About
Research
Email: catherine.knowles@stmarys.ac.uk
Biography
Dr Catherine Knowles is Course Lead for the Maryvale@StMary’s MA in Catholic Applied Theology and BA in Philosophy and the Catholic Tradition (both part time, distance learning).
Following her doctorate in moral education from the University of Kent (2006), she worked as a researcher in education at Canterbury Christ Church University, the University of Greenwich, within the charity sector (education) and was Programme Director of the MA in Catholic Applied Theology and Research Supervisor for the PhD programme at Maryvale Institute, Birmingham before they moved to St. Mary’s University in 2024.
Dr Knowles welcomes enquiries about the part-time, distance learning MA and BA programmes Maryvale@StMary’s and offers a Zoom conversation with potential students.
Research
Research profile
Selected Publications
Books
Knowles, Catherine, Briliute, Birute and Schnitker, Harry. (ed.) Aspects of Doctoral Research at the Maryvale International Catholic Institute, Volume Four (Cambridge Scholars, 2023)
Bullivant, Stephen, Knowles, Catherine, Vaughan-Spruce, Hannah and Durcan, Bernadette, Why Catholics leave, what they miss and how they might return (Paulist Press, 2019).
Blandford, Sonia and Knowles, Catherine, Raising attainment in the primary classroom (Bloomsbury, 2018)
Blandford, Sonia and Knowles, Catherine (2nd ed.) Developing professional Practice 0-7 (Routledge, 2016)
Chapters in books
‘Six Theses: A brief introduction', in Knowles, Catherine, Briliute, Birute and Schnitker, Harry, (ed.), Aspects of Doctoral Research at the Maryvale International Catholic Institute, Volume Four (Cambridge Scholars, 2023) pp. 39-42.
‘Preface', in Knowles, Catherine, Briliute, Birute and Schnitker, Harry, (ed.), Aspects of Doctoral Research at the Maryvale International Catholic Institute, Volume Four (Cambridge Scholars, 2023) pp. VIII-X.
Reviews
Knowles, Catherine review of Andrew Morris Catholic Schools in a Plural Society: Data and Analysis (2024) Cambridge Scholars (forthcoming)
Knowles, Catherine review of Andrew Morris Issues of faith-based education in the United Kingdom-a case for Catholic schools (2024) Cambridge Scholars (forthcoming)
Articles
Blandford, Sonia and Knowles, Catherine, ‘Beyond poor inclusive thinking and worse practice’, Professional Development Today, 21.2 (2020) pp. 31-39
Conference presentations and radio broadcasts
‘The human person: united or divided? What does it mean to be Human? Medical Ethics and Social Care Today’, paper presented at the Portsmouth Catholic Diocese Symposium (Winchester, March 2024)
Talk: ‘Chrisitan Anthropology; Credo, Radio Maria, England, 27 November 2023.
Talk: ‘Man’s Capacity for God’, Credo, Radio Maria, England, 6 February 2023.
Chair and Presenter: ‘Contemporary challenges facing the Church’, Doctoral Student Summer Conference, (Maryvale Institute, Birmingham, May 2023)
‘Empirical research in pastoral theology and the sociology of religion’, paper presented at Doctoral Student Summer Conference (Maryvale Institute, Birmingham, May 2022)
‘Engaging parents and carers: Learning from lockdown’, paper presented at the Inclusive and Supportive Education Conference- ISEC 2021 (Institute of Education, University College London, August 2021)
Chair: ‘Challenges and Concepts of Catechesis in the 21st Century’, Exploring the New Directory for Catechesis Conference (Maryvale Institute & Archdiocese of Birmingham, June 2021).
‘Why Catholics leave, what they miss and how they might return’, paper given at Doctoral Student Summer Conference (Maryvale Institute, Birmingham, June 2020)
‘Connecting the Dots: Where we are now. Connecting to create resilience focusing on the current political landscape’, panel member at The Society of Heads conference, (Chester, March 2020)
Reports
Closing the attainment gap in maths: a study of good practice in early years and primary settings (London, Fair Education Alliance, 2017) https://www.faireducation.org.uk/news/2017/2/23/closing-the-numeracy-attainment-gap (accessed 21 October 2024)
Report Card 2015 (London, Fair Education Alliance, 2016) https://www.faireducation.org.uk/publications (accessed 21 October 2024)
Research interests
Catholic Education
Catholic practical/pastoral theology
Catholicism and social/religious culture (Africa and India)
Christian Anthropology
Evangelisation
Faith and Culture
Geographic stability and spiritual development
Inculturation
Moral education
Current PhD students
· Father Richard Aziati, Catechetical implications of Jesus as Lamb of God in Ewe (aŋlɔ) culture, where the use of the term ‘lamb’ for a human being is an insult: Challenges of cultural influences, barriers and linguistic terminologies affecting holistic catechesis of Ewe (Aŋlɔ) people in Ghana.
Completed PhD students
· Dr Sr. Eleanor Gibson FMA, Between Worlds: Communicating the Catholic Faith to Young People in the Archdiocese of Nairobi
· Dr. Gwen Adams, Parish Stability: A Study of Three Midwestern Parishes with Reference to the Teaching of the Catholic Church, the Anthropological Implications of Alasdair MacIntyre’s Work, and the Benedictine Tradition
· Dr. Riitta Hujanen, Cloistered Journeys through Time: Paradoxical Dynamics of Enclosed Contemplative Traditions
· Dr. Sr Hyacinthe Defos du Rau OP, The Transmission of Hope from a Thomistic Perspective
· Dr Jason Honeycutt, The Transcendental Value of Beauty as a Tool for Evangelising the Disaffiliated Catholic