Qualification: A-level

Exam Board: OCR

Entry Requirements: Grade 5 or above in either GCSE English Language or GCSE English Literature, or Grade 5 in GCSE Religious Studies.

Change the way you think forever

Philosophy, ethics and religion is a popular fascinating course providing a rich and diverse study of the most highly debated questions of all: are we free? Does God exist? What happens when we die?

Our students consistently achieve A*, A and B grades each year.

We are keen for students to shape their own learning and welcome independent work, ideas and revision strategies. We believe there must be an element of fun in lessons. In previous years this has included developing philosophically named drinks, lessons outside, music, video making, model building, whole class pictograms and much more to enhance the general classroom experience.

The OCR course studies a deep and interesting blend of subject matter and leads to an A-level in Religious Studies. Assessment is written examination and there is one paper per unit so each being worth 33.3% of the total marks.

Qualities required

An open and enquiring mind with a willingness to examine issues in a rigorous and logical fashion. By the end of the course you will have honed your analytical and deep thinking skills having the ability to process a large amount of complex material in a quick and efficient way.

 

The course

Philosophy of religion

• Ancient Greek influences on philosophy including Plato and Aristotle
• The nature of the soul, mind and body
• Arguments for the existence and non-existence of God
• Issues in religious language
• The nature and impact of religious experience
• The problem of evil and suffering

Religion and Ethics

• Normative ethical theories such as Kantian ethics, natural law and situation ethics
• The application of ethical theory to euthanasia and business ethics
• Ethical language (metaethics)
• Conscience and free will
• Sexual ethics

Developments in religious thought

• Beliefs, teachings and ideas about human life
• Science and philosophy
• Gender equality
• Tolerance, justice and liberation theology

 

Beyond the classroom

Past activities have included:  

• A trip to Keele University for an intensive revision course
• A debating society, run by students where they compete with their self-chosen topics
• In the future we are planning to run a philosophy trip to Athens, Greece where philosophy began

 

Progression

Former students have had a broad range of destinations. We have a proven track record of students from this group gaining places at Oxbridge. Students have gone on to have successful careers in: law, the civil service, the charity sector, medicine, journalism, the police force, personal management and academia. One former student has gone on to be a world renowned philosopher as an expert on Aristotelian Virtue Ethics. There really is no limit to what career you can choose, and often world leaders have a grounding in the study of philosophy, ethics and religion.