Religious & Moral Education

The Religious & Moral Education Department offer the following courses:

RELIGIOUS & MORAL EDUCATION

RME is compulsory in S1, S2 and S3

Religious and Moral Education at Elgin Academy is committed to enabling each pupil to achieve the four capacities promoted in the Curriculum for Excellence. In particular, our department helps support confident individuals who have self-respect, a sense of mental and emotional well-being and are developing secure values and beliefs.

Religious and Moral Education encourages pupils to become self-aware; giving them a location to develop and communicate their opinions, beliefs and values as well as respecting those of others.

Our aim is to equip pupils with the thinking skills required to investigate, process, and communicate a wide variety of views. This is in the context of the universal search for meaning, value and purpose in life.

Pupils are given the opportunity to explore values such as justice and compassion – is it ever right to execute someone for committing a crime?; To consider medical issues such as Abortion; Use of Embryos; Euthanasia; Animal rights; Climate justice; and explore worldviews; whilst developing their own beliefs, attitudes, values and skills, such as critical thinking.

RME at Elgin Academy promotes respect for people of all backgrounds and beliefs, and attempts to develop empathy in pupils. Openness to new thinking and ideas helps pupils become successful learners and responsible citizens able to make reasoned evaluations while understanding opinions which may differ from their own.

Courses & Qualifications

S1 The course includes the following units:

Introduction to RME

World religion investigation

Global Goals & Climate Justice

Philosophical question of Life, Death & Beyond

S2 The course includes the following units:

Animal ethics

Hinduism

Prejudice and Discrimination

S3 The course includes the following units:

Medical ethics – Organ Donation / Abortion / Use of Embryos / Genetic

engineering & cloning.

Islam

Introduction to Psychology

N5, Higher

In the senior phase, RME becomes RMPS – Religious, Moral and Philosophical Studies

N5 – Higher – courses have 3 topic areas of study.

World religion - A critique into Islam

Moral - Morality linked with Crime & Justice

Philosophy - Origins of the Universe and Life

National 5 and Higher RMPS allows pupils to stretch their knowledge to a much deeper level. Pupils will develop in-depth factual and abstract knowledge of Islam and the lives of Muslims. Pupils will investigate criminal justice, the moral concerns such as the purpose and effectiveness of punishment. Lastly, pupils will develop skills to analyse and evaluate religious and philosophical questions such as faith, reason, creation and science to do with the Big Bang and Evolution.

Questions for PT:

Why should pupils choose to study RMPS?

RMPS is really interesting and relevant in today’s modern world. It gives pupils a chance to voice their own opinions about serious, everyday issues. Over time, these opinions develop into informed views which will stand them in good stead for life, learning and work. After all, as humans we make moral decisions on how to live on a daily basis; from choosing what to eat (is it right to eat animals? Is our food ethically sourced?) to choosing which transport to take (would riding a bike be greener?) to discussing is War ever morally justified?.

How can studying RMPS help pupils in their lives in the future?

“It’s great for any job where you work with people. It makes you more empathetic and understanding. It also sharpens your thinking and helps you to look at things differently with an open mind and to challenge and question things.”

Pupils questions:

Why did you choose to study N5 – Higher RMPS?

“I find the subject really interesting and it will help in my future career hopefully as a lawyer”.

What do you like best about studying RMPS?

“I really enjoy the class discussions about interesting topics such as abortion or capital punishment.”