Religious Studies

Course summary

The aim of the course is to develop a questioning attitude. Students will learn how to critically analyze philosophical arguments and consider the works of key thinkers. The course content complements other subjects studied at A Level, both in arts and sciences. It is regarded as academically challenging and is well-received in applications for a wide range of university courses. Ethics is about moral choices. Students will consider in detail deontological and teleological systems of ethics including the ideas of Kant and Jeremy Bentham. These normative theories will be applied to the right-to-die debate, business ethics, and questions about sex and sexuality. In Year 13 we ask ‘What is conscience’ and consider whether moral statements are objective or simply subjective and culturally relative. Philosophy of Religion focuses on the works of Plato and Aristotle, challenges arguments for the existence of God, and considers the possibility of life after death. In Year 13 we look at religious language and logical positivism. Developments in religious thought focus on what it means to be human, the relationship between religion and society, and gender and theology. We also consider the works of Dietrich Bonhoeffer.