Philosophy & Ethics and Religious Studies BA (Hons) (with Foundation Year)

PHILOSOPHY & ETHICS

Philosophy and Ethics explores the big questions of life and morality: on what basis do we judge things good or evil? It challenges you to examine your assumptions, opinions and worldview. Do we need to believe in God for life to have meaning – or have the arguments for the existence of God broken down? What does it mean to be human? Do we have free will, or is our life completely determined?

Through close attention to the primary texts of philosophers such as Plato, Aquinas, Descartes, Hume, Kant and Nietzsche, our Philosophy and Ethics degree will help you learn to analyse and evaluate arguments, and to compose and communicate your own ideas in a reasoned way. You will have a grounding in the foundational questions of philosophy. As you progress, you will look in depth at philosophy of religion, political philosophy, applied ethics and issues of human personhood, artificial intelligence, ecology and animality.

Liverpool is a great place to study philosophy: the city famously wears its heart on its sleeve, and is home to a rich web of cultures that explore the human condition through humour, art and performance. The Liverpool Hope team has developed a programme that aims to be contemporary and timely, especially in the field of applied ethics. And in a city that has been riven with sectarian strife in its past, the innovative approaches that the team takes to thinking about religion in the modern world are highly topical. 

 This degree will help you to develop your professional capacity by equipping you with the intellectual skills and perspectives needed to face the ethical and ideological challenges of the contemporary world. Such skills are essential for careers that require you to grasp with complex and often conflicting ideas across a whole range of professions.

RELIGIOUS STUDIES

Religious Studies at Liverpool Hope explores the practice and significance of religion in contemporary society through the study of Christianity, Judaism, Islam, African religious traditions, and Indic traditions such as Buddhism and Hinduism. A balance between the study of religious texts and lived religion in the contemporary world is maintained throughout the degree. Religious Studies pays close attention to what supporters of these religions think, do, and  believe, and explores the very real differences that exist between various groups within each faith.

Throughout your studies, you will analyse and contextualise the thinking behind key religions to appreciate their history, spirituality, and their relevance to the social and political landscape. All of our teaching is research-informed and you will be taught by highly-qualified academics, all of whom have a PhD in the area, who are both active and published researchers and committed teachers. We work hard to provide top-quality educational opportunities for all our students, and the Department has recently invested heavily in learning resources; combined library holdings in Theology and Religion are now in excess of 100,000 volumes.

Above all, the Religious Studies degree treats religions as lived faiths by looking at the way that they are followed in Britain and across the globe today. You acquire skills in the different methods of studying religion. The degree examines profound questions of faith and life in ways that are intellectually challenging, illuminating, and engaging. By drawing out the complex issues that surround religious belief and expression, the degree equips you to engage with the pressing questions of our time and to play your part in promoting religious and social harmony.