Revision notes for A-level Religious Studies (OCR)
Six pages
DCT – CHALLENGES
THE CHALLENGE OF SECULARISM
Secularism
Secularisation
DAVID FORD
JOSE CASANOVA
God is an illusion
SIGMUND FREUD
Humans personify ‘purpose’
Link to Plato’s forms
Coping mechanism
RICHARD DAWKINS:
Religion narrows perception, science widens it
JOHN POLKINGHORNE
Matthew 5
Objections to secularism
JO MARCHANT
Physiological benefits
“Feeling part of something bigger"
"Knowledge of our own mortality”
CHARLES TAYLOR
'Subtraction stories’
Post-Enlightenment attitude
TERRY EAGLETON
Marx
“Secularism is largely doomed”
Secular capitalism
Events of 9/11
Positivist dream of world without religion
Christianity should play no part in public life
Secular humanism
AMSTERDAM DECLARATION
Seven aims of modern humanism
Programmatic secularism
Procedural secularism
“Diversity gone mad”
ARGUMENTS FOR AND AGAINST FAITH SCHOOLS
Radicalisation
House of Lords
Dominionism
Reconstructionism
SECULARISATION PROS AND CONS
Social cohesion
Corrupt theocracy
Disenchantment
Religious motives replaced by rational motives
MAX WEBER
Key issues
LIBERATION THEOLOGY AND MARX
Marx’s teaching on alienation + exploitation
Alienation
Dehumanisation
"Fundamental evil of capitalist society”
Exploitation
Means to an end
Historical materialism =
Praxis
Proletariat must revolt against bourgeoisie
False consciousness
‘Joined-up’ thinking
Working towards common good
A Level revision notes
Colour coded: green statistics; yellow definitions; blue dates
Regency of Somerset, 1547-49
Rule of Northumberland, 1549-53
Reign of Mary Tudor, 1553-58
Powerpoint and worksheets explaining the Enhanced Greenhouse Effect
Starter is an odd-one-out quiz of various human activities which affect climate
Students draw a pie chart showing sources of greenhouse gases from human activities then memorise and sketch the Enhanced Greenhouse Effect
The main work involves constructing a mind map of the effects caused by major greenhouse pollutants (carbon dioxide, water vapour, nitrous oxide, methane and halocarbons)
Differentiated questions:
1-3: How does (a) industry and (b) farming make climate change worse?
4-6: How do humans add to the Greenhouse Effect and climate change?
7-9: Using named chemical compounds, explain how human actions increase the rate of climate change
Plenary: affects of contrails on the short-term weather
Enough for two lessons
Eight page booklet : define tectonic keywords, complete a fact file about the Tohoku Tsunami; SPAG exercise about Japan's seismicity; empathise with a parent, a businesswoman and a farmer from Japan after the disaster; a moral dilemma about the continued use of nuclear energy; a question about God's role in natural disasters; draw your own version of The Great Wave by Hokusai
A Level revision notes about ‘Top Girls’ by Caryl Churchill
Context
Feminism
Motherhood
The female body
Religion
Rebellion
Women’s roles
The state
Freedom
Hope
A decision making exercise which could last a few lessons or be set as a homework project
A property developer is looking to build a five star hotel in San Francisco
Pupils have to decide on the most sustainable county in the Bay Area
Introductory Powerpoint, a project workbook and LOTS of resources are included
The completed project/proposal covers:
Background to tourism in California
The physical hazards threatening San Francisco
Explanation for choosing one of the Bay Area counties
Sustainability (PPP) of the various sites
Reasons for rejecting the others
Consideration of how to make the structure safe from earthquakes
Space for the pupils to be imaginative and design the resort
Revision for A-level Religious Studies (OCR)
Three pages
OMNIPOTENCE
Divine power
• DESCARTES
• AQUINAS + SWINBURNE
• ANTHONY KENNY
Self-imposed limitation
• PETER VARDY
• JOHN MACQUARRIE
• ALVIN PLANTINGA
• WILLIAM OF OCKHAM
OMNIBENEVOLENCE
Divine benevolence
JOHN
HOSEA
EXODUS
AMOS
PSALMS
ETERNITY
Divine eternity
Boethius
Anselm
o HARTSHORNE; KENNY
• RICHARD SWINBURNE
• FRIEDRICH SCHLEIRMACHER
FREE WILL (+ omniscience)
Romans
Hebrews
Key Issues
Revision notes for A-level Religious Studies (OCR)
Two pages
RELIGION + ETHICS – CONSCIENCE
AQUINAS’ THEOLOGICAL APPROACH
‘Reason making right decisions’
Ratio
Aristotle’s SENSITIVE SOUL
Synderesis
Conscientia
Vincible ignorance
Invincible ignorance
FREUD’S PSYCHOLOGICAL APPROACH
Human psyche
Unconscious mind
Preconscious mind
Conscious mind
Tripartite personality:
Id
Ego
Superego
Other religious responses:
JOSEPH BUTLER
Innate God-given morality
JOHN HENRY NEWMAN:
Voice of God
AUGUSTINE
Intuitive, less rationalist
Secular responses:
JEAN PIAGET
Mature + immature conscience
Two stages of moral development
Heteronomous morality
Autonomous morality
LAWRENCE KOHLBERG
Authority figures
Social interaction
ERICH FROMM
External authorities
Guilty conscience
Authoritarian conscience
Humanistic conscience
Modern responses:
RICHARD DAWKINS
Evolution
Is conscience real?
