Religious Studies A-Level: Philosophy of Religion and Ethics The new A-Level in Religious Studies follows the OCR Specification and promises to be a challenging and wide-ranging study of Philosophy, Theology and Philosophical Theology. The course will suit students who are interested in exploring different ways in which thinkers have tried to make sense of the world and the place of humans in it. Another benefit of this course is the opportunity it offers students to engage with primary texts, from Plato’s Republic to Bonhoeffer’s Discipleship; this is excellent preparation for university-level study. Students will develop skills of analysis and evaluation, and insight into the nature of existence. Assessment is via examination (three 2-hour exams). There is no coursework. Paper 1. Philosophy of Religion: This paper explores philosophical issues and questions raised by religion and belief. • Ancient philosophical influences provide important foundational knowledge for the study of the philosophy of religion. This and Soul, Mind and Body enable the exploration of philosophical language and thought through significant concepts and the works of key thinkers. • Students will critically analyse three contrasting arguments regarding the existence of God. Such arguments are a fundamental element of the philosophy of religion, as well as key to the personal beliefs of many individuals. • Students will also be introduced to different types of religious experiences and will be encouraged to discuss and debate the significance and meaning of such experiences, as well as reflect upon how they can shape religious belief. • The problem of evil and suffering will also be explored. Debated for millennia, this issue is still relevant and problematic for many today. • Through studying the nature of God, students will explore how ideas within the philosophy of religion have developed over time and make comparisons between the ideas presented in the works of key scholars. • Religious Language allows students to delve into the complexities of language itself and to test what kind of language religious language is. Assessment is by a 2-hour written paper which constitutes 33.3% of the total A Level. Paper 2. Religion and Ethics: • In this paper, students have the opportunity to study key concepts related to religion and ethics. • As part of their study, students will study four normative ethical theories, providing a range of approaches: deontological and teleological, religious and non-religious. These theories will then be applied to two issues of importance: euthanasia and business ethics. This allows learners to explore contemporary issues and deepen their understanding of ethical theories. • Within Meta-ethics, students will explore how ethical language has changed over time and been interpreted by different individuals. To develop students’ awareness of the importance of significant concepts within the study of ethics, they will be required to examine the significant ethical concept of conscience, through a comparison of the works of two key thinkers: Aquinas and Freud. • Finally, in Developments in Ethical Thought, students will examine areas of sexual ethics, a highly relevant and interesting area of study. Students will explore how attitudes to extramarital sex and homosexuality have influenced and been influenced by developments in religious beliefs, and how the four normative theories they previously studied can be applied to these areas. Assessment is by a 2-hour written paper which constitutes 33.3% of the total A Level. Paper 3. Developments in Religious Thought: • This paper offers students the opportunity to undertake an in-depth and broad study of Christianity. • This includes a study of religious beliefs, values and teachings, in their interconnections and as they vary historically and in the contemporary world, including those linked to the nature and existence of God, the role of the community of believers, key moral principles, beliefs about the self, death and afterlife, beliefs about the meaning and purpose of life. • Students also have the opportunity to conduct an in-depth study into two scholars and their major intellectual and social contributions. • Students will also have the opportunity to study the relationship between religion and society, for example: the relationship between religious and other forms of identity; religion, equality and discrimination; religious freedom; the political and social influence of religious institutions; religious tolerance, respect and recognition and the ways that religious traditions view other religions and non-religious worldviews and their truth claims.
A pupil should have at least a 7/A grade at GCSE to take the subject at A Level, even though in some subject areas, an 8 or 9 at GCSE is a stronger indicator of subsequent success at A-Level.
