Religious Studies

Course summary

Encompassing philosophy, ethics and theology, you'll enjoy Religious Studies if you are fascinated by life's big questions. You'll need to be interested in the viewpoints and perspectives of others and enjoy essay writing. Religious studies has great relevance to modern life, ethical questions being of concern to many professionals, from the engineers designing driverless cars to doctors making decisions on health care. Religious Studies can be useful across a variety of careers and complements most other A level subjects. You'll learn to question, think, criticise, analyse and respect a wide range of ideas and opinions. You will develop your knowledge and understanding of a variety of philosophical arguments, ethical theories, religious and non-religious ideas as well considering your own interpretations. You'll engage in complex arguments such as the existence of God and the problem of evil and suffering. You'll learn how ideas about the philosophy of religion have changed over time, and focus on some of the important scholars and important influences on this process. You'll investigate different ethical theories and look at their application to current issues such as equality, war and peace and sexual ethics. You'll explore the Christian faith, look at Christian beliefs about the status of the Bible and study the text of the New Testament. You'll have the opportunity to study the beliefs, values and teachings of one further religion in depth.