Religious Studies

Course summary

To provide an understanding of the philosophical and ethical foundations of religious belief. Unit 1 – Philosophy of Religion Topics include: - Ancient philosophical influences - The nature of the soul, mind and body - Arguments about the existence or non-existence of God - The nature and impact of religious experience - The challenge for religious belief of the problem of evil - Ideas about the nature of God - Issues in religious language. Unit 2 – Religion and ethics Topics include: - Normative ethical theories - The application of ethical theory to two contemporary issues of importance - Ethical language and thought - Debates surrounding the significant idea of conscience - Sexual ethics and the influence on ethical thought of developments in religious beliefs. Unit 3 – Developments in Christian Thought Topics include: - 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 - Key themes related to the relationship between religion and society in the context of Christianity.