Transition to A-Level Religious Studies, Philosophy and Ethics Pack

The Hertfordshire & Essex High School Sixth Form Transition to A-Level Religious Studies, Philosophy and Ethics Pack

Course Outline: Below is a general overview of the topics studied at A level. We study the Edexcel specification. More information, resources and a detailed specification can be found at: https://qualifications.pearson.com/en/qualifications/edexcel-a-levels/religious-studies- 2016.coursematerials.html#filterQuery=category:Pearson-UK:Category%2FSpecification-and-sample- assessments

Philosophy: 9RS0/01 Nature and Philosophical The Problem of Influence of Religious The Works of Development in Issues and Evil and Religious Language Scholars Religious Belief Questions Suffering Experience Design Nature of Analogy and Critiques of Problem of Evil Life After Death Argument Religious Exp. Symbol religious belief Cosmological Verification and Argument from Comparison of Mind and Body Argument Solutions to the Falsification Religious Russell and Ontological Problem of Evil Language Scientific Experience Copplestone Argument Games Debates

Religion and Ethics: 9RSO/02

Significant Application of concepts in A study of Ethical Ethical The Works of issues or Ethical Theories to Medical Ethics Language Scholars debates in Theories important Ethics. Issues Link between Aristotle and Equality Utilitarianism Sexual Ethics Religion and IVF, Abortion Virtue Ethics Morality Situation Ethics Environmental Kant and Natural Moral War and Peace Meta-Ethics Euthanasia Issues Deontology Law

Study of Religion: Christianity 9RSO/4B

Religious Sources of Practices that Social and Works of Religion and Beliefs and Wisdom and shape religious Historical Scholars Society Values Authority Identity Developments God Science Atonement Pluralism and The Bible Eucharist The Trinity Secularisation Theory Diversity The Church New Creative Karl Barth and Equality and Key Moral Jesus Movements in Expression John Hick Discrimination Principles Theology

 As you can see there is a LOT of content. The course is challenging and will require you to have to really THINK and come to conclusions on a variety of philosophical, ethical and religious issues. Whilst this is certainly a challenging A Level is incredibly rewarding and one that students thoroughly enjoy.

 In this A Level you will develop the following skills:

o Analysis and evaluation of a range of o Questioning, reasoning and judging. ideas. o Creating and evaluating different o Flexibility in your thought process. arguments on an issue. o Interpretation of evidence.

Tasks

These tasks are designed to introduce you to the world of A-level Religious Studies over roughly a 15-hour period. As you see above, there are 3 disciplines within religious studies and so these tasks are split into Philosophy, Ethics and Christianity, with the aim for you to spend about 5 hours on each.

Philosophy

1. Learning new vocabulary and phrases. Write the correct keyword alongside its definition. The keywords can be found underneath the table. You may need to use the web to help you.

Proceeding from particular instances/ facts to a general conclusion. The premises supply strong evidence for a probable conclusion. Simple patterns of behaviour of objects, such as their behaviour in accordance with the laws of nature – for example, Newton’s laws.” Latin for ‘what comes after’. Refers to knowledge and truth claims based upon/derived from experience. Involving inferences from general principles. The process of reasoning from one or more statements to reach a logical conclusion. A proposition (statement which is true or false) supporting or helping to support a conclusion. Evidence that something is the case. Latin expression ‘from what comes earlier’. Refers to that which is ‘without/prior to experience’. Arguments based on definitions. A necessary being is a living, self-aware thing that must necessarily exist for all other things to exist/the author of the universe and the initial cause of all things material. Degree of confidence that a particular occurrence will take place. The part of a sentence or clause containing a verb and stating something about the subject i.e. God (subject) exists (predicate). Term meaning ‘similarity’ or ‘likeness’, used to make a comparison between two qualities. Latin meaning ‘from oneself’. Refers to the ability to have within oneself the grounds for one’s own existence/not dependent. A sequence of reasoning or justification which can never come to an end. Term used to describe a fact or event which depends (is contingent) upon another fact or event happening first. The belief in God as a perfect, personal being.

