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Senior Religious Education

Overview Year 10 – 12 Religious Education Year 10 – 12 Youth Ministry Year 10/11/12 Cantabile (by application) Year 12: VCE Unit 1 Philosophy VCE Units 1 & 2 - Religion and Society VCE Units 3 & 4 - Religion and Society

Senior Religious Education

The College provides a broad faith-based Religious Education program for our students that is aligned with the Sale Diocese Religious Education Curriculum “To Live in Christ Jesus.”

Through the Religious Education Curriculum, the College aims to:

Invite a loving encounter with God through:

  • Promoting skills of spiritual awareness and attention to the signs of God’s presence in the natural world, in the history of salvation, in one’s interior life, and in relations with other persons.
  • Developing an appreciation of the love of God revealed through the person of Jesus Christ, God’s creation, and the dignity of the human person experienced in everyday life.
  • Allowing for the possibility of students growing in understanding of, and relationship with, God.
  • Witnessing to the possibility of a personal and active relationship with God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – lived out in the community of faith.
  • Enabling students to develop a post-critical capacity for belief, which is marked by awareness that God is a mysterious, unseen reality mediated to them through the scriptures, rituals, and practices of the community of faith.

Develop a love of self through:

  • Inviting and supporting students to grow in awareness and appreciation of their own spiritual character, created in the image of God.
  • Fostering skills of reflection, discernment, critical thinking, and decision making to act in accordance with a well-formed conscience.
  • Promoting an atmosphere of hope and joy.

Encourage an engagement with the Christian community through:

  • Promoting knowledge of the life, faith tradition, liturgy, sacraments, and mission of the Catholic Church locally and internationally.
  • Developing a recontextualising environment that aims to make meaningful the Christian faith through critical encounter with other worldviews.
  • Encouraging an ongoing dialogue between the Catholic faith tradition and the faith traditions and life philosophies of others, with a preferential emphasis on the Catholic Tradition.
  • Promoting respect and care for the natural world.

Subjects offered at Year 10, 11 and 12 at the College allow some choice in how students engage with the Religious Education curriculum.

More information about the Diocese of Sale Religious Education curriculum can be found here: https://toliveinchristjesus.ceosale.catholic.edu.au/

 

Year 10 – 12 Religious Education

Overview

Through an Inquiry-based learning model, students across the senior Religious Education program will explore the Gospel of the year. Using the lens of scripture, students will examine the author’s meaning and hopes for their community, and how this meaning and hope inspires a call to action in the modern world.

The structure of this program remains consistent across all senior years, to consolidate the capacity for students to interpret and apply religious thought in the modern world. Opportunities to enact key learnings from these modules will be provided through the College’s Liturgical, community building, Retreats, sport activities, fund raising, advocacy and other events.

Modules

Across the Senior Religious Education program, each class will study a certain number of modules based on the themes of the Gospel. The modules will represent a diversity of content and contexts but remain consistent in the skills each seeks to develop. Additionally, as the structure remains consistent, skills can be built upon each year.

Assessment

Across the modules students engage with, there will be a variety of assessment tasks including:

  • Written assessment
  • Presentations and reflections
  • Creative responses
  • Audio/visual media
  • Liturgical engagement
  • Community engagement

Skills and Content

Across the senior Religious Education program, modules will aim to develop the following skills:

Year 10

  • Analyse and interpret scripture to understand the cultural and historical setting it was written in.
  • Evaluate the author’s intended message across scripture in a contemporary context.
  • Discuss how scriptural themes are preserved in Catholic Tradition across a variety of contexts.

Year 11

  • Explore scriptural themes to offer and ask questions of meaning and purpose and how Catholic Tradition gives scriptural themes a modern meaning and application in a contemporary context.
  • Reflect on how scripture calls individuals to challenge cultural norms in having a positive impact.

Year 12

  • Analyse and interpret scripture, recontextualising the author’s intent with the modern world.
  • Use scriptural themes to learn how Catholic Traditions, and other religions offer an answer to questions of meaning.
  • Discuss how Catholic Tradition, founded on scripture, has changed over time to respond to the modern world.
  • Reflect on how scripture allows communities to form an identity; to have a positive impact in the world.

