Religious Studies

Course summary

Do you enjoy thinking about big questions such as ‘Why are we here?’, ‘Is there a purpose to our existence’, ‘Why do bad things happen?’ or ‘Does God exist?’. If the answer is ‘Yes’, then this is the course for you. In Religious Studies we develop the age-old academic skill of developing our own views and assessing the arguments of others to critically evaluate our understanding of the philosophy and ethics associated with religion. Whether you are religious, atheist, or agnostic, it doesn’t matter. Being able to argue your point is what is important here. Within the course, we think about lots of issues such as abortion, capital punishment, embryo research, war, arguments for and against God’s existence, the nature of human life, the afterlife, evil and suffering, and many other topics which means we have lots of thought-provoking discussions. It’s a course that makes you question preconceptions you might have, or might not even realize you have! If you like to make your mind melt from thinking too much about difficult questions and don’t mind there not being a right answer to a question then this is the course for you. We will visit places of worship during your time studies to extend your knowledge of religion, philosophy, and ethics and how this functions in the world today. Thinking about the future, this course will support any degree at university, apprenticeships, and also the world of work - where will you ever find a future where you won’t have to consider the views of others, critically analyze them, and reach your own conclusion? This is exactly what this course will give you the skills to do. It will also be suitable for students who want to debate their point of view in class and develop their skills in preparation for university. There are also specific career paths and courses in which studying this course will be highly beneficial such as; medicine, health and social care, journalism, uniformed and armed services, travel and tourism, law, sciences, and education. Religious studies is a highly valuable course at university.