OCR
Why study A level RS?
This course will stretch your mind, give you the opportunity to examine the ideas of the greatest thinkers in the history of western civilisation and provide you with a qualification which is highly respected in further education and employment. The course involves addressing some of the most significant questions human beings ask – what we can know, who we are and how we should behave. Philosophy enables you to learn to think for yourself, find meaning and build understanding from robust foundations. It is therefore complimentary to most, if not all, other subjects, not least Ethics and Theology, key components of this A Level. You will develop skills of reasoning and critical analysis, enabling you to bring rigor to your examination, formulation and defence of arguments. Perhaps most importantly, the subject provides you with a rich bed of philosophical wisdom, the tools to think deeply and the space to come to ‘know yourself’ – the beginning of all wisdom according to Aristotle.
What does the course involve?
Philosophy is studied as a topic in itself and philosophical examination is applied to all components of the course. The religion of Christianity is identified for particular study in its theological principles and developments, and in its interface with philosophy and ethics. Secular beliefs and a number of challenges to religion are also studied and critically examined.
This is a two-year linear course, with three terminal written examinations based on the three components outlined below:
Component 1: Philosophy of Religion – one examination (2 hours), worth 33.3% of A Level
Content studied in this component includes: ancient philosophical influences, arguments about the existence or non-existence of God and the meaningfulness of religious language.
Component 2: Religion and Ethics – one examination (2 hours), worth 33.3% of A Level
Content studied in this component includes: ethical language and thought, debates surrounding the nature and significance of conscience, sexual and business ethics.
Component 3: Theology - Developments in Christian thought – one examination (2 hours), worth 33.3% of A Level
Content studied in this component includes: death and the afterlife, knowledge of God’s existence, Christian moral principles and gender and society.
Requirements to study Philosophy, Ethics and Theology
Philosophy has been defined as the love of wisdom and the search for truth. If you enjoy understanding the philosophical direction of others, challenging accepted knowledge, debating and arguing ideas and arriving at reasoned conclusions then this subject is for you!
Students need to have the tenacity to think about demanding topics, and the motivation to read widely around the subject. Good essay writing skills are needed; there should be some evidence of this in previous qualifications.
A GCSE qualification in Religious Studies is not a requirement for A Level study. Students interested in choosing this course should have gained at least a grade 6 in GCSE RS (if taken); alternatively, gaining at least a grade 6 in a supporting subject, such as English or History will be required.