Senior Secondary 2021 Pathways Information

Religion and Society

Rationale

VCE Religion and Society enables students to understand the complex interactions between religion and society over time. Religion has played and continues to play a significant role in the development and maintenance of society. Students come to appreciate that religion can be a positive force of power, authority and justice. However, religious institutions have not always interacted positively with society at large and have at times supported the unethical behaviour of other power structures in society and of individuals. The study of religion and society can assist students in reaching a deeper, balanced understanding of societies and cultures in which multiple world views coexist. Students explore how such societies and their religious traditions negotiate significant ethical issues. Religious traditions offer value systems that guide their interactions with society and influence society’s decision making. This study offers an insight into the religious beliefs and other aspects of religion that express these value systems. Students study the role of religions in supporting adherents to grapple with the big questions of human existence and to respond to significant life experiences. Through the study of VCE Religion and Society students come to acknowledge the role of religion in shaping historical and present events. They explore times when religion dominated societies and the shifting role of religion in societies today in which multiple world views coexist and religion may be seen to have a lesser role. This study fosters an appreciation of the complexity of societies where multiple world views coexist and develops skills in research and analysis, helping students to become informed citizens and preparing them for work and further study in fields such as anthropology, theology, philosophy, sociology, journalism, politics and international relations.

Structure

The study is made up of four units.

Unit 1: The role of religion in society

Year 11 students are currently undertaking Unit 1 across the whole year in 2020 and are generally doing it very well.

Unit 2: Religion and ethics
Unit 3: The search for meaning
Unit 4: Religion, challenge and change

Year 12 students in 2021 must choose one of the following:

Complete Unit 2 across the whole year to achieve an 'S' for the unit (2 hours per week).

Complete the Unit 3/4 sequence across Semester 1 and 2 (approx. 4 hours per week ) This involves sitting an end-of year exam and receiving a Study Score for the subject.

Each unit deals with specific content contained in areas of study and is designed to enable students to achieve a set of outcomes for that unit. Each outcome is described in terms of key knowledge and key skills.

Entry

There are no prerequisites for entry to Units 1, 2 and 3. Students must undertake Unit 3 prior to undertaking Unit 4. Units 1 to 4 are designed to a standard equivalent to the final two years of secondary education. All VCE studies are benchmarked against comparable national and international curriculum.

The aspects of Religion

For the purposes of this study, religion can be understood to have particular interrelated aspects. These provide a useful framework to assist students in their study of religion throughout Units 1 to 4. Students consider the following interrelated aspects when investigating a selected religious tradition or denomination and religion in general:

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 this unit students explore the origins of religion and its role in the development of society, identifying the nature and purpose of religion over time. They investigate the contribution of religion generally to the development of human society. They also focus on the role of religious traditions over time in shaping personal and group identity. Students examine how individuals, groups and new ideas have affected and continue to affect religious traditions. The unit provides an opportunity for students to understand the often complex relationships that exist between individuals, groups, new ideas and religious traditions broadly and in the Australian society in which they live.

A range of examples are studied throughout the unit. For all areas of study, students explore detailed examples from more than one religion. These may be from one or more than one of the groups below. In addition, for Areas of Study 1 and 2 further shorter illustrative examples should be selected for study from across all the groups below.

Spiritual and religious ideas in Prehistory (associated with, for example, Lascaux, Gobekli Tepe, Stonehenge, Jericho)
Religious traditions of ancient civilisations (for example, Sumerian, Mesopotamian, Babylonian, Egyptian, Canaanite, Roman, Greek)
Asian religious and philosophical traditions (for example, Buddhism, Hinduism, Sikhism, Jainism, Taoism, Confucianism, Shintoism)
Abrahamic religions (for example, Judaism, Christianity and Islam).

Students consider the aspects of religion when investigating selected religious traditions and religion in general.

Unit 2: Religion and ethics

How do we know what is good? How do we make decisions in situations where it is unclear what is good or not good? Do we accept what society defines as good? Do we do what feels right? Or do we rely on a definition of what is good from a religious tradition? What are the principles that guide decision making? Ethics is concerned with discovering the perspectives that guide practical moral judgment.

Studying ethics involves identifying the arguments and analysing the reasoning, and any other influences, behind these perspectives and moral judgments. An important influence on ethical perspective is the method of ethical decision-making, made up of concepts, principles and theories. Ethical questions that demand practical moral judgment are raised at the personal, family, local, wider community, national and global level. Family, community and traditional connections tie people together and provide an ethical background to guide what individuals choose to do, approving of some choices and disapproving of others. This ethical background is enmeshed with the dominant religious and philosophical traditions of the times within a culture at a certain point in time.

Today, religious and philosophical traditions interact with other sources of moral values represented in the media and popular culture. Nevertheless, society still often relies on cultural heritages that contain a variety of ethical perspectives as well as values centred on human dignity and basic justice. These remain fundamental to many legal and social systems, and to codes of behaviour. These perspectives and values constitute the everyday categories of ethical discourse in the world. They are taken by the individuals and groups that hold them to be the starting point and common ground for discussion about ethical issues and moral behaviour in societies where multiple world views coexist. In this unit 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 world views coexist, in the light of these investigations. Students consider the aspects of religion when exploring selected religious traditions and religion in general.

