A2 Religious Studies

We teach three modules in the A2 course (AQA Religious Studies)

Module 9: Studies in Religion and Ethics

This module examines a number of issues in religious ethics, including Virtue Ethics, and questions of free will and determinism in Ethics.

These are then applied to particular moral issues: a) issues raised by science and technology, including cloning, genetic engineering and animal experimentation, and b) economic and business ethics in relation to less economically developed countries, consumerism, investment / profits and business espionage.

Module 11: Studies in the Philosophy of Religion

This module studies three areas in the philosophy of religion. Firstly it looks as the problem of evil as an example of a strong argument against the existence of God, examining some of the traditional responses by believers to the problem of evil.

Secondly it examines two famous arguments for the existence of God: the cosmological and the ontological arguments.

Thirdly there is a section on religious experience, which looks at mysticism and at near death experiences.

Module 12: Studies in Religion and Human Experience

This is known as the synoptic module. It draws upon candidates’ investigations and knowledge, understanding and skills gained throughout the course. Candidates are expected to use material from all the previous five modules that they have studied during the course.

The chosen theme for our treatment of the synoptic module is Religious Authority. The various types of authority within religion are examined and there is a critical examination of the challenges to authority in the modern world, and how religious belief challenges modern assumptions about secular authority.