Religious Studies

Course summary

Component 1: Philosophy of Religion • Ancient philosophical influences • Arguments about the existence of God • Religious experiences • The problem of evil • The nature of the soul, mind and body • Life after death • Issues in religious language Component 2: Religion and Ethics • Normative ethical theory • The application of ethical theories to two contemporary issues of importance • Ethical language and thought • Conscience and free will • The influence in ethical thought of developments in religious beliefs and the philosophy of religion Component 3: Development in religious thought (you will study ONE religion) • 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 • Social and historical developments in theology and religious thought • Relationship between religion and society