Religious Studies at Colston’s is non-confessional and relevant to those of any religion or none at all. It is academically rigorous yet offers something very special in that it makes a valuable contribution to the moral and spiritual development of pupils by exploring fundamental contemporary issues as well as the more ultimate questions of man’s existence.
In years seven eight and nine pupils study the some of the main issues in philosophy and ethics and find out what different religions have to say about these issues. In year ten they start a GCSE short course in Religion and Life which explores ethical and philosophical issues in depth with specific reference to Christianity.
There is the option of a full GCSE in RS also, which is increasing in popularity. In this we study the philosophies of both eastern and western traditions by examining both the Christian and the Buddhist approaches to the ultimate questions of our existence as well as topics such as abortion, euthanasia, poverty, prejudice, teenage sex…just about anything you’d see on the news! Full course students also study a short course GCSE in Citizenship which covers issues in law and politics such as immigration and crime and punishment.
The A Level is AQA Philosophy which focuses on Epistemology, Philosophy of Religion, Political Philosophy and textual studies of the works of Plato.
Skills acquired at GCSE and A Level are ideal for students looking to take a place at university to read subjects such as Philosophy, Politics, Law or even science based subjects. Critical thinking, the ability to pick apart arguments, contemplation on the natures of truth and proof, textual analysis, historical understanding, and the ability to relate to and empathise with a variety of religious or humanistic world views are all skills which lie at the heart of the subject.
|
