Philosophy & Ethics - AS/A2 OCR
Why choose Philosophy and Ethics?
Philosophy and Ethics offers an exciting, engaging and diverse academic course that explores philosophical, spiritual and ethical ideas from a range of perspectives. Through studying Philosophy and Ethics, you will develop a capacity to think critically and creatively and express your ideas with clarity.
What can I expect to learn?
It will help you to develop skills in written and verbal communication, presenting information and formulating coherent arguments - all of which are skills to be utilised in any aspect of work or study.
At AS Level you will study philosophical ideas concerning the existence of God from a range of world views including the ancient Greeks and the Judeo-Christian tradition, as well as studying challenges to religious belief. You will also study ethics by learning about ethical theories and exploring how they can be applied to the practical moral issues of war and peace, abortion, euthanasia, genetic engineering and human embryo research.
At A2 Level you will develop your studies of philosophy of religion and ethics further; you will study the theories of Immanuel Kant, Natural Law, Situation Ethics, Utilitarianism and Buddhist Ethics. As you might expect, discussion plays a large part in how we approach this subject. You must come prepared to give voice to your ideas, but also be prepared to open your mind to ideas that may not even have occurred to you before.
Which subjects combine well with Philosophy and Ethics?
Philosophy and Ethics combines well with most other subjects. The most common combinations tend to be with social science and humanities subjects such as English, psychology, sociology, government & politics, and history.
Where does this lead / What can I do next?
Those going into areas such as medicine, law, journalism or politics find the skills developed in religious studies particularly valuable.
What background, skills and achievements do I need?
You will need to be open-minded, independent and inquisitive. A good level of competency in written English is necessary for you to succeed in religious studies given that essay-writing is an important aspect of the course. Therefore, you should have obtained a GCSE in English at Grade C or above.
"Live your beliefs and you can turn the world around."
Henry Thoreau
