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Is Religious Studies a tradtional, academic subject?

Hey all, i'm just wondering whether or not Religious Studies is considered a traditional, academic subject. For example, considered on a par with history, english lit etc as i'm doing it for one of my as level's and wish to study law at university, is this subject good for law as well? (sorry i'm asking so many questions!)

Reply 1

thejester

I'm fairly sure that Cambridge have it down as a traditional subject, so if its good enough for them.....

Reply 2

brown

4

I did AS RS along with German, Law and Accounting and got a Cambridge interview and offers from Nottingham, Manchester, Sheffield and Leeds.

So in response to your question, yes it is considered a traditional, academic subject. You are planning to take English Lit and History as well, which are both HIGHLY respected subjects. I think your choice of subjects is very good and should allow you to be accepted onto any law course (provided you get the grades, of course) :wink:

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I have thoroughly enjoyed my A-level in Religious Studies and I would definitely recommend it to someone like you. You'll cover many topics which are relevant to law: morality and ethics, credibility of evidence, to name a few.

Reply 3

calcium878

18

I'd say so, perhaps not as much as English Literature or History, but probably moreso alongside Politics and Economics.

Reply 4

purple-girl

17

Well, it's on the Cambridge 'A' list, so that shows something, though it's probably not quite as respected as History or English lit. But it would still be a good subject to take :smile:

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Reply 5

abc101

17

It's traditional and respected, and much more challenging and absorbing than people think who put it down as one of those 'studies' subjects give it credit for.

Reply 6

rachd_22

13

id definately recommend taking it. its not an 'easy' subject to get your head round some of the concepts BUT it is very rewarding.

Reply 7

colemanator

OP

1

so hypothetically if personally i was to apply to a good university with my a-level's of English literature, Religious Studies, Drama and business, would another applicant of eng lit, history, drama and business be preferred?

p.s. I also here english lit is more respected than english language a-level, is this also true or just myth?

Reply 8

purple-girl

17

Yeah, that's true about Eng Lit being more respected. Eng Lit is on the 'A' list, Eng Lang is on the 'B' list at Cambridge.

I think it would depend on the course. But in a way they both show the same skills. Possibly the History would be slightly more favoured, but I think in that case it would be a case of other extra-curricular. But I think both might be disadvantaged by having only 2 'A' list subjects, whereas many would have more than that. But you really couldn't say.

Reply 9

melissabee

7

I honestly haven't found it academically challenging and it required little work in comparison to English lit. You could get an A by doing the bare minimum. Only do it if you're really interested otherwise it isn't worth the time.

Reply 10

Mathemagician. Funny?

colemanator

so hypothetically if personally i was to apply to a good university with my a-level's of English literature, Religious Studies, Drama and business, would another applicant of eng lit, history, drama and business be preferred?

p.s. I also here english lit is more respected than english language a-level, is this also true or just myth?

Not really because there isn't much between the subjects of history and RS in terms of respectability.

Reply 11

Kolya

17

I think you should choose the subjects you would enjoy most, before thinking about universities, instead of picking the universities first and trying to make your subjects meet the entry criteria. The second choice, the choice you seem to have made, is more likely to make you unhappy both when doing your A-levels and beyond.

Reply 12

kellywood_5

17

I wouldn't say it was quite as respected as history and English lit, but it's still a traditional academic subject and on the Cambridge A list. If you'd prefer it to another subject that's slightly more respected, take it because it's unlikely to make a difference and you'll have more motivation to work hard and do well.

Reply 13

abc101

17

RS is more respected than Drama or Business - I do believe, correct me if I'm wrong, that the latter are both blacklisted by some universities, though I'm not sure, but I think that's the case.

Reply 14

.ACS.

19

Religious Studies is a rigorous and widely respected subject. It may have ‘Studies’ on the end, but it’s one of the exceptions. As to whether it’s on par with English Literature or History, that’s debatable, but Trinity College, Cambridge do have all three subjects on their List A which is very suitable A-Levels – So really, you won’t be disadvantaged at all by having it.

Reply 15

brown

4

Andrzej S.

Religious Studies is a rigorous and widely respected subject. It may have ‘Studies’ on the end, but it’s one of the exceptions. As to whether it’s on par with English Literature or History, that’s debatable, but Trinity College, Cambridge do have all three subjects on their List A which is very suitable A-Levels – So really, you won’t be disadvantaged at all by having it.

:dito: I agree :smile:

. Some people are put off RS just because it has 'Studies' on the end. But what else would you call it? An A-Level in Religion/Religious Education doesn't sound exactly better. Theology would sound better but it wouldn't exactly be an accurate description because A-Level RS involves a wide range of issues, e.g. ethics, science, philosophy, and is not solely concerned with the study of God.

Reply 16

Toiletpaper8

13

Lusus Naturae

I think you should choose the subjects you would enjoy most, before thinking about universities, instead of picking the universities first and trying to make your subjects meet the entry criteria. The second choice, the choice you seem to have made, is more likely to make you unhappy both when doing your A-levels and beyond.

:dito:

Reply 17

sophisticated

17

rachd_22

id definitely recommend taking it. its not an 'easy' subject to get your head round some of the concepts BUT it is very rewarding.

I agree...and it teaches you good debating and essay writing skills, looking at things from other perspectives - good for a career in Law!
I did RS for A level and I really enjoyed it.

Reply 18

brown

4

sophisticated

I agree...and it teaches you good debating and essay writing skills, looking at things from other perspectives - good for a career in Law!
I did RS for A level and I really enjoyed it.

It's funny you should say that because that's one of the reasons I took A-Level RS, apart from the fact that I enjoyed it and was good at it. It really does teach you to have an open mind and respect other people's opinions. You have to be prepared to listen to the other side of the story and consider alternative viewpoints.