Philosophy & Religious Studies

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Philosophy & Religious Studies

Curriculum Subjects

See our Philosophy & Religious Studies Curriculum below at Bentley Wood for KS3, KS4 and KS

Course Aims:

To develop students’ ability to think Philosophically, that is, analytically, evaluatively, and sensitively.
To develop students’ ability to discuss, and argue about, ethical, political, religious and ‘spiritual’ questions in an inquisitive and sensitive manner.
To train students to recognise the similarities and differences between belief-systems.
To train students to recognise the historical and social factors which influence religious ideologies.

Philosophy and Religious Studies Curriculum Overview

Course Aims:

To develop students’ ability to think Philosophically, that is, analytically, evaluatively, and sensitively.
To develop students’ ability to discuss, and argue about, ethical, political, religious and ‘spiritual’ questions in an inquisitive and sensitive manner.
To train students to recognise the similarities and differences between belief-systems.
To train students to recognise the historical and social factors which influence religious ideologies.

Course Content

Year 7	Year 8
Worldview and the world Ancient Egyptian Religions Religions in the community Judaism Christianity Islam	The Odyssey Philosophy of Religion Hinduism Buddhism Sikhism

Enrichment:

Debate Club – Students discuss topical and philosophical issues. Run by Mr O’Sullivan.

Key Stage 4 & 5:

GCSE Religious Studies
A Level Philosophy

Career Progression:

Philosophy Graduates go into many fields, such as Politics, International Relations, Law, Journalism, Media, IT, Business, Medicine, Social Work, Science, Literature, Music, Film, and any field where the ability to think well, logically, and ‘outside the box’ is key. Some examples are below:
Politics and Law: Ed Milliband, David Cameron, Bill Clinton, Martin Luther King, Aung San Suu Kyi.
Journalism: Jonathan Dimbleby, Henry MacDonald, Mehdi Hasan.
Medicine & Social Work: Sir Nigel Crisp.
Writers: Hanif Kureishi, Iris Murdoch, David Foster Wallace, Jean Paul Sartre, T.S.Eliot.
Business/Advertising: George Soros, Charles Handy, Tim Mason, Peter Thiel (co-founder PayPal).
Film & Music: Ricky Gervais, Ethan Coen, Harrison Ford, Rick Rubin, Beverley Knight, Bruce Lee, Terence Malick, Lana Del Rey, Susan Sarandon, Richard Gere, Duncan Jones

Other: Noam Chomsky, Larry Sanger (co-founder of Wikipedia), Sam Harris, Pope John Paul II, Philip Glass, Stephen Colbert, Stewart Butterfield (co-founder of Flickr).

Recommended Reading:

‘Sophie’s World’ by Jostein Gaardner, ‘The Complete Philosophy Files’ by Stephen Law, ‘Think’ by Simon Blackburn, ‘Existentialism is a Humanism’ by Jean Paul Sartre.

Examining Board: AQA – Religious Studies specification A

Component 1: The Study of Religions: Beliefs, Teachings and Practices

Component 2: Thematic Studies Philosophical and Ethical themes

Aims of Course:

Develop an understanding of key Philosophical and Ethical issues that modern society faces.
Develop a critical understanding of two contrasting religions and their views on key issues, as well as learning about “humanistic” non-religious views.
Develop abilities to think, write, and speak, more logically, rationally, and articulately.
Promote exploration of, and reflection upon, the human condition.

Course Content
Year 9	Year 10	Year11
The Big Questions – Introduction to Philosophy	Buddhism: Beliefs, Teachings and Practices X	Christianity: Practices X
Critical Thinking – An Introduction to Argument	The Existence of God and Revelation: Arguments for and against the existence of a God; theories of the afterlife. X	Religion, Human Rights and Social Justice: Human rights, equality, gender, sexuality, race, poverty and wealth. X
Christianity: Beliefs, Teachings and Practices (1 term) X	Religion, Peace and Conflict: Justice, war, terrorism – can war ever be justified? X	Revisiting Christianity and Buddhism Revisiting Religion and Life, Existence of God, Peace and Conflict.
Religion and Life: Religious and scientific ideas on creation. The environment and animal rights (1 term) X		X = GCSE examined module

Method of Assessment:

2 x 1 hour 45-minute examinations taken at the end of Year 11. There is no coursework.

Recommended Reading:

Sophie’s World by Jostein Gaarder
Do Androids dream of Electric Sheep? By Philip K. Dick
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis
The Big Questions by Simon Blackburn
Life of Pi by Yann Martel

Enrichment:

Debate Club (Mr. O’Sullivan)
Year 9 trip to All Saints Church
Year 10 Buddhist speaker visit
Year 11 trip to Stanmore Church

Key Stage 5 Progression/ Career Prospects:

A Level Philosophy is offered at Bentley Wood (not Religious Studies). Careers pursued by students of Philosophy are varied and extraordinary. Ex-students of Philosophy include: politicians, musicians and CEOs.

Revision Guide:

AQA GCSE Religious Studies A: Christianity and Buddhism Revision Guide by Marianne Fleming, Nagapriya, and Peter Smith

Is Philosophy the subject for you?

Philosophy is a subject for those who like asking “why”. In Philosophy we ask difficult questions. If you: feel comfortable questioning your long-held assumptions, are a reflective person, and have an imagination, Philosophy may well be the subject for you! The study of Philosophy will provide you with fresh and interesting perspectives on the world around you.

Course content

In Year 12 we cover ‘Epistemology’ and ‘Moral Philosophy’. In the first unit we examine where ideas and knowledge come from. Does knowledge come from Reason (like Maths) or our senses (like Science)? Can we know anything at all? Do we perceive the world as it really is and how does perception work? Moral Philosophy or Ethics is the rational study of morality and values; we study theories of morality. We apply these theories to lying, stealing, simulated killing (in computer games and films), and the status of animals.

In Year 13 we study ‘Philosophy of Mind’ and ‘Philosophy of Religion’. In Philosophy of Mind we examine what consciousness might be. Consciousness is still one of the biggest mysteries of Philosophy and Science. What is the Mind? Is it a non- physical ‘soul’? What is the relationship between mind and brain? Can we create computers that think (Artificial Intelligence)? In the second unit we examine questions which you were introduced to in your GCSE in much more detail. Is there any good reason to believe a God exists? Does morality come from a God’s decisions, or are things good and bad independently of God?

There is no AS level in Philosophy. Students sit two 3-hour exams at the end of Year 13.

Methods of study

The ability to express oneself in both written and verbal contexts is essential in the study of Philosophy. Dialogue is vital and you will be trained to argue in a constructive, logical manner. Exams are in the form of shorter questions, and longer essays. You will spend a lot of time prior to exams “translating” philosophical ideas and expressing them in your own terms. You will read some of the greatest thinkers of all time, as well as the excellent textbook.

Career opportunities

Philosophy is offered at most Universities and tends to attract smart, imaginative people. It is often combined with another subject, such as English, Psychology, Law, Politics, Science, History and many more. Philosophy doesn’t equip you for just one role in life, but gives you important skills highly prized in many roles.

For example, Philosophers are taught to think and reason better, to analyse, to evaluate, and to write and speak articulately. They can think sharply and clearly about issues they confront. It’s like a course in intellectual self-defence! Employers value philosophy students’ ability to think quickly. Philosophy students often find themselves working in sectors as diverse as medicine, law, business, politics, and media.