School of Education

Prof James Conroy

Photo of Jim Conroy
  • Professor of Religious and Philosophical Education (Creativity Culture and Faith)

telephone: 01413307375
email: James.Conroy@glasgow.ac.uk


Research interests

I have written widely in the areas of religious education, religion, education and liberal democracy and education and the literary and aesthetic imagination. I have an enduring interest in (and written on) the philosophy of Hannah Arendt and the lessons to be learnt from her work for education and other social projects. I am also interested and have written on childhood. Most recently I have been working on reconfiguring the arguments for and about pluralism in education, based on the recovery and refurbishment of some older terms and ideas. I have an enduring concern with education into the future.

I welcome applications for masters and doctoral study on many aspects of religion, culture and education - moral education and development, citizenship, philosophy, pluralism and multicultural education; Religion and Education; Policy and Religion in Schooling; the literacy and cultural imagination and education; religious education; liberalism and education; educational alternatives.

Career history

Professor Conroy has previously held the posts Dean of the Faculty of Education, Head of Graduate School and Head of Department of Religious Education at the University.  Before joining the University of Glasgow he was Director of Religious Education and Pastoral Care at St Andrew's College; Senior Lecturer in Theology and Religious Education at St Mary's College, Strawberry Hill; and has taught in schools and adult education in England.

Professor Conroy holds a teaching certificate from St Mary’s College, Strawberry Hill; and is a graduate in Religious Studies and Philosophy of Education (BEd) from the Institute of Education, University of London (1980).
MA Philosophy of Religion  from the University of Lancaster (1981).
PhD Philosophy/Politics of Education, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (2003).     

Posts Held

2004-2005 Inaugural Head of  Graduate School, Glasgow University
1999-2004 Head of Department of Religious Education, Glasgow University
1990-1999 Director of Religious Education and Pastoral Care, St Andrew’s College
1987-1990 Senior Lecturer in Theology and Religious Studies, St Mary’s College, Strawberry Hill
1984-1987 Head of Theology, St Brendan’s VIth Form College, Brislington
1983-1984 Theology Tutor, St Brendan’s VIth Form College
1983  Director - Youth Programmes, Damascus House, London
1982-1983 Development Officer, Adult Education Office, Diocese of Westminster

Jump to: 2012 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001
Number of items: 18.

2012

Baumfield, V.M., Conroy, J. , Davis, Robert , and Lundie, David (2012) The Delphi method: gathering expert opinion in religious education. British Journal of Religious Education, 33 (3). pp. 5-19. ISSN 0141-6200 (doi:10.1080/01416200.2011.614740) (In Press)

2010

Conroy, J., and Davis, R. (2010) Religious Education. In: The SAGE Handbook of Philosophy of Education. sage, London, pp. 451-467. ISBN 9781847874672

Conroy, J. (2010) The state, parenting, and the populist energies of anxiety. Educational Philosophy and Theory, 60 (3). pp. 325-340. ISSN 1469-5812 (doi:10.1111/j.1741-5446.2010.00361.x)

Conroy, J.C. (2010) Citizenship education and the role of home, school and government. In: Educating Youth for Citizenship: East and West, 4-6 Jan 2010, Beijing, China.

Conroy, J.C. (2010) The contribution of religious schooling to citizenship. In: Alexander, A. and Agbaria, A. (eds.) Religious Schooling in Liberal Democracies: Committment, character and citizenship. Routledge, London.

Conroy, J.C., and McKinney, S.J. (2010) Religious and spiritual education. In: Baker, E., McGaw, B. and Peterson, P. (eds.) International Encyclopaedia of Education. Elsevier, London. ISBN 9780080448930

2009

Conroy, J.C., Davis, R.A. , and Enslin, P. (2009) Philosophy as a Basis for Policy and Practice: What Confidence Can We Have in Philosophical Analysis and Argument. In: Bridges, D., Smeyers, P. and Smith, R. (eds.) Evidence based policy: What evidence? What basis? Whose policy? Blackwell, Oxford, pp. 157-175.

Conroy, J.C., Hulme, M. , and Menter, I. (2009) Primary Curriculum Futures. In: Alexander, R. (ed.) The Cambridge Primary Review Research Surveys. Routledge, London. ISBN 978041554869

Conroy, JC (2009) The estranged self: Recovering some grounds for pluralism. Journal of Moral Education, 39 (2).

2008

Conroy, J, Davis, RA , and Enslin, P (2008) Philosophy as a Basis for Policy and Practice: What Confidence Can We Have in Philosophical Analysis and Argument? Journal of Philosophy of Education, 42 (2). pp. 165-182.

Conroy, J., Hulme, M. , and Menter, I. (2008) Primary Curriculum Futures. Project Report. University of Cambridge Faculty of Education, Cambridge, UK.

