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Religious Studies A Level

SPECIFICATION LINK: H573

TITLE: OCR Level 3 Advanced GCE in Religious Studies (601/8868/6)

COURSE INFORMATION

  • Philosophy of Religion
  • Religion and Ethics
  • Developments in Religious Thought
Course Content

Philosophy of Religion

  • Ancient Greeks
  • Plato
  • Aristotle
  • Judaeo – Christian influences
  • The concept/goodness of God
  • Nature and Impact of religious experience
  • Nature of God
  • Arguments for the existence of God.
  • Challenges to religious belief
  • The problems of evil
  • Religion and Science
  • Life after death
  • Issues of religious language

Religion and Ethics

  • Ethical Theories - natural law, situation ethics, Kantian ethics, Utilitarianism, virtue ethics
  • Ethical language and thought
  • Debater of conscience and free will
  • Applied Ethics to
  • Sex and sexuality in the 21st century
  • Euthanasia
  • Quality/sanctity of life
  • Personhood and the right to die

Developments in Christian Thought

  • Human nature and the purpose of life
  • Revelation and biblical tradition
  • The nature of Christ
  • The challenge of Secularism
  • Pluralism in Theology and Society
  • Gender in Theology and Society

ASSESSMENT STRUCTURE

  • 3 units of work. Each paper two hours in length. For each unit, three essays out of 4.

OTHER INFORMATION

The aim of the course is to encourage students to identify basic questions of religion and to explore such questions within the context of the Christian tradition, scholarship and experience for both past and present. No commitment to religious belief is required by the syllabus, which is open to candidates of religious persuasion or none. Assessment will not be concerned with judging personal beliefs: arguments about the issues raised will be judged solely on their own merit.

ROUTES FOR PROGRESSION

This course intends to question your ideas and challenge your own values! As such it is an ideal preparation for any University or College course that requires analytical thought. Some of our greatest scientists from Newton to Hawking and Bragg to Bronowski have also been our greatest philosophers!

You will be expected to show knowledge of the topics and texts specified in each module, an understanding of the significance of the material studied, an ability to express yourself clearly in an intelligent argument and make some attempt at evaluation.

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