Religious Studies

Teaching Staff

Mrs J Hyndman BD (Hons) PGCE (Head of Department)

Mrs S Steenson BTh (Hons) PGCE

Overview

The Religious Studies Department plays a vital role in developing students’ understanding of the increasingly diverse and globalised world around us from the perspective of religion and faith. We aim to equip students with a sound knowledge and understanding of people’s values, beliefs and cultures as well as the most pressing and important ethical issues of our time. From the morality of war to the ethics of marriage and divorce, Religious Studies at Larne Grammar School covers numerous issues concerning both religious and secular society.

Overview of Year 8

Biblical Palestine – history, geography, religious and social life in 1^st century Palestine
The Bible
The Teachings of Jesus
The Miracles of Jesus
Jesus’s relationships

Overview of Year 9

Moses
Judaism
The Last Days of Jesus
The Birth of the Church

Overview of Year 10

Islam
Ruth
William Wilberforce
Prejudice and Discrimination
Crime and Punishment

Overview of GCSE Religious Studies

Examination Board is CCEA

2 papers each lasting 1 hour and 30 minutes on:

Unit 1 - The Christian Church through a study of the Roman Catholic Church and one Protestant Denomination
Unit 6 - An Introduction to Christian Ethics

Unit 1 will allow pupils to build on their KS3 studies and study in depth what the main Christian denominations in Northern Ireland believe – what they practise, on what these practices are based and how these beliefs and practices affect daily life. Issues such as how churches are governed, church architecture and furnishings, sacraments, role of the churches in politics and wider society form the focus of this unit.

Unit 2 addresses several challenging topics where pupils examine their own beliefs and the beliefs of others. Topics covered include abortion, euthanasia, relationships, bioethics, war and social justice.

Follow the links below for more information

A Level Religious Studies

The pupils will study two units during Year 13 and two units during Year 14. They will sit one paper per unit, each lasting 1 hour 20 minutes at AS and 2 hours at A2.

At AS the units are:

Unit 4 - The Origins and Development of the Early Christian Church to AD325
Unit 7 - Foundations of Ethics with special reference to issues in Medical Ethics

At A2 the units follow on from AS: