Advanced/Advanced Subsidiary GCE Religious Studies

Advanced/Advanced Subsidiary GCE Religious Studies

Entry Requirements
There are no special requirements beyond the normal 5 GCSE grades A-C.

About the Course
The AQA Religious Studies Specification followed offers an academic approach to the study of religion and is accessible to candidates of any religious persuasion or none.

This course encourages candidates to:

• develop their interest in, and enthusiasm for, a rigorous study of religion and its relation to the wider world.
• treat the subject as an academic discipline by developing knowledge, understanding and skills appropriate to a specialist study of religion
• adopt an enquiring, critical and reflective approach to the study of religion
• reflect on and develop their own values, opinions and attitudes in the light of their learning.

The AS modules introduce key concepts and terminology, relating to significant people, traditions, major issues, and other aspects of human experience. Students will be expected to demonstrate maturity of thought, expression and analytical skills, making connections between topics, sustaining arguments reflecting the complexities of issues.

The modules outlined here are intended as guidance and may be subject to considerable change, particularly units 2 and 3.

Unit 1 (AS)

Religion, Philosophy and Science

An introduction to religion, philosophy and science, covering such issues as Miracles, Creation, The Design Argument and Quantum mechanics and a religious world view. Are science and religion in conflict, complementary or irrelevant to each other?

Unit 2 (AS

) Philosophy of Religion

Four topics are studied within this module:

The Cosmological Argument for the existence of God, Religious Experience, including mysticism, visions and conversion; Psychology and Religion, Freud and Jung; and Atheism and Postmodernism.

Unit 3 (A2)

Philosophy of Religion

Four topics are studied including:

The Ontological Argument for the existence of God; Religious language; Body, Soul and personal identity; and The Problem of Evil.

Unit 4 (A2)

Life, Death and Beyond
This unit looks at the religious and secular perspectives on the nature and value of human life; eschatological and apocalyptic teaching and attitudes; religious and secular ideas about the importance of the present life and life after death and beliefs about death and beyond.

A GCSE in religious studies is not essential but a positive, enquiring, empathetic approach is essential.