Philosophy and ethics

Philosophy & Ethics is an inspiring and engaging academic subject that creates opportunities for critical thinking as well as deepening knowledge and understanding of the world around us. It allows for the development of critical and evaluative skills sought by higher education and employers.

Philosophy & Ethics gives you a thorough understanding of diverse philosophical and ethical viewpoints. Through lively and engaging classroom discussion you have an opportunity to understand philosophical concepts, key thinkers, themes, texts and ways of thinking. It provokes challenging questions about meaning and purpose in life, beliefs about God, ultimate reality, issues of right and wrong and what it means to be human?

The content we cover is varied and interesting and will offer a new perspective and encourage you to consider issues from an analytical viewpoint using creative and critical thinking. It gives you an informed understanding of political, social and moral issues. During your studies you will cover many theories and study the works of many key philosophers and thinkers from Plato to Aristotle, to Kant and Freud.

Qualification	A Level Religious Studies
Awarding body	OCR
Year 12	Section A: Philosophy of religion: Ancient philosophical influences the nature of the soul, mind and body arguments about the existence or non-existence of God the nature and impact of religious experience the challenge for religious belief of the problem of evil ideas about the nature of God • issues in religious language. Section B: Ethics and religion: normative ethical theories the application of ethical theory to two contemporary issues of importance ethical language and thought debates surrounding the significant idea of conscience sexual ethics and the influence on ethical thought of developments in religious beliefs.
Year 13	Christianity: Religious beliefs, values and teachings, their interconnections and how they vary historically and in the contemporary world sources of religious wisdom and authority practices which shape and express religious identity, and how these vary within a tradition significant social and historical developments in theology and religious thought key themes related to the relationship between religion and society
Assessment	Paper One: Written exam (2 hours) at the end of Y13. It is worth 120 marks and 33.3% of the total A Level. Paper Two: Written exam (2 hours) at the end of Y13. It is worth 120 marks and 33.3% of total A level. Paper Three: Written exam (2 hours) at the end of Y13. It is worth 120 marks and 33.3% of total A level.

Why study philosophy and ethics?

Philosophy & Ethics can give you many transferable skills which will not only be useful for future studies but also in everyday life in how you approach situations and problems in which you are faced. The subject is academically rigorous and widely recognised by universities and can work well with both humanities and written subjects as well as science due to covering units such as medical ethics.

Students have gone onto study Theology, Religious Studies, Philosophy, Education, Law, Politics, and Medicine etc. It can lead to careers in: Law, Education, Social Work, Politics, the Armed Forces, Police and Healthcare etc.