Religious Education & Philosophy
"Philosophy is like thinking, only louder!" We frequently hear that all teenagers are interested in is text messaging, reality TV and celebrity culture. Think again! RE and philosophy are about the big questions of life. RE allows pupils to explore these issues and how religions of the world have tried to make sense of them. We study the main religions as it is important to know about different faiths and cultures today. The emphasis is on Christianity, however. So in Year 7, pupils think about different ways God is understood and the various holy books but the majority of time is spent on the Bible and how that came to be written. In Year 8, pupils explore how who started the main religions of the world but the focus is upon the life of Jesus and what evidence there is for that. Year 9 is an investigation of a number of topics, including suffering and prejudice, preparatory to Years 10 and 11; the GCSE course (OCR 1931). This is an examination of 8 subjects ranging from science and faith and medical ethics to war, peace and punishment. RE is offered at A-level along with Philosophy. "Nothing taught by force remains in the soul" said Plato. Maybe he had a point!'A' Level Philosophy
Up to the age of 16 our pupils consider Philosophical ideas and themes mainly in the context of the Religious Studies courses which they take, up to and including GCSE. At 'A' level they are able to study Philosophy itself, long regarded as the most important and fundamental of all subjects since it grapples with the essential question, 'What does it Mean to be Human?'
We follow the new AQA Philosophy Specification 1171(AS) & 2171(A2). During the first year of the course students are introduced to a wide range of philosophical ideas and problems concerning knowledge, free will, morality, religion, government and the world we live in. In the second year they explore in greater depth a number of key themes and the ideas of some of the world's greatest thinkers.
The structure of the course is as follows:
AS level (normally studied in Year 12):
Unit 1: An Introduction to Philosophy 1
Reason and Experience
Why should I be Governed?
Why should I be moral?
The idea of God
Persons
Unit 2: An Introduction to Philosophy 2
Knowledge of the External World
Tolerance
The Value of Art
God and the World
The Debate over Free Will and Determinism
A2 level (normally studied in Year 13):
Unit 3 – Key Themes in Philosophy
Philosophy of Mind
Political Philosophy
Epistemology and Metaphysics
Moral Philosophy
Philosophy of Religion
Unit 4 – Philosophical Problems
Hume
Plato
Mill
Descartes
Nietzsche
The course is assessed through examinations held in January & June, with students doing two questions in each examination. There is no coursework.
The Philosophy course encourages students to reason, to form their own judgements, to express themselves lucidly, coherently and persuasively, and to engage with others in presenting, contesting and developing arguments. Because classes are small each student is able to play a part in every discussion, debate and argument, and thus has ample opportunity to develop these skills. It combines well with many other 'A' level subjects including English, Psychology, Geography and History as well as the sciences, languages and the arts.
Because many of the world's finest minds have been attracted to the subject philosophers have always been valued for the clarity of their thinking and for their ability to question first principles - to think 'outside the box'. A qualification in the subject is highly regarded, demonstrating as it does awareness of the complexity of the human condition. It would benefit any educated person and is particularly useful to anyone considering a career in journalism or the media, law, the police, the armed forces, the health service, teaching or human resources.
