Addysg Grefyddol Religious Studies Lefel ASA Level Ysgol

Addysg Grefyddol Religious Studies Lefel AS/A Level Ysgol Friars CBAC / WJEC

Croeso i’r adran Addysg Grefyddol Welcome to the Religious Studies Department

Yr Athrawon Addysg Grefyddol Miss. Tesni Jones Athrawes Addysg Grefyddol Mrs. Heledd Jones Pennaeth yr adran Addysg Grefyddol

Our Religious Studies lessons are driven by the goal of encouraging and developing questioning young minds and to do so in an environment in which all students feel supported, respected and safe. What to expect in Religious Studies? Students follow 3 lines of study • Philosophy of Religion, • Ethics • Buddhism Taught by 2 specialist RS teachers who have a wealth of knowledge and understanding between them. The A*-C pass rate for 2019 -2020 was • AS – 80% A*-C • A 2 – 75% A*-C

Our students genuinely enjoy the Religious Studies lessons and students who withdraw from the subject are incredibly rare. Everyone who studied AS with us last year have continued to A 2. It’s not only about the grade that you get at the end of the course but also the skills that you develop during the two-year course and it has a great record of enriching students lives. Our students go on to studying courses such as law, medicine and engineering because of the skills that they’ve worked on in Religious Studies, skills such as critical thinking and communication and also the ability to communicate and work with others which are all hugely celebrated by employers.

Why choose Religious Studies? • It is a fascinating subject designed for those who have an enquiring mind and want to ask about deeper questions in life. • It will develop your critical and evaluative skills through a rigorous study of religious, ethical and philosophical issues and its application to the wider world. • It will help you listen empathetically, speak thoughtfully and write clearly - all skills that will be of great use no matter what you go on to do in life. • It grapples with many key issues and there are many opportunities for debates! • The Russel Group of top universities has made it clear that RS A level provides ‘suitable preparation for university generally’ • Both Oxford and Cambridge University include religious study in the top-level list of ‘generally suitable arts A level’

Check out this clip (22) The Problem of Evil: Crash Course Philosophy #13 - You. Tube

AS Specification Buddhism The birth of the Buddha and the 4 sights, the enlightenment, Buddhist texts and sources of wisdom The 3 lakshanas, karma and rebirth, arhat and bodhisattva The 4 noble truths, 8 fold path, the 10 precepts Going for refuge, meditation, punya and dana Ethics Philosophy Divine command theory, virtue theory, ethical egoism Cosmological argument, teleological argument, Natural Law -abortion -euthanasia Situation Ethics -homosexual relationships -polyamorous relationships Utilitarianism -animal experimentation for medical research -the use of nuclear weapons as a deterrent Ontological argument The problem of evil Religious experience & mystical experiences

For the full specification please visit; A level specification template (wjec. co. uk) Buddhism – pg 22 -25 Ethics – pg 35 -38 Philosophy – 39 -42

Key points • A level RS (2 YEARS) or stand alone AS (1 YEAR) • No coursework • 3 main areas of study over the two years • 2 exams at the end of AS and 3 exams at the end of A 2. • What background do I need? A strong grade in RS GCSE and an essay-based subject for example English (if you have not studied RS for GCSE, please do not worry) • Where can it lead? A level Religious Studies can provide you with excellent transferable skills from essay writing, developing confidence in debating, to developing the ability to appreciate other viewpoints. • Careers such as… Teaching / law / medicine / journalism / public services / business… to name but a few!

Statements from our current year 12/13 students Learning the Philosophy behind beliefs has added more depth and meaning to my thoughts on religion as a whole. RS fascinates me because it's a subject I can apply to my everyday life and it has really helped to develop my philosophical understanding and capacity for analysis. RS gives me a space to better understand the world. RS isn't just about religion it’s about what’s the rights and wrongs of the world too. The subject also makes you think more about day to day things I have found learning about philosophy in RS particularly interesting because it questions big issues and makes you think about how people should behave.

The study of religion is one of the oldest academic disciplines. The A level builds on this tradition by offering a systematic study of religious belief by relating this to current themes and issues. Importance of religious belief is being questioned today like never before – and you will learn the skills to look at these issues in a critical way. If you would like to know any more, please feel free to email me. hwj@friars. gwynedd. sch. uk