Religious Studies

Course summary

Unit 1 - Philosophy of religion: Learners will study ancient philosophical influences, arguments about the existence or non-existence of God, the nature and impact of religious experiences, the challenge for religious belief of the problem of evil, the nature of the soul, mind and body, the possibility of life after death, ideas about the nature of God and issues in religious language. Unit 2 - Religion and ethics: Learners will study normative ethical theories, the application of ethical theories to two contemporary issues of importance, ethical language and thought, debates surrounding the significant ideas of conscience and free will and the influence on ethical thought of developments in religious beliefs and the philosophy of religion. Unit 3 - Developments in religious thought: Learners will study religious beliefs, values and teachings, their interconnections and how they vary historically and in the contemporary world, sources of religious wisdom and authority, practices which shape and express religious identity, and how these vary within a tradition, significant social and historical developments in theology and religious thought and key themes related to the relationship between religion and society.