Romans 2
‘Lust to be nice’
Product of nurture
Eight page booklet : define weather and climate keywords; map the areas of the World to show general effects of Climate Change; SPAG exercise about rising sea levels; questionnaire to survey attitudes towards Climate Change; Moral dilemma about family holidays abroad; personal responses to some religious quotes about the environment; description of how Climate Change may affect our heritage sites
Eight page booklet : define geological keywords; compile a fact file about a geological time period; a SPAG exercise about British geology; a page to research how humans use clay, limestone, marble and sandstone; a moral dilemma: spend money on repairing a historic cathedral or to look after the poor and homeless; complete a database about some of the World's holy rocks and stones; and finally a page to research questions about the UK's geology
Revision notes for A-level Religious Studies (OCR)
Four pages
DCT – AUGUSTINE’S TEACHING ON HUMAN NATURE
JEAN-JACQUES ROUSSEAU
THOMAS HOBBES
AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO
‘CONFESSIONS’
HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS PRE- AND POST-FALL
Pre-Lapsarian
Post-Lapsarian
ORIGINAL SIN AND ITS EFFECTS ON WILL AND SOCIETY
Original Sin is passed on through sex
GOD’S GRACE
Summum bonum
Contrasts Plato and Kant
CRITICISMS OF AUGUSTINE
Irenaean theodicy
DAWKINS
Humanitarian principle (PINKER)
FREUD
**JEAN PAUL SARTRE **
NIEBUHR
Prideful sin
Realisation of God
Key issues
Revision notes for A-level Religious Studies (OCR)
Seven pages
APPLIED ETHICS
CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
Examples of CSR:
Gates Foundation
M&S f
Merck & Co
Amazon
MILTON FRIEDMAN
Friedman Doctrine
'Hypocritical window dressing’
Greenwashing
Coca-Cola’s Giving Pledge
KANTIAN ETHICS
Goodwill
Universalisability
Formula of the End in Itself
UTILITARIANISM
Act Utilitarianism
Bentham
Natural rights “nonsense on stilts”
Rule Utilitarianism
Preference Utilitarianism
Evaluation
GLOBALISATION
Interconnectedness
Issues
Loss, abuse, damage and inequality
KANTIAN ETHICS
Capitalism
UTILITARIANISM
Objective empirical approach
Voluntary diversification
Evaluation
**GOOD ETHICS IS GOOD BUSINESS **
Duty to be honest
FRIEDMAN
Mill’s harm principle
Singer’s strong principle
ADAM SMITH
Self-interest
KARL MARX
Instability in capitalism
Exploiting labour
KANTIAN ETHICS
Self-satisfaction instead
UTILITARIANISM
Pursuit of lower pleasures
Evaluation
EUTHANASIA
Should ‘good death’ be universally permitted?
SANCTITY OF LIFE
Human life made in God’s image
Genesis 1
Catholic DECLARATION ON EUTHANASIA
Natural Law’s preservation of life
Doctrine of double effect
PIUS XII
Secondary effect of medicines
Dignity of the human person
Technological abuse
Criticism of SofL
DANIEL MAGUIRE
PETER SINGER
Value to community also
RONALD DWORKIN
Affirming life
QUALITY OF LIFE
Secular concept
Case studies:
DANIEL JAMES
TONY NICKLINSON
Personhood
GERMAIN GRISEZ
Criticisms of QofL
‘Playing God’
Consent
VOLUNTARY EUTHANASIA
GREGORY PENCE
Autonomy
NON-VOLUNTARY EUTHANASIA
Persistent vegetative state
PERSONAL AUTONOMY
Self-determination
Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
J.S MILL
Individual is sovereign
'Harm principle’
Criticisms
One’s life is of value to others
Depression
MEDICAL + NON-MEDICAL INTERVENTION
Difference between ‘killing’ + ‘letting die’
Morally equivalent, equal responsibility
Active or passive?
JAMES RACHELS
HELGA KUHSE
Nazi Germany
Conclusion
APPLICATION OF ETHICAL THEORIES TO EUTHANASIA
NATURAL LAW
Doctrine of double effect c
Precept of preservation of life
Value of life
Prevents achieving telos
Secular societies
What is ‘natural’?
Blurred distinction
SITUATION ETHICS
Agape
Personalism
Pragmatism
Positivism
Relativism