Religious Studies

Course outline

OCR

Religious Studies at A Level allows you to be introduced to an academic approach to Philosophy and Theology through a set of topics which build upon what you have done at GCSE. It can also be studied by someone who has never done GCSE Religious Studies. The main emphasis throughout the course is to develop a reasoned argument. This means that you will be encouraged to think for yourself; look for flaws in arguments; and come to conclusions about the success or failure of theories. Neither belief in a religion, nor lack of belief, is a necessity for this course. You need to have an open mind and a desire to study people’s beliefs in depth and to examine your own ideas.

Religious Studies is a well-established subject at A Level and at university. It is recognised as an academic subject by the universities, and one which equips students with highly transferable skills such as the ability to formulate arguments clearly, to make reasoned judgments and to evaluate highly complex and multifaceted issues. The subject leads to all sorts of careers in the arts, law, journalism, politics, languages. It helps with people-centred careers and medical ethical decisions. But most of all it teaches you to think and question and argue logically and coherently.

Religious Studies is not about asking useless questions about things that cannot be answered. It is not about answering the question of the meaning of life. It is a real and relevant exploration of the quest for meaning and understanding.

As another female philosopher said: “It seems to me that good philosophy will always have a place in the investigation of any matter of deep human importance, because of its commitment to clarity, to carefully drawn distinctions, to calm argument rather than prejudice and dogmatic assertion” (Martha Nussbaum: “Philosophical Interventions” (Reviews 1986-2011)”)

The A Level is assessed by three 2 hour exams at the end of Year 13, all of equal weight.

Philosophy of Religion

• Ancient philosophical ideas from Plato and Aristotle

• The nature of the soul, mind and body

• Arguments about the existence or nonexistence of God

• Religious Experience

• The Problem of Evil

• Ideas about the nature of God

• Issues in religious language.

Religion and Ethics

• Normative ethical theories:

• Natural Law

• Utilitarianism

• Kant

• Applied ethics

• Euthanasia

• Business ethics

• Sexual ethics

• Ethical language and thought

• Debates about conscience

Developments in Christian Thought

• Ideas of human nature: free will, death and the afterlife

• The Nature of God: Creator and Incarnation

• Christian ethical theory, and action: Bonhoeffer

• Christianity in modern society:

• Feminist theology

• Liberation Theology

• The challenge of Secularism: Freud and Dawkins