Assessment is by a 2-hour written paper which constitutes 33.3% of the total A Level. • Ancient philosophical influences • The nature of the soul, mind and body • Arguments about the existence or non-existence of God • The nature and impact of religious experience • The challenge for religious belief of the problem of evil • Ideas about the nature of God • Issues in Religious Language • Normative ethical theories • The application of ethical theory to two contemporary issues of importance • Ethical language and thought • Debates surrounding the significant idea of conscience • Sexual ethics and the influence on ethical thought of developments in religious beliefs. • Religious beliefs, values and teachings, their interconnections and how they vary historically and in the contemporary world • Sources of religious wisdom and authority • Practices which shape and express religious identity, and how these vary within a tradition • Significant social and historical developments in theology and religious thought • Key themes related to the relationship between religion and society in the context of Christianity
About School
| Region | London |
| Local Authority | City of London |
| Ofsted Rating | |
| Gender of School | Boys |
| ISI Report | View Report |
| Boarding Fee | Unknown |
| Sixth Form Fee | £22,635 |
| Address | 107 Queen Victoria Street, London, EC4V 3AL |
Religious Studies A-Level: Philosophy of Religion and Ethics The new A-Level in Religious Studies follows the OCR Specification and promises to be a challenging and wide-ranging study of Philosophy, Theology and Philosophical Theology. The course will suit students who are interested in exploring different ways in which thinkers have tried to make sense of the world and the place of humans in it. Another benefit of this course is the opportunity it offers students to engage with primary texts, from Plato’s Republic to Bonhoeffer’s Discipleship; this is excellent preparation for university-level study. Students will develop skills of analysis and evaluation, and insight into the nature of existence. Assessment is via examination (three 2-hour exams). There is no coursework. Paper 1. Philosophy of Religion: This paper explores philosophical issues and questions raised by religion and belief. • Ancient philosophical influences provide important foundational knowledge for the study of the philosophy of religion. This and Soul, Mind and Body enable the exploration of philosophical language and thought through significant concepts and the works of key thinkers. • Students will critically analyse three contrasting arguments regarding the existence of God. Such arguments are a fundamental element of the philosophy of religion, as well as key to the personal beliefs of many individuals. • Students will also be introduced to different types of religious experiences and will be encouraged to discuss and debate the significance and meaning of such experiences, as well as reflect upon how they can shape religious belief. • The problem of evil and suffering will also be explored. Debated for millennia, this issue is still relevant and problematic for many today. • Through studying the nature of God, students will explore how ideas within the philosophy of religion have developed over time and make comparisons between the ideas presented in the works of key scholars. • Religious Language allows students to delve into the complexities of language itself and to test what kind of language religious language is. Assessment is by a 2-hour written paper which constitutes 33.3% of the total A Level. Paper 2. Religion and Ethics: • In this paper, students have the opportunity to study key concepts related to religion and ethics. • As part of their study, students will study four normative ethical theories, providing a range of approaches: deontological and teleological, religious and non-religious. These theories will then be applied to two issues of importance: euthanasia and business ethics. This allows learners to explore contemporary issues and deepen their understanding of ethical theories. • Within Meta-ethics, students will explore how ethical language has changed over time and been interpreted by different individuals. To develop students’ awareness of the importance of significant concepts within the study of ethics, they will be required to examine the significant ethical concept of conscience, through a comparison of the works of two key thinkers: Aquinas and Freud. • Finally, in Developments in Ethical Thought, students will examine areas of sexual ethics, a highly relevant and interesting area of study. Students will explore how attitudes to extramarital sex and homosexuality have influenced and been influenced by developments in religious beliefs, and how the four normative theories they previously studied can be applied to these areas. Assessment is by a 2-hour written paper which constitutes 33.3% of the total A Level. Paper 3. Developments in Religious Thought: • This paper offers students the opportunity to undertake an in-depth and broad study of Christianity. • This includes a study of religious beliefs, values and teachings, in their interconnections and as they vary historically and in the contemporary world, including those linked to the nature and existence of God, the role of the community of believers, key moral principles, beliefs about the self, death and afterlife, beliefs about the meaning and purpose of life. • Students also have the opportunity to conduct an in-depth study into two scholars and their major intellectual and social contributions. • Students will also have the opportunity to study the relationship between religion and society, for example: the relationship between religious and other forms of identity; religion, equality and discrimination; religious freedom; the political and social influence of religious institutions; religious tolerance, respect and recognition and the ways that religious traditions view other religions and non-religious worldviews and their truth claims.
A pupil should have at least a 7/A grade at GCSE to take the subject at A Level, even though in some subject areas, an 8 or 9 at GCSE is a stronger indicator of subsequent success at A-Level.
Assessment is by a 2-hour written paper which constitutes 33.3% of the total A Level. • Ancient philosophical influences • The nature of the soul, mind and body • Arguments about the existence or non-existence of God • The nature and impact of religious experience • The challenge for religious belief of the problem of evil • Ideas about the nature of God • Issues in Religious Language • Normative ethical theories • The application of ethical theory to two contemporary issues of importance • Ethical language and thought • Debates surrounding the significant idea of conscience • Sexual ethics and the influence on ethical thought of developments in religious beliefs. • Religious beliefs, values and teachings, their interconnections and how they vary historically and in the contemporary world • Sources of religious wisdom and authority • Practices which shape and express religious identity, and how these vary within a tradition • Significant social and historical developments in theology and religious thought • Key themes related to the relationship between religion and society in the context of Christianity