Future Directions

Completion of this course will give a strong foundation for students to study VCE Religion and Society at Years 11 and 12 if they choose to do so. Religion and Society offers learning and skills which are humanities based and can lead to improvements in communication, planning and organising and self-management skills.

Year 10 – 12 Youth Ministry

Overview

The Year 10 – 12 Youth Ministry program support students in finding ways to put faith into action. These courses mirror content that that is explored in the Core Religious Education program and, using an Inquiry-based learning model, encourages students to express their learnings with through practical activities.

Students will explore the Gospel of the year, examining the author’s meaning and hopes for their community, and how this meaning and hope inspires a call to action in the modern world.

The structure of this program remains consistent across all senior years, to consolidate the capacity for students to interpret and apply religious thought and action in the modern world.

Opportunities to enact key learnings will be provided through the College’s Liturgical, community building, Retreats, sport activities, fund raising, advocacy and other events.

Modules

Across the Senior Religious Education program, each class will study a certain number of modules based on the themes of the Gospel. The modules will represent a diversity of content and contexts but remain consistent in the skills each seeks to develop. Additionally, as the structure remains consistent, skills can be built upon each year.

Assessment

Across the modules students engage with, there will be a variety of assessment tasks including:

  • Written assessment
  • Presentations and reflections
  • Creative responses
  • Audio/visual media
  • Liturgical engagement
  • Community engagement

Skills and Content

Across the senior Religious Education program, modules will aim to develop the following skills:

Year 10 – by application

  • Analyse and interpret scripture to understand the cultural and historical setting it was written in.
  • Evaluate the author’s intended message across scripture in a contemporary context.
  • Discuss how scriptural themes are preserved in Catholic Tradition across a variety of contexts.

Year 11

  • Explore scriptural themes to offer and ask questions of meaning and purpose and how Catholic Tradition gives scriptural themes a modern meaning and application in a contemporary context.
  • Reflect on how scripture calls individuals to challenge cultural norms in having a positive impact.

Year 12

  • Analyse and interpret scripture, recontextualising the author’s intent with the modern world.
  • Use scriptural themes to learn how Catholic Traditions, and other religions offer an answer to questions of meaning.
  • Discuss how Catholic Tradition, founded on scripture, has changed over time to respond to the modern world.
  • Reflect on how scripture allows communities to form an identity; to have a positive impact in the world.

Across all year levels – Develop these learnings into ministry-based actions.

Future Directions

Completion of this course will give a strong foundation for students to continue further study in youth ministry and to develop the skills for extra-curricular ministry-based activities. Students will develop and deploy a variety of skills including leadership, communication to a variety of audiences, project planning and organising and self-management skills.

Year 10/11/12 Cantabile (by application)

Cantabile is a non-auditioned choir that works to lead the College in liturgical celebrations. Hymns and songs are chosen that reflect the CEO Sale Diocese curriculum and enable analysis of the faith expression in the lyrics. Cantabile requires students to be available to sing at various liturgical celebrations, both within and outside of class time, including out of hours. Students need an openness to faith expression through song and instruments.

Students must complete an application form to be considered.

IMPORTANT NOTICE FOR YEAR 12 STUDENTS:
Students in Year 12 in 2025 who are considering applying for Cantabile need to be aware that Cantabile runs during the Year 12 study block. Year 12 students doing Cantabile will have study periods at another time in their timetable. However, many Year 12 SACs will run during the Year 12 study block and Year 12 Cantabile students will NOT be able to do their SACS during this time. They will instead be rescheduled for after school hours.

This is not negotiable and is a condition of joining Cantabile.

Year 12: VCE Unit 1 Philosophy

This VCE Unit 1 course for Year 12 students called ‘Existence, Knowledge and Reasoning’ will explore concepts of metaphysics, epistemology and philosophical inquiry (Outcomes 1-3) and will enable students to practice VCE skills and achieve another unit for their VCE.

Unit 1 – Existence, Knowledge, and Reasoning

What is the nature of reality? How can we acquire certain knowledge? This unit engages students with fundamental philosophical questions through active, guided investigation and critical discussion of two key areas of philosophy: epistemology and metaphysics.

