Year 1

1. ‘Philosophy of religion’: This unit explores philosophical issues and questions raised by religion and belief. You will explore ancient philosophical influences and the concepts of soul, mind, and body and how these are significant concepts. You will also look at the works of key thinkers. You will critically analyse three contrasting arguments regarding the existence of God to formulate a foundation for philosophy of religion, as well as being key to the beliefs of many individuals. You will also be introduced to distinct types of religious experience and discuss the significance and meaning of such experiences. You will explore debates such as the problem of evil and suffering and the nature of God before also exploring whether religious teachings should be understood symbolically or analogically.

2. ‘Religion and ethics’: You will have an opportunity to study key concepts related to ethics. You will study four normative ethical theories from a range of approaches: deontological, teleological, religious, and non-religious. You will then apply these to two issues of importance: euthanasia and business ethics. You will also explore ethical language and how it has changed over time and been interpreted by different individuals. You will examine significant ethical concepts such as conscience by examining the works of two key thinkers; Aquinas and Freud. Lastly you will also examine areas of sexual ethics, exploring how attitudes to pre and extra marital sex and homosexuality have been influenced by development in religious beliefs and how the four normative theories can be applied to these areas.

Year 2

3. ‘Development in religious thought’: This unit contains a systematic study of key concepts and development of religious thought in a major world religion: Islam. You will explore religious beliefs, values and teachings, their interconnections, how they have developed historically and how they are presently discussed. You will explore concepts from prophecy, revelation and tradition, ideas on the nature and existence of God, human nature, destiny, and a range of scientific and philosophical knowledge through the lens of Islam.

A minimum of five GCSEs at grade 4 and above, including English Language and Maths. A grade 5 in English Language and English Literature.

Religion, Ethics and Philosophy is a useful subject to combine with Sociology due to some shared concepts. It can also be combined with Politics and Economics to form the basis of a PPE background if you are thinking of exploring that route at university. Other humanities, such as History or Geography would also work well as a combination of subjects, and even Law, Criminology or Psychology. Philosophy, ethics, and religion is useful if you are looking at a career in international relations, the civil service or law as it gives you a good understanding of why people think in diverse ways. It is also useful for any type of career in academia, the charity sector or marketing as it develops writing skills.