Unit 3: The search for meaning

Over time and across cultures humanity has sought to understand the why and how of existence. In this quest for meaning humans have consistently posed big questions of life such as: Where did we come from? Is there someone or something greater than us – an ultimate reality? What is the purpose of our existence? How should we live? Is there anything beyond death? In response to this quest for meaning, various religious, philosophical, scientific, and ideological world views have been developed. Religion has developed answers in the form of various beliefs and other aspects that have offered ways of establishing meaning – not only for human existence, but also for all that exists. The aspects of religion have also attempted to explain the nature of relationships between humans individually and collectively, between humans and ultimate reality and between humans and the rest of the natural world.

The beliefs of any religion are the ideas held about ultimate reality and the meaning of human existence, such as the purpose of all life and notions of the afterlife. These beliefs together with their expressions through the other aspects form the distinctive identity of a religious tradition. In this unit students study the purposes of religion generally and then consider the religious beliefs developed by one or more than one religious tradition or denomination in response to the big questions of life. Students study how particular beliefs within one or more than one religious tradition or denomination may be expressed through the other aspects of religion, and explore how this is intended to foster meaning for adherents. Students then consider the interaction between significant life experience and religion. Religious tradition/s or denomination/s are to be selected from one or more than one of the following religious traditions: Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism. Students consider the aspects of religion when investigating religion in general and selected religious tradition/s or denomination/s.

Unit 4: Religion, challenge and change

This unit focuses on the interaction over time of religious traditions and the societies of which they are a part. For a large part of human history religion has been a truth narrative, offering a means for finding answers to the big questions of life. Religious traditions are in a dynamic process of engagement and negotiation with members individually and collectively, as well as with other key institutions in wider society associated with power, authority and credibility. Religious traditions are living institutions that participate in and contribute to wider societies – both positively and negatively. They stimulate and support society, acting as levers for change themselves and embracing or resisting forces for change within society. Religious traditions are in a constant state of development as members apply their talents and faith to extend the intellectual and aesthetic nature of the beliefs, of their expression and of the application to their lives. In the interaction of religious traditions and society there are also opportunities for development from significant challenges including the needs and insights of their membership, and of people and groups within wider society.

These challenges and the religious tradition are influenced by broader contexts such as changing economic, political and social conditions. A challenge is a situation that stimulates a response from society and/or religious traditions. Religious traditions take stances for or against challenges, or they take a stance of indifference. Consequently, actions are implemented which involve different aspects of the religious tradition. These actions may resist or embrace change and affect wider society and/or the religious tradition itself. A key aim beyond resolution of the challenge itself is for the religious tradition to retain integrity, authenticity and, ultimately, identity. However, the interaction between religious traditions and society may not always achieve these aims and there may be a series of interactions as a challenge is negotiated. In this unit students explore challenge for religious traditions generally over time and then undertake a study of challenge and change for one or more than one religious tradition or denomination. Religious tradition/s or denomination/s are to be selected from one or more than one of the following: Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism. Students consider the aspects in their investigation of selected religious tradition/s or denomination/s and religion in general.

Assessment

Satisfactory completion

The award of satisfactory completion for a unit is based on the teacher’s decision that the student has demonstrated achievement of the set of outcomes specified for the unit. Demonstration of achievement of outcomes and satisfactory completion of a unit are determined by evidence gained through the assessment of a range of learning activities and tasks. Teachers must develop courses that provide appropriate opportunities for students to demonstrate satisfactory achievement of outcomes. The decision about satisfactory completion of a unit is distinct from the assessment of levels of achievement. Schools will report a student’s result for each unit to the VCAA as S (Satisfactory) or N (Not Satisfactory).

Levels of achievement

Units 1 and 2

Procedures for the assessment of levels of achievement in Units 1 and 2 are a matter for school decision. Assessment of levels of achievement for these units will not be reported to the VCAA. Schools may choose to report levels of achievement using grades, descriptive statements or other indicators.

Units 3 and 4

The VCAA specifies the assessment procedures for students undertaking scored assessment in Units 3 and 4. Designated assessment tasks are provided in the details for each unit in VCE study designs. The student’s level of achievement in Units 3 and 4 will be determined by School-assessed Coursework (SACs) and/or School-assessed Tasks (SATs) as specified in the VCE study designs, and external assessment. The VCAA will report the student’s level of achievement on each assessment component as a grade from A+ to E or UG (ungraded). Percentage contributions to the study score in VCE Religion and Society are as follows:

Unit 3 School-assessed Coursework: 25 per cent
Unit 4 School-assessed Coursework: 25 per cent
End-of-year examination: 50 per cent.

Religion and Society Study Design - Click on the text to check out the Study Design for this subject!

Report abuse