Curriculum Statement
In Ethics, Philosophy and Religion (EPR) students get the opportunity to ask and ponder life’s big ultimate questions. From KS3 to sixth form, students study a wide range of religious beliefs and worldviews including non-religious worldviews. They are encouraged to be curious and respectful of the wide variety of beliefs, cultures and opinions from their local communities and beyond. Core study of Religious Education is covered in this subject, with Medway Agreed Syllabus used as a guide for the topics we teach.
Year 7
Terms 1 and 2
Students begin their study of EPR by defining key terms which are used throughout their studies in this subject. They pose ultimate questions and understand the difference between beliefs, facts and opinions. What is a religion? What is a worldview? How might religious beliefs or worldviews influence how people live their lives? They then move on to learn about Christianity, the largest religion in the world, learning about the basis of Christian beliefs and practices.
Terms 3 and 4
Students continue their study of Christianity before moving on to learn about Islam, the second biggest religion in the world. They learn about the beginnings of Islam, the five pillars of Islam and how Muslims worship.
Terms 5 and 6
Students start to study their first ‘ethics’ topic, focusing on animal rights. Should animals have rights similar to humans? Why are some people vegetarian or vegan? Is testing on animals acceptable? Students look at Christian ethics in response to these questions as well as other faiths. They then learn about Hinduism studying the wide variety of Hinduism and how it is practiced.
Year 8
Terms 1 and 2
Students begin Year 8 by studying Judaism. How did it begin? How do Jews practice their faith today? They then study religious philosophy by going back to ultimate questions which were looked at in Year 7 but in more detail. They ask, can we prove that God exists? Can we prove that God doesn’t exist? They evaluate the answers to these questions.
Terms 3 and 4
Students continue their discussion on religious philosophy and learn about Humanism as a non-religious worldview. They then study SIkhi and learn about key Sikh beliefs and practices.
Terms 5 and 6
Students move on to learn about human rights. What are human rights? How are rights linked to responsibility? What do different religions say about human rights? Students look at Christian ethics in response to these questions as well as other faiths They finish Year 8 with a study of Buddhism. How did Buddhism begin? What do Buddhists believe and how do they practice their faith?
Year 9
Term 1 and 2
Students study the Bible by looking at the historical context of how it came to be. What are the different sections about? How do different people interpret the Bible and how might this impact on how different groups see the world and ethical issues? Students then move on to study life after death. What is life after death? What do different religions and non-religious worldviews say about the afterlife?
Term 3 and 4
Students continue their study of immortality and then move on to study medical ethics from a mainly Christian perspective although other faiths are looked at. When does life begin? Is it acceptable to test on embryos? What are religious views on organ donation, stem cell therapies, fertility treatment and cloning?
Term 5 and 6
Students look at different festivals and why they are celebrated. They consider religious reasoning behind some of the popular festivals in the world today such as Mardi Gras, Hallowe’en and Summer Solstice. Students conclude their Key Stage 3 studies by covering prejudice and discrimination. How do religious believers respond to prejudice such as racism, homophobia and sexism?
Year 10
GCSE Religious Studies is currently an option subject. Students follow the AQA A Religious Studies specification and the two religions studied are Christianity and Sikhism alongside the ethical themes.
Term 1
Students study in depth about Christian beliefs. What do Christians believe about God and creation? What is the trinity? What were the main events in Jesus life and how do they influence believers today?
Term 2
Students study relationships and families. What are religious views on marriage, divorce, homosexuality, cohabitation and sex before marriage?
Term 3
Students use their learning from Christian beliefs to consider how Christianity is practiced in the modern world. How do Christians worship, how do they celebrate life events as well as festivals?
Term 4
Students continue their study of Christian practices before moving on to their second ethical theme: religion and life. This is a broad topic which asks questions such as, how did life begin? How should we treat the environment? Are abortion and euthanasia ever acceptable?
Term 5
Students continue to study religion and life and then begin their study of Sikh beliefs. What are Sikh beliefs about God?
