Philosophy & Religious Education classes provide learning experiences that help shape our students’ character development. We explore Christian faith and values and a broad scope of philosophical views to build wisdom and motivation for ethical decision making. The curriculum explores Biblical themes and the most significant alternative positions so that our students will be equipped to engage respectfully with the people and issues that they will come across now and into the future.
Students explore issues around Australian Indigenous Culture and Spirituality including communication through story; the importance of language; observing cultural differences; the error of Terra Nullius; recognising connection to country; and reconciliation.
Students investigate the most influential worldviews in Australian Society with the goal of better articulating their responses to the questions, "Who am I? What are that things that are important to me? What do I value most?" Students are equipped to address these questions by studying an overview of four significant worldviews (Christianity, Modernism, Postmodernism and Consumerism). Since each student's personal worldview is likely to be a blend of the attitudes described in these four pervasive worldviews, this study gives them the vocabulary to describe the values that they identify as important.
Each student’s preliminary answer to the question “Who am I?” prepares them for the next topic which addresses the question, "What should I do?” Students are introduced to a theoretical structure for ethics and decision-making. They then learn to apply ethical thinking to practical situations and develop skills in presenting a persuasive argument that recognises the strengths of opposing position.
The course structure emphasises engagement and participation with classroom discussions and activities, giving weight to students’ ability to thoughtfully reflect and to build on the ideas of other students.