Description of Course

Religious, Moral and Philosophical Studies at Advanced Higher deals with the interrelationship of beliefs, ethical issues and philosophical challenges within religion and morality. Students will have the chance to examine traditional arguments and contemporary points of view, both religious and secular. Students will also develop critical thinking skills and be involved in debate, analysis and evaluation, particularly in relation to the weighing up of detailed evidence, developing complex arguments and presenting balanced and coherent conclusions.

Teaching is on a tutorial basis with students largely responsible for their own work, seeking assistance and guidance as necessary. The course is an excellent preparation for further study of various subjects at College or University.

Course Content

Philosophy of Religion

This unit involves in depth study of the debate over the existence or non-existence of God and how this affects our understanding of the origin and purpose of the universe, focusing on key arguments of philosophy of religion such as Cosmological argument, Teleological argument, and Atheist response.

Medical Ethics

This unit involves deep study of three branches of medical ethics: beginning of life, prolongation of life, and ending of life through the lens of religious, secular, and scientific perspectives to support critical thinking of the ethicality of each area.

Dissertation- Project

Pupils will research and complete a dissertation based on a topic which interests them from one of the previous units. This is a 4,000 word project that is submitted and externally assessed by the SQA worth over 30% of the final grade.

Assessment

The course assessment has two elements:

• Question Paper - externally assessed

• Dissertation - externally assessed