Departmental contact

Miss H Jones- [email protected]

Examining board & Qualification

OCR Religious Studies H573 Component 1-3

Entry requirements

Please see current prospectus for further information

What teachers deliver this course?

Miss H Jones	[email protected]	Ethics and Christian Thought
Mr J Lee	[email protected]	Philosophy

WHY STUDY THIS SUBJECT?

Do you enjoy:

• Taking part in discussions and debates
• Listening to other people’s views
• Learning about different and often unusual ideas from both atheists and religious thinkers
• Looking for answers when there are no set right or wrongs
• Like to be challenged and question ideals

Have you asked questions such as;

• Do our senses tell us the truth?
• Are we really free?
• What really happens when we die?
• Is Jesus a feminist?
• What impact has secularisation had on religion?
• Can business be ethical?
• Should we be allowed to choose when we die?

If so then this course might be for you as it will delve into these ideas (and many more) to try and find answers to solve these questions.

Philosophy will challenge your brain with ultimate questions.

Ethics will make you question whether we can ever act morally without determining factors

Christian Thought will make you question everything you thought you knew about Christianity.

This A-level also pairs up very nicely with Sociology, Psychology, Politics, Criminology, Law, History, Health and Social Care and many other options.

A lot of famous and influential people have studied philosophy too – you could be next!

WHAT SKILLS WILL I DEVELOP?

By the end of the course, you should have developed a critical approach to theological, ethical and philosophical theories, and a knowledge and understanding of how religion has helped to form societies views on morality.

You will also develop the following skills:

• Effective and oral and written communication
• The ability to understand, analyse and evidence from key people/Church
• Make critical evaluations
• Organisational skills
• Hold your own with confidence in a debate

WHAT DO OUR STUDENTS SAY?

“It is a challenge but in a good way”

“It really makes me think outside the box”

“I enjoyed the Christian Thought much more than I realised I would”

“I study Criminology and Sociology and it really compliments it well”

“My teacher really helps and supports me in how to understand how to do well in essays”

WHAT WILL I LEARN AND HOW IS IT ASSESSED?

1.  Christian Thought

This unit will examine the following questions:

• Is there a distinctive human nature?
• What do Christians believe about the afterlife?
• What do Christians believe about salvation?
• Is faith sufficient reason for belief in God’s existence?
• Who was Jesus?
• How do Christians make moral decisions?
• How have Christian communities responded to other faiths?
• What do Christians think about the roles of men and women in the family and society?
• How have Christian feminists understand God?

2. Philosophy

This unit will examine the following questions:

• How do we make sense of reality?
• What do religious believers think about the nature of God?
• Can the existence of God be proven?
• Does religious experience provide a basis for belief in God or a greater power?
• Does the existence evil invite the conclusion that God does not exist?
• Is the mind the same thing as the body?
• Is there life after death?
• How should we understand religious language?

3. Ethics

This discipline will involve learning ethical theories, critically evaluating the strengths and weaknesses while applying them to real life moral situations.

This unit will examine the following questions:

• What is the best approach to moral decision making?
• Should we aim to promote the greatest happiness of the greatest number?
• Should we aim for the most loving outcome?
• Should we focus on doing our duty?
• Should we follow the moral law of God within human nature?
• Is conscience a useful guide for moral decision making?
• Is euthanasia ever morally justified?
• How should businesses operate?
• How should we approach issues in sexual ethics?
• Is ethical language meaningful or meaningless?

WHAT ARE MY POST-18 OPTIONS?

• A degree
• Any career path that is based around people
• Politics
• Public Sector Working
• Medical

WHAT EXTRA-CURRICULAR OPPORTUNITIES ARE THERE?

There is the opportunity throughout the course to attend Religious Studies conferences, to meet other students and leading scholars. As well as a trip to Rome to explore the history of belief and practices.