Mrs Jessica Giles

Professional biography

Jessica’s area of research interest is the interdisciplinary synthesis of law & religion studies, constitutional theory and philosophical theology. She also explores aspects of technology, law and religion as well as cultural property. This involves research into freedom of thought conscience and religion and related fundamental rights as well as the legal scope of religious freedom in public life. She is currently working on the theoretical underpinning of the right to freedom of thought conscience and religion in a comparatiave theological context. 

Jessica is Research Lead of the Project on Interdisciplinary Law and Religion Studies at the Open University: http://law-school.open.ac.uk/research/PILARS. This is a reserach hub for law and religion academics. 

Jessica carries out scholarship research in the field of online learning having led a team to win the Stan Marsh prize for best paper at the Association of Law Teachers’ Conference 2016. Her current reserach interests focus on interdisciplinarity and employability. She has also explored the impact of extra-curricular activities on students career prospects. 

Her published works include numerous law reports and case notes for the Incorporated Council of Law Reporting (2000-2013) and the Oxford Journal of Law and Religion (2012-to 2022). Her case comments cover law and religion issues including “The Brüstle and Eli Lilly cases: Creation - God or humankind?” (2012) OJLR 1(2): 518; “The Exercise of Religious Freedom in a Commercial Context: Preddy v Bull and other cases. (2014) OJLR 3(3): 512; “Parillo v Italy: Is there life in the European Court of Human Rights?” (co-authored with Professor Simon Lee) (2016) OJLR 5(1):162; Lee v McArthur: a proportionate restriction on religious freedom rights? [2016] PILARS CC3; A hoped for coherent and permissive EU religious freedom policy: the Bougnaouiand Achbita cases [2017] PILARS CC1; Neutrality in the business sphere: an encroachment on rights protection and state sovereignty? (2018) OJLR 7(2):339-346. 

She is co-editor with Dr Andrea Pin and Professor Frank S. Ravtich of the book 'Law, Religion and Tradition' for which she has authored a chapter on "Tradition as a Peacebuilding Tool". Springer, Switzerland, 2018. 

She is author of the book chapters'A theological justification for freedom of religion and belief as a universal human right' in Bunikowski, Dawid and Puppo, Alberto (2020) 'Why Religion? Towards a Critical Philosophy of Law, Peace and God'. Springer, Switzerland. and co-author of Contemporary Influences on the Role of Imams in Britain: A Critical Analysis of Leadership and Professionalisation for the Imamate in 21st Century Britain (2021-09-15) Hough, Christine Victoria; Abbott-Halpin, Edward; Mahmood, Tariq and Giles, Jessica, Religions, 12, Article 771(9)

Her journal articles include Religious Freedom in Global Context (2018) Giles, Jessica, Implicit Religion, 21(3) (pp. 239-270) and in the field of the scholarship of teaching and learning she has published “The Superfoods of Online Learning”: Journal of Commonwealth law and legal education Vol 11.1 Autumn 2016 and as co-author of Contemporary Influences on the Role of Imams in Britain: A Critical Analysis of Leadership and Professionalisation for the Imamate in 21st Century Britain (2021-09-15) Hough, Christine Victoria; Abbott-Halpin, Edward; Mahmood, Tariq and Giles, Jessica, Religions, 12, Article 771(9).

Jessica's blogs include:

2023  Giles, G Renewed hope for a New Year: pilgrimage, pandemic and transformation

Renewed hope for a New Year: pilgrimage, pandemic and transformation | Contemporary religion in historical perspective (open.ac.uk)

2022 Gilbert A and Giles J (2022) Law Students and Extra-curricular Activities in Time of the Pandemic

http://www.open.ac.uk/blogs/scilab/index.php/2022/04/28/law-students-and-extra-curricular-activities-in-a-time-of-pandemic/

Gilbert A and Giles J (2022) Law Graduates' Use of Extra-Curricular Activities to Get Started in the Legal Professions 

http://www.open.ac.uk/blogs/scilab/index.php/2022/05/20/law-graduates-use-of-extra-curricular-activities-to-get-started-in-the-legal-professions/ 

2020 Giles, J. How do I solve the world’s problems from my desk? SciLAB blog on interdisciplinary methodology and teaching 24 Nov 2020

2019 Giles, J. Universally Aspirational or Aspirationally Universal: the Right to Freedom of Thought, Conscience and Religion. LSE Real World Approaches: Freedom of Religion and Belief blog

2018 Giles, J. Year of Mygration Day 99 ‘D2uble Penalty: Refugees and Freedom of Religion and Belief’

For fuirther information on publications, please see 'publications' tab.

Jessica has taught at undergraduate and postgraduate level. She currently teaches public theology for the Rochester Diocese LLM course.

She is an APPLAUD mentor, mentoring colleagues for FHEA and SFHEA of the Advance Education Academy.

Jessica is an associate editor of the Oxford Journal of Law and Religion She is a member of the Law and Religion Scholars Network and the International Consortium of Law and Religion Scholars. She is on the advisory council of the The McDonald Centre for Theology, Ethics & Public Life, University of Oxford.  

She enjoys working with the highly successful OU student law society mooting team.

Jessica is a member of Inner Temple. She is also a member of the Ecclesiastical Law Society and the Law and Religion Scholars Network. She sits on the Advisory Council of the McDonald Centre for  Theology, Ethics and Public Life.

Jessica is a member of the International Consortium of Law and Religion Scholars and the Law and Religion Scholars Network

She is currently a PhD (by published works) candidate at Leiden University, The Netherlands