A Level Philosophy

Now available as a 12 month FAST TRACK course at no extra cost!! Just select the option at the bottom of this page.

Guaranteed exam place: venues in Bristol, Harrogate, Birmingham & London.

Specification
AQA-2170

Testing Centres
http://www.aqa.org.uk/admin/p_private.php

Course Overview
Gain a thorough grounding in key philosophical concepts, themes, texts and techniques

Develop the ability to reason, form their own judgements, express themselves coherently and contribute to the process of debate

Consider philosophical problems through the study of a key text.

Unit 1: PHIL1- An Introduction to Philosophy 1
REASON AND EXPERIENCE:
Mind as tabula rasa
The learner will be able to:

Consider the strengths and weaknesses of the argument that all ideas come from sense experience.

Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the view that what exists must be grounded in/justified by sense experience.

Innate knowledge
The learner will be able to:

Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the view that the mind contains innate knowledge regarding the way the world is and its philosophical significance.

Discuss the view regarding what exists being grounded in a priori intuition/demonstration.

Consider whether certainty is confined to introspection and the tautological.

Conceptual schemes
The learner will be able to:

Evaluate the view that experience is only intelligible because it presents sensation through a predetermined framework: and the implications of this view.

THE IDEA OF GOD:
The divine attributes
The learner will be able to:

Understand the attributes of God and describe their application.

Discuss whether these divine attributes are singularly or mutually coherent.

The ontological argument
The learner will be able to:

Discuss the view that if God’s existence is conceivable then He is necessary and must exist.

Outline the strengths and weaknesses of the ontological argument.

The origins of ‘God’
The learner will be able to:

Evaluate the claim that God is innate within all of us and discuss the difficulties surrounding this claim.

Discuss the concept of God as a human construction that comes from social/psychological processes.

Unit 2 PHIL2: An Introduction to Philosophy 2
TOLERANCE
The tolerant society
The learner will be able to:

Discuss and evaluate the tolerant society, ideal of liberal democracy, the virtue of pluralist democracy and discuss whether a society should be nurtured.

Understand arguments for tolerance, fallibility, ineffectiveness of coercion, the threat of strife, the value of autonomy and the value of diversity.

The tolerant individual
The learner will be able to:

State the characteristics of the tolerant individual and discuss the basis of the tolerant individual.

Evaluate how we treat others as tolerant people and discuss whether people should be left to do as they please or whether people should actively avoid offending others.

Tensions and applications
The learner will be able to:

Discuss how tolerant societies can tolerate minority cultures and if it is possible to make judgements with regards to diverse cultures without becoming intolerant.

Argue whether we should tolerate minority religions, unpopular lifestyles and cultural expressions.

FREE WILL AND DETERMINISM
What is determinism?
The learner will be able to:

Define determinism and consider its outcomes.

Discuss the idea that all human action stems from environmental and genetic factors and the idea of free will as an illusion.

What is free will?
The learner will be able to:

Discuss the concept of free will as requiring indeterminism and how human decision making works outside of the natural order.

Discuss the concept that free will is compatible with determinism.

The implications of determinism
The learner will be able to:

Discuss the view that determinism undermines moral responsibility and that ‘ought’ should mean ‘can.’  As such can praise and punishment be meaningful if determinism exists.

Understand the differences between reasons and causes and ascertain the extent to which determinism undermines moral responsibility.

Unit 3 PHIL3: Key Themes in Philosophy
MORAL PHILOSOPHY
Moral truth
The learner will be able to:

Discuss the moral truths of different forms, moral elitism, natural facts etc.

Consider the issues relating to the different types of moral truths.

The denial of moral truth
The learner will be able to:

Discuss the distinction between moral judgements as social conventions relative to particular social groups.

Consider the issues of moral judgements and the possibility of moral progress and mistakes.

Moral decisions
The learner will be able to:

Define the strengths and weaknesses of the utilitarian positions as well as consideration of act, rule and preference utilitarianism.

Define and explain Kant’s ethics on moral rights, duties and principles.

Consider the positions of practical wisdom, the hedonic calculus and the categorical imperative.

The application to the views with reference to practical problems.

PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION
Arguments for the existence of God
The learner will be able to:

Discuss the relevant arguments for the existence of God with reference to the underlying arguments.

Reason and faith
The learner will be able to:

Discuss and argue the differing views of our understanding of faith.

Argue to what extent we can choose our belief in either a faith or belief in no faith.

Miracles
The learner will be able to:

Define ‘miracle’ and consider its significance in religion.

Discuss miracles and the competing truth claims of other religions. This should be considered in line with all arguments.

Making sense of religion
The learner will be able to:

Discuss the extent to which religion is explained away by social science.

Consider the problems and solutions regarding religious language.

Discuss whether religion is language based or a ‘form of life.’

Unit 4 PHIL4: Philosophical Problems
The learner will be able to:
Demonstrate an understanding of one of the selected texts (TBC)

Suggested reading
An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding: Hume

The Republic: Plato

On Liberty: Mill

Meditations: Descartes

Beyond Good and Evil: Nietzsche

Study Time
To complete a full A level it will take in the region of 200 study hours.

Pre-requisites
To take an A Level you should have a GCSE grade C or above, or the equivalent and preferably in your chosen subject.

Support
You will have access to tutor via email who will mark your work and guide you through the course to ensure you are ready for your examinations.

Examination Centres
The examinaing body will provide you with a list of examination centres but it is entirely your responsibility to find a centre which will accept you as an external candidate.

In some cases you should be prepared to travel to another town or city to take your exams.

The contract for sitting exams is between you and the centre  and we will provide you with comprehensive instructions on when and how to deal with the examination centre.

Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Do your courses meet the latest syllabus changes?
A. yes, all our course materials meet any changes and will be updated free of charge if further changes are made.

Q. Why do I have to find a centre myself?
A. We have students all over the UK and Europe and it is impossible for us to arrange dates and times for individual students.

Q. What if I cannot find an examination centre in my home town?
A. If you wish to gain the qualification then be prepared to travel it is worth it!

Q. How much are exam fees?
A. These vary from centre to centre so please check with your local centre.

Q. Are the courses paper based or on-line?
A. All our courses are paper based and come in attractive sturdy folders.

Q. How do I contact my tutor?
A. Tutors are all working Teachers or Lecturers so contact is by email only.

Q. Why can I not take my exams when I have completed the course and why do I have to wait?
A. Exams are taken at the same times as schools and colleges and are not flexible.

Q. I want to take my exams but there are only a few months to study, is this possible?
A. Depending on the time of year, it is sometimes impossible to complete your studies in a short space of time as your work has to be marked and checked. More importantly the examination boards have cut off times which are not flexible. See our web site for further information.

Q. Will I receive UCAS points on completion of this course?
A. Yes all of our A Levels carry UCAS points. The number of points awarded will depend on the grade you achieve