Students taking Religious Studies should have
an interest in understanding ideas humans have surrounding some of the 'big'
questions people have asked. Pupils will
enjoy studying R.S. if they wish to challenge some of the assumptions they hold
about right and wrong, the nature of God, reality and the meaningfulness of
language. Students will be introduced to
a variety of philosophers and critically evaluate their contribution to human
knowledge. The course is academically
rigorous and requires students to develop skills in written argument.
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AS Units G571: AS
Philosophy of Religion Students are introduced to the ideas of the
ancient Greek philosophers Plato and Aristotle. Pupils will consider the nature of reality
from the perspective of these two philosophers. The course then moves on to consider the
goodness of God and the idea of God as creator. Pupils will then tackle various arguments
for the existence of God and the challenges to those arguments from science
and the existence of evil. In this
Unit pupils will study the ideas of Descartes, Anselm, Kant, Paley, Mill and
Freud. G572: AS
Religious Ethics This section of the course tackles different
understandings of right and wrong from the perspectives of various ethical
frameworks. Students will consider whether concepts of right and wrong are
relative to the situation or absolute regardless of circumstances. The course covers the ethical theories of
Utilitarianism, Natural Moral Law, Kantian Ethics and Situation Ethics.
Candidates will be required to apply the ethical theories they have studied
to the following issues; abortion, euthanasia, genetic engineering, war and
peace |
A2 Units G581: A2
Philosophy of Religion At A2 pupils will consider the meaningfulness of
Religious language and what light it sheds upon human understanding of
God. Pupils will consider whether a
distinction should be made between the body and soul. Different views of the afterlife including
reincarnation and resurrection will be tackled as will the nature of
God. Religious experiences will be
critically studied as will the topic of God's interaction with humanity. G582: A2
Religious Ethics A2 Ethics introduces pupils to the topic of Meta
Ethics. Meta Ethics considers the nature of ethical language and what
different philosophers understand by words such as 'good' , 'bad', 'right'
and 'wrong'. Students will consider
the nature of free will and the extent to which human behaviour can be
considered determined. The nature of
the conscience and the role it plays in making ethical decisions will be
studied. This section of the course introduces pupils to Virtue Ethics, which
along with the theories considered at AS must be applied to ethical issues
surrounding sex, business and the environment. |
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Assessment
details 2 exams will be sat in the summer term. It is possible to re-take some of the summer
exams the following January. All exams are externally assessed. G571: AS Philosophy of Religion 50% of AS GCE marks 1.5 hour exam
70 marks G572: AS Religious Ethics 50% of AS GCE marks 1.5 hour exam
70 marks Candidates
are required to answer two
two-part essay questions from a choice of four. |
Assessment
details 2 exams will be sat in the summer term. AS level counts for 50% of the advanced GCE
grade All exams are externally assessed. G581: A2 Philosophy of Religion 25% of advanced GCE marks 1.5 hour exam
70 marks G582: A2 Religious Ethics 25% of advanced GCE marks 1.5 hour exam
70 marks On
each paper candidates are required to answer two open essay style questions from a choice of four. |
Progression
The subject helps pupils acquire transferable
skills including analysis and interpretation of complex material, critical
thinking and the ability to produce extended evaluative pieces of writing; all
of which provide Universities with evidence of the candidate’s suitability for
further academic study. Following this
course would prepare students with a suitable foundation for further study
within the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, many of our students have gone
on to study degrees with Religious Studies or Philosophy as a core element.
Exam
board
OCR