Term 6
Students prepare for their Year 10 mock examinations as well as continuing with Sikh beliefs. Mock examinations are sat and students receive feedback, results are celebrated and students are given time to make improvements to their answers so that they know how to improve for next time.
Year 11
Term 1
Students continue with their study of Sikh beliefs. What do Sikhs believe about life after death, karma and reincarnation? How do Sikhs believe they should behave? They then move on to Sikh practices, how do Sikhs worship and celebrate?
Term 2
Students carry on with their study of Sikh practices and then move on to the third theme; religion, war and peace. They consider whether war is acceptable and if war is waged, what ethical issues do we need to consider. Students also spend time revising for, sitting and reviewing mock examinations.
Term 3
Students begin their last ethical theme; religion, crime and punishment. They consider why crimes are committed, what the aims of punishment are and whether punishments like the death penalty are valid.
Term 4
Students complete the topic of crime and punishment and begin a program of targeted revision lessons to prepare for their final examinations.
Term 5
Students continue their revision and sit their final GCSE examinations.
Year 12
Students who opt to take EPR at A Level follow the Eduqas Religious Studies A Level. This is divided up into three strands: Religion (Judaism), Philosophy and Ethics
Term 1
Students begin their study by learning about Jewish beliefs and the covenants as well as what Jews believe about God and the afterlife. They also start their study of ethics by considering where right and wrong come from, what does it mean to be virtuous and is being a good person better than doing good deeds?
Term 2
Students begin their study of religious philosophy and look at different arguments for God’s existence, evaluating these. In ethics, they look at Christian situation ethics; is the right thing to do the most loving thing to do?
Term 3
Students move back to Judaism, this time looking at religious life, how Jews follow their faith including religious festivals. In ethics, students begin to look at Aquinas’ natural moral law and apply this to topics such as abortion and euthanasia
Term 4
Students go back to philosophy, this time considering arguments against God’s existence such as the problem of evil and suffering. They also begin to study religious experience and how people claim to see God and what evidence there is for God’s existence from these events. In ethics, students ask; is the right thing to do based on the action or the outcome? They study utilitarianism and consider if making people happy is the best way to get a moral outcome.
Term 5
Students complete previous topics in philosophy and ethics and then begin to start Year 13 topics. For Judaism they begin to look at other Jewish texts such as the Talmud and they look at important Jewish scholars such as Maimonides and Rashi.
Term 6
Students will complete targeted revision to prepare them for mock examinations. Mocks are reviewed and results are celebrated with students given time to make improvements.
Year 13
Term 1
Students continue their study of Jewish scholars and texts and then move on to consider the development of Jewish thought on issues such as secularization, science and Zionism. Ethics, students discuss meta-ethical approaches of Naturalism, Intuitionism and Emotivism
Term 2
Students study atheism by exploring theories by psychologists such as Jung and Freud and studying the works of prominent atheist writers such as Richard Dawkins. Students then revisit religious experience and look in depth at mysticism, miracles and the thoughts of Swinburne and Hume. In ethics, Deontological ethics are revisited, this time looking at John Finnis’ development of Natural Law and Bernard Hooses’ Proportionalism.
Term 3
Students go back to study Judaism and focus on further development in Jewish thought such as responses to discrimination, migration and Holocaust theology. Lastly, for Judaism, Hasadic Judaism is studied in more depth as well as Kabbalah and then an ethical debate on embryo research from a Jewish perspective. In Ethics, students consider determinism and free will. Are we predetermined to do what we do and if so what issues arise from this when thinking about who is to blame for our moral actions?
Term 4
In philosophy, students look at religious language. Can religious language really have meaning when it cannot be verified? How can we talk about God in a meaningful way? In Ethics, students continue to study determinism and free will including libertarianism.
Term 5 and 6
Students conclude their study of the content of the course and focus solely on revision and exam practice, which has also happened throughout the course. They sit their final examinations in the ourse one on Judaism, one on Philosophy and one on Ethics.
For further information please contact Miss Clark Head of Humanities and EPR at mclark@sflt.org.uk