A Priori Proof Infinite regress Regularity/ regularities of succession

Premise Analogy Deism Deductive Aseity Necessary existence Probability Contingent Inductive Predicate A Posteriori

2. Listen to 2 of the following Philosophy of Religion lecture podcasts in the link found below. For each lecture podcast, try to summarise on one side of A4 the key arguments presented.  Arguments for the Existence of God – The Ontological and Cosmological Arguments  Arguments for the Existence of God – The Design Argument  Arguments Against the Existence of God – The Problem of Evil Each of these lecture podcasts are around 40 mins long. http://podcasts.ox.ac.uk/series/philosophy- religion 3. Watch the following documentary: The Root of all Evil – The God Delusion (47 mins). This is put together by the Antitheist (look this word up!) Richard Dawkins. As you are watching this, please complete the following tasks:

1. Summarise his range of arguments for why he thinks religion is the root of all evil. 2. What do you like/agree with in terms of the arguments he puts forward? 3. How could his arguments be challenged? Are there any weaknesses in the arguments he puts forward?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nAos1M-_Ts

Ethics

 Types of Ethics: Ethics is often split into 2 major branches: Normative Ethics and Meta – Ethics. You are going to complete the following tasks to explain both. a) Normative Ethics:  Watch this video and define Normative Ethics https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xr8r94ILOFQ  Normative Ethical theories follow 3 different types: Deontological, Teleological or Character/Agent based. Using websites below, explain the 3 types of Normative theories. Give an outline of a theory which is deontological, teleological and Character/Agent Based o https://www.iep.utm.edu/ , o http://plato.stanford.edu/, o http://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/guide/ o https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=G- tLQSXvhDsC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f =false b) Meta-Ethics:  Watch this video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOoffXFpAlU&list=PL8dPuuaLjXtNgK6MZucdYldNkMybYIHKR &t=142s  Define the following terms: Realism Anti-Realism Absolutism Subjectivism Relativism

 Choose a scholar from the Ethics column attached list and create a fact file on them including their history, beliefs and contributions to the field and study of Ethics

 Choose 2 Podcasts to have a listen to from this list:

 Kant’s Categorical Imperative: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0952zl3  Utilitarianism: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b05xhwqf  Virtue : https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p005489r  Consequentialism: https://philosophybites.com/2011/09/philip-pettit-on-consequentialism- 1.html  Aquinas: https://philosophybites.com/aquinas/

General podcast links:

 BBC Radio 4: The Moral Maze https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qk11/topics/Ethics  BBC Radio 4: In our Time Philosophy https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01f0vzr  Philosophy Bites https://philosophybites.com/  Ethical bites from Oxford University https://www.philosophy.ox.ac.uk/podcasts  Ethics Bites: https://www.open.edu/openlearn/history-the-arts/culture/philosophy/ethics-bites- podcast-the-full-series?in_menu=12530

Christianity

1. A lot of this course is based around the history and development of Christianity throughout the world. Create a timeline of Christianity from the time of Jesus to modern day. Make sure to include important events, Schisms, creeds and denominations such as: a. Roman Catholic Church b. Orthodox Christianity c. Protestant Reformation d. Church of England https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TG55ErfdaeY https://www.beliefnet.com/faiths/christianity/4-schisms-in-christianity.aspx https://www.bc.edu/content/dam/files/centers/boisi/pdf/bc_papers/BCP-Christianity.pdf http://www.earlychristianhistory.info/index.html https://www.theopedia.com/ 2. Create a summary of beliefs and hierarchy for one of the 3 major denominations: Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant. Include people, beliefs and key events in their individual history.

3. Choose a scholar from the Christianity column of the attached list and create a fact file on them including their history, beliefs and contributions to Christianity.

4. Find out what the word Atonement means (some of you may know this from your study of Christianity at GCSE). Then read the following article: http://www.sdmorrison.org/7-theories-of-the-atonement-summarized/ Write a summary of the 7 theories of atonement on one side of A4. Please put thes summaries into your own words. Explain which of the theories do you find most convincing and give reasons for your choice.

Extra:

 Read one of the 4 Gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke or John  A Very good 6 part documentary: A History of Christianity with Diarmaid MacCulloch – you can watch this here - https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x38nlpm

Introductory List of 10 Important Scholars

Philosophy Ethics Christianity 1. Thomas Aquinas 1. Jeremy Bentham 1. Martin Luther 2. William Paley 2. John Stuart Mill 2. John Calvin 3. Anselm 3. Peter Vardy 3. Karl Rahner 4. J.L. Mackie 4. Immanuel Kant 4. Karl Barth 5. Anthony Flew 5. Aristotle 5. Jurgen Moltmann 6. R.M. Hare 6. Joseph Fletcher 6. John Hick 7. David Hume 7. G E Moore 7. Alistair McGrath 8. A J Ayer 8. Peter Singer 8. James H Cone 9. Bertrand Russell 9. Plato 9. Sally Mc Fague 10. Richard Dawkins 10. Jonathon Glover 10. Gustavo Gutiérrez