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AS Philosophy

A Level

In Eastleigh ()

Price on request

Description

  • Type

    A Level

  • Duration

    1 Year

Are you intrigued by these questions? -. Why is there something rather than nothing? Can I be sure of anything? Is it possible that I am the only thing that exists? Where does the idea of God come from? Am I really free to make choices or is freedom just an illusion? Is consciousness something only human beings can have? Am I the same person I was ten years ago? Philosophy takes nothing.

Important information

Government funding available

About this course

Five GCSEs at grade A*-C, to include a B or above in English and a C or above in Mathematics.

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Course programme


Philosophy
Are you intrigued by these questions? -
  • Why is there something rather than nothing?
  • Can I be sure of anything?
  • Is it possible that I am the only thing that exists?
  • Where does the idea of God come from?
  • Am I really free to make choices or is freedom just an illusion?
  • Is consciousness something only human beings can have?
  • Am I the same person I was ten years ago?

Philosophy takes nothing for granted. To study Philosophy means asking awkward questions about even the most apparently obvious things, so that we can become clearer about what, if anything, we can know. Other subjects take for granted that we can know certain facts. Only Philosophy asks what it even means to know something.

If the above questions really grip you, and you are willing to read how philosophers over the ages have tried to grapple with these issues, and to develop your own ability to write about them, then Philosophy might be for you.

What Will I Learn on this Course?

Philosophy will help you think clearly and present your ideas in an ordered and coherent way. It will help you to improve your communication skills, both orally and in writing.
You will be introduced to the writings of some of the key ancient and modern philosophers who have influenced the way we think about the world. You will also learn to look critically at all viewpoints, take nothing for granted and only accept arguments for which good reasons can be provided. Nothing is true or right simply because someone says so!

You will develop a range of transferable skills that can be applied far beyond the study of Philosophy. The critical, analytical approach which you will learn in philosophy will help clarify your thinking and writing in all the other subjects you study at Barton Peveril and in everyday life.

Course Content and Method of Assessment

The AS Level Syllabus

There are 2 units for the AS award and 2 units for A2, making 4 units altogether for the full A Level.

Each of the two AS units provides an introduction to particular themes in Philosophy, as follows:

AS Unit 1 - Reason and Experience,which considers whether ideas come from senses or from reason, and whether we see the world as it really is, or whether our minds and language shape the world we see. It will also consider whether any of our ideas can be said to be true.

Persons- which asks what it really means to be a person and whether all human beings can be considered persons, and even whether computers or animals could be said to be persons. We will consider the claim that human beings are superior to animals.

AS Unit 2 - God and the World, which examines whether the world shows evidence of being designed by God, how evolution and religious approaches are related; whether there can be a God, given the amount of suffering in the world; and whether a religious view of the world is based on fact or feeling.

The Debate about Free Will and Determinism, which invites us to consider whether the decisions we make are really as free as they feel, or whether they have been caused by factors outside of our control, along with whether fate or chance play a part in the decisions I make.

The A2 coursetwo further units, one involving the study of Philosophy of Mind and Philosophy of Religion and the other, the study of a complete text by J.S.Mills.
All units are externally assessed by a one and a half hour written paper set and marked by AQA., each unit being worth 25% of the marks for the full A level.
Candidates must take units 1 and 2 for the AS GCE award and all four units for the full Advanced GCE award.

After the Course?

Philosophy is recognised as a challenging and demanding subject and is highly respected by both universities and prospective employers. Students with a qualification in Philosophy are increasingly being sought by employers who value the development of a rigorous and flexible mind that study of the subject calls for.
Many of our students go on to study Philosophy at university, often at Oxford or Cambridge, but all students benefit from the intellectual development that Philosophy nurtures.

Subject Combinations

Philosophy complements all other A level subjects and our most successful students have come from a Science background as well from the Arts and Humanities.
Students are able to take both Philosophy and Religious Studies at Barton Peveril as the topics covered in these different courses have been chosen so that the courses complement one another.

Entry Requirements

Five GCSEs at grade A*-C, to include a B or above in English and a C or above in Mathematics.

AS Philosophy

Price on request