Areas of Study:

  1. Metaphysics – Analyse metaphysical problems and evaluate viewpoints and arguments arising from these and identify metaphysical problems in relevant contemporary debates.
  2. Epistemology – Analyse problems of knowledge and evaluate viewpoints and arguments arising from these and analyse epistemological problems in the context of relevant contemporary debates.
  3. Introduction to philosophical inquiry – Practise some basics of informal logic and other techniques of philosophical reasoning. Explore cognitive biases and consider any implications for approaching problems in epistemology and metaphysics.

Link to Study Design – VCE Philosophy 2025-2029 – Study Design

VCE Units 1 & 2 - Religion and Society

Overview

Religion and Society is the study of religions which are defined as forms of beliefs and practices which allow human beings to express their sense of ultimate reality. The study encourages students to discover the role of religion in society and how religion provides meaning to the existential questions that are common to most people. Religions can be understood in a general way as meaning systems that have nine interrelated aspects: Beliefs, Sacred stories, Spaces, Places, times and artefacts, Texts, Rituals, Symbols, Social Structures - Ethics – Spiritual experiences.

Unit 1: The role of religion in society

In Unit 1, students explore the spiritual origins of religion, identifying the nature and purpose of religion over time.   They investigate the contribution of religion to the development of human society and then focus on the role of religious traditions in shaping personal and group identity.   Students examine how religious traditions are affected and changed by individuals and groups.

Areas of Study

  1. The Nature and Purpose of Religion
  2. Religion through the Ages
  3. Religion in Australia

Unit 2: Religion and ethics

In Unit 2, students’ study in detail various methods of ethical decision-making in at least two religious traditions and their related philosophical traditions. They explore ethical issues in societies where multiple worldviews coexist, in the light of these investigations.

Areas of Study

  1. Ethical Decision Making and Moral Judgement
  2. Religion and Ethics
  3. Ethical Issues in Society

Forms of Assessment

All outcomes in Units 1 & 2 will include a combination of short answer, extended response and essay questions which are completed under test conditions.

Prerequisites and Corequisites

Satisfactory completion of any Year 10 Religious Education subject.
Please note that Year 9 students may apply to accelerate into this subject in Year 10 after an application process, including an interview.

Link to Study Design

VCE Religion and Society Study Design 2023-2027

VCE Units 3 & 4 - Religion and Society

Overview

Unit 3 & 4 Religion and Society is the continuation of the skills and content described in Unit 1 & 2 Religion and Society. The study begins the process of a deeper examination of the fundamental beliefs of religious traditions and how these beliefs assist in the human search for meaning. Students also investigate how historical challenges were met by religious traditions and evaluate the effectiveness of these responses. Finally, students apply the ethics and beliefs of a religious tradition to a contemporary challenge to understand how beliefs inform a response to various ethical, social and environmental issues.

Unit 3: The search for meaning

In Unit 3 students begin by studying the religious beliefs developed by one or more than one Religious tradition in response to the big questions of life. They explore the ways in which these religious beliefs create meaning for religious traditions and their members. Religious beliefs may be expressed through the other aspects of religion, such as myths and other stories, sacred texts and other religious writings (such as formal creeds), rituals, symbols, social structures, ethical principles and oral or written codes of behaviour, religious experience and spirituality.

Areas of Study

  1. Responding to the Search for Meaning
  2. Expressing Meaning
  3. Significant Life Experiences, Religious Beliefs and Faith

Unit 4: Religion, challenge, and change

In Unit 4 the interaction of religious traditions and the societies of which they are a part is investigated. Religious traditions are dynamic, living institutions that contribute in many ways, both positively and negatively, to wider societies – stimulating, supporting, as levers for change or resisting changes in those societies.  Religious traditions also change over time; this change may be in the form of growth or decline or both.

Areas of Study

  1. Challenge and Response
  2. Interaction of Religion and Society

Forms of Assessment

All outcomes in Units 3 & 4 will include a combination of short answer, extended response and essay questions which are completed under test conditions.

Prerequisites and Corequisites

Satisfactory completion of any Religion and Society Units 1 & 2 or any Year 11 Religious Education subject. Please note that Year 10 students may apply to accelerate into this subject in Year 11 after an application process which may include an interview.

Link to Study Design

VCE Religion and Society Study Design 2023 - 2027