RMPS will help you to develop many critical thinking skills, which can allow you to be an independent thinker who questions everything. RMPS also allows pupils to discuss important, real-life issues, and explore and justify their own beliefs and values. This can allow pupils to feel more confident, and share their ideas and questions in a safe space. Through this process, RMPS encourages young people to be open-minded and respectful of those who have different religious or moral perspectives.
These skills and attributes will be useful in many careers such as journalism, law, politics, teaching, the police force, social work, equalities roles, medicine, charity work and any other job where social skills, moral decision making, critical thinking and respect for others is valued.
Pupils will study three units:
1. World Religion: Jewish beliefs and practices
Explore what Jews believe about God, about human beings, what our purpose is in living. How do Jews live out their beliefs on a day-to-day basis? What do key festivals symbolise?
2. Morality & Belief: Conflict
Can war ever be justified? What about the consequences for people, animals, the environment? Are there good alternatives to war? Should certain weapons be prohibited?
3. Religious and Philosophical Questions: Origins
Where did the universe come from? And what are the origins of life? Did God have a role in all this? Or was it the Big Bang and Evolution? Maybe a mixture of religion and science?
RMPS at N5 includes three units, and working on key skills that are useful in many contexts:
•Literacy
•Communication
•Critical Thinking
•Self-reflection
•Note-taking/summarising
•Problem solving
•Team work
•Discussion
•Debate
•Research
•Investigation
•Judgment making
•Decision making
•Reading for information
•Emotional intelligence
•Analysis
•Evaluation
These skills are highly sought after in further study and work settings.
National 5
The exam will assess knowledge and skills and is worth 80% of the total mark for this course. Pupils will answer questions from all three units in this exam within 2hours 20 minutes.
In addition, pupils must research a religious, moral or philosophical topic and complete a piece of coursework on this. This assignment essay will be written up in exam conditions in one hour and will be worth 20% of the overall mark.
National 4
Three unit assessments must be completed at N4 level together with an Added Value investigation in order to achieve this award. The Added Value topic is chosen by the candidate and completed within class time.
Pupils will also have the option to attempt National 5 unit assessments to progress as far as they can in this subject.