global world and how this affects his environment.

AIM AND OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAMME

The primary aim of the Religious and Cultural Studies programme is to produce competent and self-reliant graduates that will bridge the social, moral, cultural and religious gap that is evident in contemporary society and which significantly impedes on the socio-economic and political development of human society. Against this backdrop, the objectives of the Religious and Cultural Studies programme are to:

Develop in the students the ability to understand, appreciate, analyze and critically interpret the nature of religious and cultural realities as well as the mutual interplay of religious and cultural features with other elements in the broader social and cultural context.
Encourage and promote excellence in original, creative and scholarly research in fostering a learning progress with problem solving content.
Improve the appreciation and development of the regions abundant physical, natural and social resources by acquainting students on the interconnectedness between religion, culture and the human environment.
Enhance the employment prospects of students of religious and cultural studies graduate in the new millennium.
Acquaint students with main contents of the major religions commonly practiced in Africa, namely: Christianity, Islam and Traditional Religion; with a view to understanding their areas of convergence and divergence with other world religions.
Equip graduates of this programme with sound moral virtues required to provide effective socio-economic and political leadership that is most needed in the country today.