Student Zone

Welcome to The Tablet's Student Zone, a resource for sixth-form and undergraduate students of Religious Studies and related subjects around the world, for their teachers, and for anyone else who would like to find out more about the "big questions" of life.

Is there a God? Where did the universe come from? Is there a purpose to life? Do we all share a single human nature? Why would a good God allow suffering? Do I have the right to choose the manner of my death? How can words convey meaning about things beyond human experience? If you enjoy asking questions like these then this site is for you.

The Student Zone includes video introductions and detailed written information on common areas of study, particularly on topics in ethics, the philosophy of religion, and religion and science. Selected articles from the Catholic weekly The Tablet, which are written by experts and explore the complexities of issues, are recommended for further reading on many topics.

There are also sample essay questions, reading lists and web-directories for going deeper into each area of study, and a whole page of advice on how to write good essays and get high grades in examinations. We have even put together a bank of useful quotations to get you started.

For teachers, there are free downloadable resources based around recent Tablet articles on issues such as abortion, assisted dying, the environment, business ethics and science and religion. These resources are rich and genuinely stretching; they can be used as-is as a test, a holiday homework assignment or a unit of work while a teacher is absent or otherwise adapted by teachers to suit their groups.