Subject Intent

Our A Level in Philosophy and Ethics follows the OCR Religious Studies syllabus and provides a coherent and thought-provoking programme of study. Students develop their understanding of the disciplines of ethics and philosophy as well as their appreciation for religious beliefs and teachings.

The planning, delivery and application of Philosophy and Ethics is done with a clear focus on the importance and value of learning and living within the diverse community of Derby City. As a subject it therefore not only reflects student’s own personal experience but also broadens their view to consider different attitudes, opinions, ideas and beliefs. The key attitudes of tolerance, respect, acceptance and understanding are consequently developed and encouraged in both the content of the lessons and the way in which they are taught.

Reflecting and celebrating the diversity of our school community is at the heart of everything we do in Philosophy and Ethics A Level. From an exploration of the different arguments for the existence of God to how diverse beliefs respond to the problem of evil and suffering, the value of difference and the need to include all is part of every lesson taught. This is particularly relevant when students gain new knowledge about other ideas, opinions, faiths, beliefs or cultures since removing ignorance is a step towards promoting acceptance.

A Level Philosophy and Ethics at Derby Cathedral school also:

•    Promotes the progression of knowledge, understanding and skills.

•    Develops literacy skills, particularly the ‘religious literacy’ of all students.

•    Encourages a number of wider, transferable skills that can be readily used in other subject areas and beyond.

•    Recognises the value of issues that go beyond the academic and encourages discussion and questions relating to identity, belonging, commitment and the treatment of others.

•    Inspires responsibility for the way we treat ourselves, each other and the environment we live in.

•    Enables students to develop their spiritual awareness and grow in their understanding of Christian values. 

•    Explores beliefs and the spiritual dimension to life, especially the role of faith in encouraging ‘courageous advocacy’. 

•   Asks life’s important questions, like “How did the world begin?” or “Does God exist?” or “Why do people suffer?” and allows the opportunity to explore possible answers.

In conclusion, Philosophy and Ethics at the Derby Cathedral School helps to prepare students for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of life in modern Britain. It engages with challenging questions of meaning and purpose raised by human existence and experience. It develops confident religious literacy in our students and provides a safe space for them to explore their own religious, spiritual and/or philosophical ways of seeing, living, thinking, believing and belonging.

The Philosophy and Ethics syllabus is a major contributor to the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of our students and supports the whole school FAITH values by promoting fellowship, aspiration, integrity, tenacity and humility in both the specific content of the lessons and the way in which it is taught.


 

Staffing

Mr S. Richardson, Head of RE

s.richardson@derbycathedralschool.org.uk 

Mr J. Turner, Teacher of RE 

j.turner@derbycathedralschool.org.uk

Mr P. Hammerton, Assistant Head  

p.hammerton@derbycathedralschool.org.uk

 

Homework

Homework is regularly set in A Level Philosophy and Ethics and will be given at least once a week. It will either focus on recalling and checking knowledge and understanding gained from previous lessons or will challenge students to research and discover topics that are covered in future sessions. These set tasks are checked in a number of different ways, but will often be done at the beginning of lessons. Some homework will also appear as online tasks where students can also receive feedback on their work.

Assessment

Formal assessments in Philosophy and Ethics take place at the beginning of each year and at the end of each key unit of work. These take the form of essays and marks from these assessments are used to show students how close they are to achieving their target grades. Once complete, each assessment will include feedback to show what went well and what could be done to improve next time. Students are also assessed throughout the year through their written work (both in lessons and at home) and their verbal responses in class. They will also complete a series of mock exams in both Y12 and Y13 which provide opportunities to both revise subject content and practice valuable exam writing skills. 

 

Independent Study and Revision

Students taking Philosophy and Ethics at A Level are expected to engage with both independent study outside of the lessons as well as thoughtful and careful revision. The following list contains some suggestions of what this might look like in practice: 


•    Pre-read the next chapter of the text book.
•    Self-quiz key words, terms and concepts from the last topic e.g. a posteriori, a priori, via negative, via positiva.
•    Create flashcards to learn key ideas, concepts or quotes 
•    Produce a mind-map for one of the themes within the topics 
•    Practise planning and writing essays using practice papers
•    Make an information dump page related to one of the units
•    Write an introduction to an exam question
•    Write a conclusion to an exam question


For students in both years 12 and 13, the OCR exam website is extremely useful for study, revision and exam preparation:
https://ocr.org.uk/qualifications/as-and-a-level/religious-studies-h173-h573-from-2016/specification-at-a-glance/ 

 

Subject Enrichment

The RE department that runs the Philosophy and Ethics A Level is also responsible for co-ordinating the Lessons From Auschwitz project, organised and delivered by the Holocaust Educational Trust. Applications for this programme are open to all sixth form students, regardless of which subjects they are studying; however its thoughtful study of evil and antisemitism make it particularly relevant to students of Philosophy and Ethics. 
More information can be found here: 
https://www.het.org.uk/lessons-from-auschwitz-programme  

All students studying Philosophy and Ethics at A level (in Y12 and Y13) will have the opportunity to attend a number of course specific conferences organised by ‘Candle Conferences’. Led by Dr Peter Vardy, these day courses at various different venues explore key elements of the syllabus in a dynamic and interactive way. 
More information can be found here:
https://candleconferences.com/ 
 

 

Super-Curricular 

•    Research Philosophy, Ethics and Religious Studies university modules and reading lists and read a recommended text
•    Explore careers in related areas and make notes on entry requirements and desirable skills
•    Watch the videos on The BBC ‘A History of Ideas’ website
•    Subscribe to the ‘The School of Life’ Philosophy YouTube channel
•    Watch some relevant films like ‘The Matrix’ or ‘Where The Wild Things Are’ and make the connections to the course
•    Follow the ‘Panpsycast podcast’ at: thepanpsycast.com/home  Play the interactive games on the philosophy experiments site: www.philosophyexperiments.com   
•    Follow these social media accounts: Philosophy Now @philosophynow (X) and Ethics.101 @ethics.101 (Instagram)
•    Visit one of our local places of worship in Derby and explore why faith is important to the believers who attend
•    Explore relevant on-line courses with MOOC and others. Some examples are:

Ethics: www.mooc-list.com/course/ethics-action-edx

Philosophy: www.mooc-list.com/course/power-and-responsibility-doing-philosophy-superheroes-edx  

Christianity: www.edx.org/course/christianity-through-its-scriptures

Literacy

Read a book related to the course. Some suggestions are:
•    ‘Sophie’s World’ By Jostein Gaarder
•    ‘The ‘Lovely Bones’ by Alice Sebold.
•    ‘Revolutionary: Who was Jesus?’ By Tom Holland
•    The Puzzle of God (or Ethics or Christianity or Evil) by Peter Vardy
•    The Case for God by Karen Armstrong
•    The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins 
•    The Gospels and The Letters of St. Paul in The Bible
•    Read some ‘Dialogue’ Journal articles (www.dialogue.org.uk)
•    Read relevant sections from this useful website: laurenrevisesphilosophy.wordpress.com