Thornleigh Sixth Form Philosophy, Ethics & Religion

Socrates is believed to have said,
“the unexamined life is not worth living!”

The A level course in Philosophy, Ethics and Religion encourages you to examine questions that human beings have been asking from the beginning of time - who are we? What are we here for? How do we know anything?

By doing so you will build your critical thinking skills, enabling you to craft arguments for yourself and communicate your thoughts effectively. It is a challenging course, with plenty of opportunities for discussion on contemporary issues, which students find stimulating and enriching!

Entry Requirements

GCSE grade 5 in English
GCSE grade 5 in RE

What will I Study?

Year 12
Philosophy of Religion:

Arguments for the existence of God: The Design Argument, The Ontological Argument and The Cosmological Argument.

Evil and Suffering

Religious Experience

Ethics and Religion:

Normative Ethical Theories: Natural Moral Law, Situation Ethics and Aristotle’s Virtue Ethics

Application of Ethical Theories: Medical Ethics

Christianity

In component 2 of the specification: Study of the Christian Religion, this section has five parts that will be divided between both the Ethics teacher and the Philosophy of Religion teacher. They include:
Sources of wisdom and authority;
God;
Self, death and afterlife;
Good conduct and key moral principles;
Expression of religious identity.

When studying these sections students will develop understanding on the Philosophy and Ethics units as the specification makes an organic link between its three parts: Christianity, Philosophy of religion and Ethics within the Dialogues section.

Year 13
Philosophy of Religion:
Religious Language
Miracles
Self, death and afterlife

Ethics and Religion:
Introduction to Meta-ethics
Free will and moral responsibility
Conscience
Bentham and Kant

Christianity and Dialogues:
In this section students will explore a range of areas that link both moral issues and Christian teachings. Students will explore Christian teachings on these areas and implement philosophical and ethical arguments/teachings to support or criticise. The areas students study are:
Christianity, gender and sexuality;
Christianity and science;
Christianity and the challenge of secularisation;
Christianity, migration and religious pluralism;
Dialogues between Christianity and Philosophy;
Dialogues between Christianity and Ethics.

Which exam board is used and how will I be assessed?

The exam board is AQA

Click here to access the exam board web page

There will be 2 papers at the end of year 13. Each will be 3 hours long and be worth 50% each.

Paper one consists of Philosophy and Ethics

Paper two consists of Christianity and Dialogues

There will be two types of questions; AO1 which assesses knowledge and understanding and A02 which assesses your ability to evaluate.

All questions require an essay style answer.

Where could this subject take me?

The skills you will acquire through studying philosophy, ethics and religion are hugely sought after by both higher education and employers, particularly in the areas of law, education, social work, politics, medicine, administration, and the media. Apart from rigorous academic skills you will also develop essential interpersonal skills such as listening, communication, empathy, which will benefit any career which involves working with other people.

How can I get ahead in this subject

Read everything you can get your hands on! Philosophical and ethical issues are around us all the time so it is also essential to keep up with current affairs by watching the news and reading news websites.

When you start the course you can ask your teacher to sign you up to the Candle Conferences ‘Stepping Up’ online transition course

Great podcasts include:
The Panpsycast
The RE Podcast
In Our Time, Philosophy (BBC Radio 4)

Brilliant TV shows, including:
The Good Place
Black Mirror

Textbooks and revision guides can be bought online or through school:
Textbook
Revision guide