At Goffs, students must develop knowledge and understanding of the Christian faith in particular, this includes following: • The meaning and significance of the Trinity, Resurrection, Judgement & Salvation • How Christian sources of wisdom and authority are used and interpreted to underpin these beliefs and teachings • The influence of these beliefs and teachings on individuals, communities and societies • The causes and significance of similarities and differences in understanding of these beliefs and teachings within Christianity Students should also be able to draw on, critically analyse and evaluate the views of scholars, from both within and outside Christianity, relevant to the topics studied and deploy specialist language and terminology appropriately. Ethical theories are systems based on moral principles. They affect how people make decisions and lead their lives. Therefore, the course is basically concerned with what is “good” for individuals and society. In the first year we shall focus on three normative theories: Natural Moral Law, Situation Ethics and Virtue Ethics. Subsequent to this, students will explore and analyse how these may be applied to various issues of ethical controversy including: Abortion, Euthanasia, Medical Research, and Capital Punishment. Throughout the course students will become familiar with some of the greatest thinkers of human civilisation from the moral philosophers of Ancient Greece, such as Plato and Aristotle, the medieval and early modern greats like Aquinas and Descartes, to the rational philosophers of the Enlightenment, such as Jeremy Bentham and Immanuel Kant. By the end of the course students will be able to explain theories such as Natural Law, Utilitarianism, Situation Ethics and Categorical Imperatives and evaluate whether these theories can help us solve the key ethical dilemmas facing humanity today, such as global warming, genetic engineering and military intervention in foreign countries. These theories include religious and non-religious perspectives on ethics. Students interested in studying Philosophy, Politics, Law, Religious Studies, Theology, History, Sociology, Geography, Science and Medicine at university would benefit from studying AS/A2 Philosophy and Ethics. It is useful in any profession where decisions affect the lives of others. This could include scientific research, armed combat, policing, pastoral care, medicine and journalism as well as many other occupations. All assessment is through written examinations. Please note that this is a highly academic subject and is included in Trinity College’s (University of Cambridge) list of ‘accepted A Levels’. The course will be taught by Mr Cahill in the RS Department