Religious Studies

Course summary

If you have not tasted philosophical inquiry for yourself yet, we expect that you’ll soon agree with the perspective of many who’ve practised it: it brings its own deep satisfaction. Aristotle describes his and his students’ experiences like this: “all men feel at home in philosophy and wish to spend time on it, leaving all other things aside”. Quite apart from the “selfish” reasons of enjoyability, the experience of studying Philosophy, Ethics and Theology is revolutionary. You will develop a habit of questioning the assumptions behind received ideas and interrogating the meanings we give words. You will learn the histories of the fashionable prejudices that make up “common sense”, so you can see whether they stand up to scrutiny. You will explore how people make sense of morality and apply a range of ethical theories to modern day issues. You will study Christian Theology so you can explore the rival accounts of reality and the value systems that challenge yet deepen our understanding of the world around us.