Religious Studies

Course summary

Exam board – AQA, Specification 7062 Minimum requirements for the course: Grade 6 in a Humanities subject. Staff contact: Mr M Gibson, mgi@cheneyschool.org What is Religious Studies all about? Religion is a multi-faceted reality, which involves communities, practices, traditions, texts, and worldviews or beliefs. As such, we study religion from a range of different perspectives. In Philosophy of Religion, we look at key arguments within religion, including arguments for the existence of God and the nature of miracles. In Ethics and Religion, we study religious and non-religious responses the major moral problems, such as cloning and capital punishment. Finally, we study the historical and contemporary development of a major world religion and its relationship to philosophy and morality. Course structure: Paper 1: Section A: Philosophy of religion Section B: Ethics and religion Paper 2: Section A: Study of Religion Section B: Dialogue between religion and philosophy Section C: Dialogue between religion and morality Complementary courses: Religious Studies complements History, Politics, Sociology, Psychology, English Literature and languages subjects. A-Level Philosophy and Religious Studies can be taken together or separately. Resources: AQA A-level Religious Studies Year 1: Including AS, John Frye; AQA A-level Religious Studies Year 2, John Frye, Mel Thompson, Deborah Herring Leads to: Religious Studies can directly lead to degrees in Theology and/or Religious Studies. Religious Studies provides a strong background for those applying for History, English Literature, Philosophy and Classical Studies degrees. The interdisciplinary nature of Religious Studies prepares students for other social sciences degrees, including Politics, Sociology and Anthropology. The moral and ethical questions covered also make Religious Studies highly suitable for those who want to apply for degrees relating to medicine, law or social work.