Philosophy & Ethics
Exam Board: OCR
This course requires you to have an enquiring mind, an interest in philosophy and religion, and a desire to examine some of the biggest questions in the universe!
At A Level you will study three components. “The Philosophy of Religion”, Ethics and Religion” and “Developments in Christian Thought”. These will be examined by three separate examinations all of two hours duration.
The “Philosophy of Religion” topics include issues such as “Arguments for the Existence of God”, “The Problem of Evil” and “Soul, Mind and Body”. In the Ethics section of the course, you will study a variety of ethical theories such as Natural Law, Situation Ethics and Utilitarianism. You will also examine how these theories can be applied to issues such as Euthanasia and Business Ethics.
The religion we have chosen to study for paper three is Christianity and we will examine areas such as the person of Jesus and the response of Christianity to modern issues such as feminism, secularism and pluralism
Philosophy & Ethics develops a wide range of key skills as it will ask you to:
- Investigate, study and interpret significant religious, philosophical and ethical issues
- Think rigorously and present widely informed and detailed arguments with well-substantiated conclusions
- Reflect on, express and justify your opinions
- Relate your study to issues in the wider world
- Know and understand key concepts – including beliefs, teachings, the contribution of significant people, religious language, major issues and doctrines and how these are expressed in texts
- Interpret and evaluate religious and philosophical concepts, ideas, arguments and the views of scholars
If you choose to go on to study the subject at university, there are a huge range of courses available including Philosophy, Ethics, Theology, Biblical Studies, Abrahamic Religions, Islamic Studies, Jewish Studies, World Religions and Anthropology. Other related degrees favouring Religious Studies A Level include History, Psychology, Social Policy, Social Work and Education.