CHRISTOPHER WHITEHEAD
LANGUAGE COLLEGE AND SIXTH FORM
WELCOME TO CWLC SIXTH FORM!
FREYA HARRAD | SIXTH FORM STUDENT
I choose this subject as the philosophy and ethics elements of the course interested me greatly. What I like about studying RS is that everyone single lesson makes you think about and consider new viewpoints that you had not considered before. For example, within our arguments for the existence of God topic, I began to question my own beliefs on whether God could exist or not. As well as that, every lesson has a different format so there is a nice mix of debates and presentations as well as more independent tasks. Next year, I am hoping to study Philosophy at university as my RS lessons have sparked an interest in the deeper philosophical questions surrounding the world that we live in.
WHY CHOOSE A-LEVEL RELIGION, PHILOSOPHY AND ETHICS?
The Religious Studies A Level course is thought-provoking and challenges your mind to think beyond the ordinary. This course is ultimately about people, understanding their different views, learning about their beliefs, and understanding what makes people tick whether they have a religious worldview or not. RS involves thinking deeply about what it is to be human and how we relate to others.
It is an opportunity to think through the big questions of life. ‘An unexamined life is not worth living’ Socrates may or may not have said this but the point stands. Whether or not God exists, how we make moral decisions, questions about gender and justice, life and death – the meaning (if there is one) of life itself. These are important questions to help develop a greater more intelligent understanding of our world and the people that inhabit it. Science can tell us what we are able to do, but only RS perhaps assisted by other Humanities type courses can help us answer ethical questions about whether we should do it.
WHY STUDY A-LEVEL RELIGIOUS STUDIES AT CWLC?
Students develop their understanding and appreciation of religious beliefs and teachings, as well as the disciplines of ethics and the philosophy of religion. The course encourages students to analyse and evaluate different ideas, from a range of perspectives through discussion, debate, communication, precision and clarity of writing.
WHAT COULD YOU DO NEXT?
RS A level is excellent preparation for the world of work or university, and the qualification tells an employer or university a lot about your skills set. Many related careers are law, journalism, politics, education, media, social work. However, more than that RS helps you prepare for life itself. The questions it considers are significant. And if you ask anyone who had studied the subject whether they enjoyed it, they’ll probably tell you they had a lot of fun along the way!