2005

Conroy, J. (2005) Kieran Egan - Getting it Wrong from the Beginning: Our Progressivist Inheritance from Herbert Spencer, John Dewey and Jean Piaget. Theory and Research in Education, 3 (3). pp. 371-374. ISSN 1477-8785 (doi:10.1177/1477878505057439)

Conroy, J. (2005) After Auschwitz: medical research and ethical theory. Summons (Spring). ISSN 1463-8274

2004

Conroy, J. (2004) 'Yet I Live Here ...'. A reply to Bruce on Catholic education in Scotland. Oxford Review of Education, 29 (3). pp. 403-412. ISSN 0305 4985 (doi:10.1080/03054980307441)

2003

De Ruyter, D., Conroy, J. , Lappin, M. , and McKinney, S. (2003) Ideals of ITE students at the University of Glasgow. Teacher and Teacher Education, 19 (8). pp. 771-785. ISSN 0742-051X (doi:10.1016/j.tate.2003.03.003)

de Ruyter, D., Conroy, J. , McKinney, S. , and Lappin, M. (2003) From Heaven to Earth: comparison of ideals of ITE students. British Journal of Religious Education, 25 (4). pp. 292-307. ISSN 0141-6200 (doi:10.1080/0141620030250404)

2002

Davis, R., and Conroy, J. (2002) Transgression, transformation and enlightenment: the trickster as poet and teacher. Educational Philosophy and Theory, 34 (3). pp. 255-272. ISSN 0013-1857 (doi:10.1111/j.1469-5812.2002.tb00303.x)

2001

Conroy, J. (2001) A very Scottish affair - Catholic education and the state. Oxford Review of Education, 27 (4). pp. 543-558. ISSN 1465-3915 (doi:10.1080/03054980120086239)

This list was generated on Fri May 25 13:56:52 2012 BST.

Does Religious Education Work?:   AHRC/ESRC Religion and Society Programme:  365 326  PI  3 year study across Britain looking at the efficacy of Religious Education.  Co-investigtors: Queen's University Belfast, Kings College London.

Realigning Teacher Education: Scottish Executive: 98 000  JtPI   Explore and Research new models of teacher education (jointly with Aberdeen University).

Global Citizenship in Teacher Education :Department for International Development:: 240 000 CI Research into the efficacy of teaching Global citizenship

Developing P/T provison : Scottish Executive: 40 000 PI: Developing new models of teacher education teacher  education and partnerships with education auth.orities.

Ideals of Undergraduate:  SHEFC/Glasgow University Strategic ChangeGrant: 5 000  PI: Exploration of student ideals Students  with regard to personal and professional life.
       
Global Citizenship in Initial Teacher Education: Department for  International Development: 225 000: CI Development of and research into Global Citizenship in teacher education. 
     
Child Protection :Scottish Executive Ed Dept   Development of training : 41 632 PI: Research and evidenced based Guidelines and materials for personnel working with children in Scotland.      

Values Education: Gordon Cook Foundation: 30 000 PI: Research Project investigation into the moral development of 11/12 year olds.

Syllabus Evaluation: Derwent Consultancy: 5 000  PI: Evaluation and report on  a proposed syllabus for religion.

Leadership in Catholic Schools: Strathclyde Regional Council: 24 000 PI: Development of  Handbook in Leadership for school leaders/managers.

Development of new programmes in Religious Education: Lothian Regional Council: 20 000 PI: Develop training teachers for new syllabus.

Values Education Teaching: Gordon Cook Foundation: 150 000 PI: Research into children’s  values and related staff development programmes. 

British Council Grant: 1000: Study Trip

Consulting and advice

I have offered consultancy to the Pakistan Higher Education Commission on quality in teacher education, as well as to the Archdiocese of Sydney and various diocesan and education authorities in Britain and Australia. I have been invited to lecture to professional and academic audiences across Britain, Australia and North America. Most recently I have been an invited expert and respondent at a UNESCO conference in Paris. Current external examination positions include University College Cork (PG. Diploma) and Cambridge University (Education Tripos) Doctoral examining duties have included the Universities of Barcelona and Birmingham.

Academic and professional body membership

2007 General Teaching council for Scotland.
2007 Universities Scotland Representative:
2006 President-elect: Association for Moral Education
2006 -: Joint convenor: Philosophy Network: European Educational Association 2005 Company Secretary/Treasurer: Journal of Moral Education Trust
2005 Board Member: Philosophy of Education Society of Great Britain
2005 Member: Conference Committee: International Network of Philosophers of Education
2004 Member Programme Committee: Philosophy of Education Society of Great Britain
European Educational Research Association (Joint convenor: Philosophy Network)
British Educational Research Association
International Seminar on Religious Education and Values (by invitation)
Scottish Educational Research Association
ASCICE – European Association for Catholic Faculties of Education (by invitation)
National Children’s Bureau - Glasgow Branch
Association for Moral Education
Philosophy of Education Society of Great Britain 

Additional information

I sit on a number of  editorial boards including:

  • Journal of Moral Education
  • Ethics and Education
  • British Journal of Religious Education

I have also acted as reviewer for many professional and academic bodies and journals.