Year 8/9 - Extension Academy: Philosophy
Year 8/9 - Extension Academy: Philosophy
OverviewIn our modern world, ‘critical thinking’ is said to be one of the most valuable skills for achieving success in the workforce. Critical thinking is all about analysing, reflecting, and problem solving before acting, rather than just using emotion when decision-making. The aim of the Philosophy Academy is to help develop students’ skills in critical thinking, by encouraging them to question the world around them and approach different perspectives. There is an emphasis on developing arguing and debating skills, by examining and critiquing some of the big questions in Philosophy such as “What is truth?” and “What does it mean to be ‘good’?”. Students completing this subject for the first time participate in the ‘A’ course, and students completing it for the second time participate in the ‘B’ course.
| Units / Topics | Types of Assessment |
|---|---|
| • Ancient Greece – mythology and the first philosophers (A course) | • Speech |
| • The Ancient Greek philosophers: Socrates, Plato and Aristotle (A course) | • Comparative essay |
| • What is ethics? (A course) | • Folio task |
| • Different perspectives of living a ‘good life’ (A course) | |
| • Moral dilemmas (A course) | |
| • The philosophy of religion (B course) | |
| • Philosophical arguments for the existence of God (B course) | |
| • Why do we have faith? (B course) | |
| • The theory of knowledge (B course) | |
| • Philosophy and the Scientific Method (B course) |
Future Directions
Students are selected based off both their attitude towards the subject and their ability to complete work at an above standard level.