Religious Studies (Philosophy and Ethics)

Key Contact:  Laura Pittard lep@gryphon.dorset.sch.uk

Syllabus Information:  Students study OCR  Religious Studies H573, with Christianity the religion of study for paper 3

Course Content

Year 12

Philosophy:

• Ancient philosophical influences: Plato & Aristotle
• Arguments based on observation: the teleological argument
• Arguments based on observation: the cosmological argument
• Arguments based on reason: the ontological argument
• Religious experience
• The problem of evil

Ethics:

• Natural Law
• Situation Ethics
• Kantian Ethics
• Utilitarianism
• Euthanasia
• Business Ethics
• Developments in Christian Thought:
• Augustine’s teaching on Human Nature
• Knowledge of God’s existence
• The Person of Jesus Christ
• Christian moral principles
• Christian moral action

Year 13

Philosophy:

• Soul, mind & body
• The nature or attributes of God
• RL: Negative, Analogical or Symbolic
• RL: Verificationism, Falsificationism & Language games

Ethics:

• Meta-ethics
• Conscience
• Sexual Ethics
• Developments in Christian Thought:
• Pluralism and theology
• Pluralism and society
• Gender and society
• Gender and theology
• The Challenge of Secularism
• Liberation theology and Marx
• Death and the Afterlife

Assessment

Students will complete a minimum of 12 assessment tasks in Year 12 and 13.  Students will complete an essay at the end of every topic which will be tailored to the needs of the group.

Homework

Students will be set one homework booklet for each topic. This booklet contains tasks for students to complete each week. These tasks include independent learning, revision, consolidation of knowledge and exam style questions. Students may also be set Seneca tasks to help support their revision. All homework will be set on Teams. Students should be spending a minimum of 30 minutes per week on homework.

KS5 Progression

At KS5, students progress from developing knowledge and understanding of key philosophical, ethical and theological concepts to critically analysing and evaluating complex arguments and interpretations. Through the study of Philosophy, Ethics and Developments in Christian Thought, they deepen their ability to engage with scholarly perspectives, construct sustained lines of reasoning, and make informed judgements on abstract and contemporary issues, preparing them for higher education and independent academic study.

KS5 End point

By the end of KS5, students will be able to critically analyse and evaluate philosophical, ethical and theological ideas, construct sustained and well-reasoned arguments using specialist scholarship, and engage confidently with complex debates about religion, morality and existence, demonstrating readiness for higher education or further academic study.

Useful information, links and resources

A Level Philosophy & Religious Studies (alevelphilosophyandreligion.com)
AS and A Level – Religious Studies – H173, H573 – OCR