Religious Studies AS/A2

The course will provide students with opportunities to:

• develop an interest in and enthusiasm for a rigorous study of religion
• adopt an enquiring, critical and reflective approach to the study of religion
• critically evaluate and justify points of view through the use of evidence and reasoned argument.

Course Outline

There are four units – two at AS and two at A2.

AS Level

It is worth 50% of the A level. Candidates study two units, each one worth 50% of the AS:

1.      RS1 - Introduction to Religion and Ethics

• Aquinas’ Natural Law
• Situation Ethics: Joseph Fletcher
• Utilitarianism: Bentham and Mill
• Applied Ethics – ethical teaching of one religion on sexual orientation, sexual relationships and marriage.

A 1 hour 15 minute written examination is sat in January. Four structured questions are set, of which candidates will be required to answer two.

2.     RS2 - Introduction to Philosophy of Religion

• The existence of God (i) – Cosmological Arguments
• The existence of God (ii) – Teleological Arguments
• Evil and Suffering
• An introduction to Religious Experience: Mysticism

A 1 hour 15 minute written examination is sat in May. Four structured questions are set, of which candidates will be required to answer two.

A2 Level

It is worth 50% of the course. Candidates study two units, each one is worth 50% of the A2:

3.     RS3 – Studies in Religion

Candidates develop a synoptic understanding of Religion and Ethics OR Philosophy of Religion by examining complex ethical theories and issues or philosophical concepts.

Studies in Religion and Ethics

• Aristotle’s Virtue Theory
• Kant’s Moral Theory
• The Ethics of War
• Medical and Genetic Ethics

 OR

Studies in Philosophy of Religion

• Is religious faith rational?
• Is religious language meaningful?
• Is religious faith compatible with scientific evidence?
• Are we ‘free’ beings?

A 1 hour 45 minute written examination is sat in June. Four structured questions are set, of which candidates will be required to answer two.

4.     RS4 – Studies in Religion and Human Experience

Candidates investigate one of the topics below:

• Religious Authority
• Religious Experience
• Life, Death and Life After Death

A 1 hour 45 minute written examination is sat in June. Three structured questions are set, of which candidates will be required to answer one.