Religious Studies

Course summary

Does God exist? If God exists, and is good, then why is there so much suffering in the world? Why should we believe in the concept of miracles? Is religion just a fiction invented to bring comfort to people in difficult times? Is it ever morally right to go to war? Are abortions acceptable? These are the kinds of questions that you will study. We will examine some of the answers that the great philosophers have given to these questions over the centuries. You will broaden your horizons and develop your powers of reasoning. You will also learn to express your views clearly and logically, both in speech and in writing. You will develop knowledge and skills that will be highly appreciated both by universities and employers. Your study will involve an overview of the main theories in different areas of philosophy. You will study the following topics: Unit 1: foundations – a study of philosophical arguments about the existence of God and selected problems in the philosophy of religion. Ethics; ethical concepts and dilemmas. Unit 2: religious studies – investigations: the study of the philosophy of religion: religious experience and the study of ethics: medical ethics; you study one topic. At A2, you will continue to study philosophy of religion and ethics: Unit 3: developments -comprises further study of philosophical arguments about the existence of God and selected problems in the philosophy of religion, as well as further study of ethical concepts and problems. Unit 4: implications – in the implications paper, you are given a piece of text from an anthology and asked one question concerning the implications of this text for religion and human experience.