Religious Studies

Course summary

This course aims to encourage students to: • Develop their interest in a rigorous study of religion and belief and relate it to the wider world. • Develop an understanding and appreciation of religious thought and its contribution to individuals, communities, and societies. • Adopt an enquiring, critical, and reflective approach to the study of religion. • Reflect on and develop their values, opinions, and attitudes in the light of their study. Component 2 – A Study of Religion (Christianity) • Theme 1: Sources of Wisdom and Authority • Theme 2: God • Theme 3: Self, Death and the Afterlife • Theme 4: Good conduct and key moral principles • Theme 5: Expressions of religious identity • Theme 6: Christianity, gender and sexuality • Theme 7: Christianity and science • Theme 8: Christianity and the challenge of secularisation • Theme 9: Christianity, migration, and religious pluralism • Theme 10: The Dialogue between Christianity and Philosophy • Theme 11: The Dialogue between Christianity and Ethics Component 1: Section A – Philosophy of Religion • Theme 1: Arguments for the existence of God. • Theme 2: Evil and Suffering • Theme 3: Religious Experience. • Theme 4: Religious Language • Theme 5: Miracles • Theme 6: Self, death and the afterlife Component 1: Section B – Ethics and Religion • Theme 1: Normative Ethical Theories • Theme 2: The Application of Ethical Theories to Issues of human life and death • Theme 3: The Application of Ethical Theories to Issues of Non-human life and death • Theme 4: An Introduction to Meta-ethics • Theme 5: Free Will and Moral Responsibility • Theme 6: Conscience • Theme 7: Bentham and Kant