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Department Reviews

RELIGIOUS STUDIES

The Religious Studies department has had another busy year and the popularity of the subject continues to rise, especially at A-Level, where the Philosophy of Religion and Religious Ethics modules are attracting more and more students. We were particularly pleased to find so many SFC2 girls interested in studying Theology at University, with a fifth of our students choosing to continue with the subject. We have also branched out this year, offering support to those who wish to study Philosophy at university. We ran a series of classes, from logic to political philosophy, to give the students an introduction to some major philosophical questions. With philosophy becoming increasingly popular on a national level, we aim to be able to give the necessary guidance and support in this area, as well as continuing to advise Theology students.

Much of the popularity of the subject at College comes from the variety of activities available outside of the classroom, from Lower College to Sixth Form. Philosophy Café has continued to be run by two highly enthusiastic sixth formers. Girls have concentrated on philosophical concepts, from an examination of beauty to a view of love through the eyes of different philosophers. Interactive games and video clips bring greater understanding, and cookies and beanbags help too! We have also introduced a new extra-curricular club this year, this time for Upper College girls. Philosophy Forum aims to engage the girls in ‘doing’ philosophy. They have even looked at some original texts, such as Plato’s Phaedrus, and had the opportunity to reflect on the ‘big questions’, including ‘How do we know we know anything?’ Although clearly challenging, this new venture has been very well received and some impressive and insightful discussions have resulted. For sixth form girls, Philosophy Society remains popular, not least because it is run in conjunction with Cheltenham College! We have had some very interesting addresses this year, with great variety. In November, we welcomed our very own Dr Chapman to present on the political philosophy of Thomas Hobbes, the subject of her doctoral thesis. We have also heard from Professor Raphael-Levine, who spoke in a most engaging way on ‘Does Western Philosophy despise women?’ In a field which can sometimes seem dominated by male scholars, it was wonderful for the girls to hear from such successful, intelligent and reflective women.

This year we also ran our 5th Religious Studies Sixth Form Conference for all schools in Gloucestershire, and some even came from much further afield. We welcomed over 500 visitors in total, our largest number since the very first conference. A great ‘crowd-puller’ was Professor Richard Swinburne, well known to A Level RS students across the country. He addressed us on ‘the mind-body problem’, leading us through the issue of self-identity and the concept of a non-physical element of personhood. Also highly engaging was Professor Simon Blackburn, author of well-known, accessible philosophy texts such as Think. He based his lecture on David Hume’s Dialogues concerning Natural Religion and considered the nature of God’s existence in the light of this. Finally, we were privileged to listen to Professor John Barton, a real expert in Old Testament Theology, as he discussed the nature of God as depicted in the Bible, including the apparent paradox of his transcendence and immanence. For our SFC1 girls, we also arranged another conference at the end of the year entitled Now that’s a Good Argument, in which they learnt how to formulate and structure a convincing argument, which will be invaluable for their A2 studies next year.

Sixth formers were also delighted with the return, after several years, of ‘Three Men on a Sofa’. This relaxed, yet highly thought-provoking evening, saw teachers from three disciplines meet together (on a sofa, naturally!) to discuss some crucial cross-curricular issues: Mr Pothecary for Physics, Mr Davies for Religious Studies, and Mr Kent, who described himself as ‘the Biologian’. Questions discussed included ‘Can religion survive in the secular, scientific world of the 21st century?’ and ‘How severe is the conflict between religion and science over creation and morality?’ Interestingly, although there was disagreement, there was also much agreement, especially in the discussion on freedom and morality, which helped the girls to see that there is meaningful discussion to be had between these subjects.

We have run all our usual trips this year, with something for everyone. We also ran a new trip for LC2s to the Anne Frank exhibition in Gloucester Cathedral, which linked well their study of her diary for English and their focus on anti-semitism for RS. There were some changes to the LC3 trip this year, with the Art Department joining Biology and RS on a real ‘cross-curricular’ day, and with the location being changed from London to Oxford to decrease travelling time. For the RS part of the day, girls were given a tour of the stained glass windows of Christ Church Cathedral. The highlight was definitely the window of St Frideswide, for which College has the original cartoons in the Council Room. Girls also enjoyed the fact that it is the only stained glass window in the country to contain the image of a modern flush toilet! Of course they were also delighted to get a glimpse of some of the places in Christ Church College where scenes from Harry Potter and The Golden Compass were filmed. After that, girls were treated to a debate held in the Oxford Union which was put on by some SFC volunteers. The setting was quite awe-inspiring, owing to its fame for world-class speakers, and this definitely added to the sense of occasion.

We have also been lucky to welcome several visitors into various RS lessons. In particular, Father Richard Nesbitt, a Roman Catholic priest, and Bishop Jeremiah Kibobi, a Kenyan bishop, who were very brave in allowing the girls to ask any questions they had about Christian ethics, the Bible or life as a religious leader. The girls impressed us with their mature reflections and it is always valuable to hear the perspectives of those who have devoted their lives to their faith.

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