Religious Studies

Head of RS – Mrs J Hawkins

Email – hawkinsj@hanson.org.uk

Religious Studies has changed significantly over the last twenty years. Not so long ago it was about understanding Christianity from a Catholic or Protestant point of view. Today it attempts to teach about religion and other beliefs and how these impact on life as a whole. With globalisation and migration and with the world experiencing a variety of conflicts based on tribal and cultural misunderstandings and hatred, it is increasingly important that young people have a more enlightened view of others.

The RS team’s aim is

Religious Studies is an exploration of today’s world through comparative religion, theology, philosophy, anthropology and ethics. Students are encouraged to explore questions of faith, morality, proof, belief and non-belief, and the nature of reality. Religious Studies will equip students with the literacy, knowledge, help develop empathy and critical thinking skills to explore a range of religions and world views so that they can understand religious beliefs and practices and philosophical and ethical ideas.

It will also cultivate their insightful curiosity, and imaginative empathy to explore and to answer challenging questions about their place in the world, their relationship to others and their relationship to the environment. Religious Studies contributes significantly to the ethos of the school in which diversity is celebrated, and all students are valued. It enables students to ask deep and often searching questions about their own beliefs and the beliefs and opinions of others regarding pertinent contemporary moral issues.

Assessment

Component 1: The study of religions:

Written examination: 1 hour 45 minutes

50% of GCSE

Component 2: Thematic studies

Written examination: 1 hour 45 minutes

50% of GCSE

Assessments undertaken throughout the course:

Exam Specification – Edexcel GCSE Religious Studies B (2016) | Pearson qualifications

Religious Studies also helps to promote spiritual, moral, social and cultural development (SMSC):

Social: Social education in Religious Studies involves exploring the similarities and differences in religions and cultures, which enables students to make links between faith and personal action in everyday life. This is reflected in their relations with others through activities such as discussion and debate, and in their ability to work co-operatively with those around them.

Moral: Students learn about shared moral values from religious and secular perspectives. Religious Studies provides opportunities for Students to debate moral dilemmas about matters of life and death, relationships, the environment, and conflict. Students engage with the most divisive yet exciting moral issues of the day.

Spiritual: The subject involves engaging with questions about the meaning and purpose of life and the values by which we live. In learning about a range of different religious traditions and belief systems, students have the opportunity to learn from their experiences, to reflect on and interpret spirituality in their own lives and to engage with ultimate questions.

Cultural: In studying faith and belief systems, students are naturally engaging with culture, exploring how religion is part of people’s cultural identity. The subject gives pupils an opportunity to learn what it means to belong. Students are given the tools to be able to respond positively to the benefits and challenges of living in a multi-faith and multi-cultural society.