A Level RS Conference
United Kingdom
A level Philosophy Ethics and Religion years 12 and 13
What to Expect on the Day
This is the only subject area on the curriculum to establish a relationship between Oxford and Cambridge Universities and exam boards whereby students and teachers can be confident of the required content. When it’s important to get things right Oxbridge Masterclass is an essential.
Face to face subject-specific events with experts are highly effective in terms of impact on pupil outcomes. Attend this A level RS study day with distinguished academics to inspire and enthuse, as well as boost grades. Whether you’re looking to freshen up student directed learning or to equip students with the skills and knowledge to excel, the EthIQa study day is designed for you.
During the day students will be able to contribute and provide feedback, and there is also an opportunity for Q and A with all our speakers. Full notes supplied so that you leave feeling supported and inspired.
Join us on Snapchat – aconferences – for your daily philosophical thought of the day, plus access to free resources.
Lecture Content 2022
9.50 Introduction and welcome (London 10.20)
Ethical Frameworks and Applied Ethics
10.00 – 10.50 Julie Arliss (London 10.30 – 11.20)
Where does moral value lie and who is a member of the moral community? Understanding key thematic questions gives students confidence and clarity tackling both meta-ethics and practical ethics questions. This session will give students a framework for thinking and show them the importance of the key assumptions made. What difference does it make if you assume that ethical statements can be factual and objective as opposed to non-factual and subjective? Julie Arliss will untangle the complex web and use the practical examples of abortion and euthanasia to show how to achieve the highest grades at A level.
Is Theism rationally Defendable?
10.50 – 11.40 The Professors Alister McGrath (Oxford), Keith Ward (London) and James Orr (Cambridge) (London 11.20 – 12.10)
This is a central question relevant to all A level courses. Our professors will ensure that students meet with a range of academic approaches and sources of wisdom relating to arguments about the existence or non-existence of God. From Aquinas to Paley and Hume – are there any logical fallacies which cannot be decisively refuted?
11.40 – 12.00 Break (London 12.10 – 12.30)
The Problem of Evil. Is it a problem?
12.00 – 12.50 Professor Tom Greggs (London 12.30 – 13.20)
In a fresh perspective on this age old debate, Professor Tom Greggs will outline traditional conceptions of the problem of evil, challenging the usual framing of the issues. Offering a radical new account of the Augustinian model, Professor Greggs will go on to suggest provocatively that in fact the problem of evil adds evidence to the existence of God rather than challenges it.
12.50 – 13.30 DEBATE (London 15.00 – 15.45)
This house believes that all morality is relative
13.30 – 14.15 lunch (London 13.20 -14.10)
God and Gender
14.15 – 15.05 Professor Daphne Hampson (London 14.10 – 15.00)
Women are in a difficult situation if the field of theology has already been populated by men and their ideas, such that what women themselves might want to say cannot be heard. I shall consider this with reference to the thought of Mary Daly, Rosemary Ruether, and my own position. To look at the syllabus specifications as a woman is to find a droll view of what women might represent. We need something very different both in terms of presuppositions and content if theology is indeed to be gender inclusive.
Attending London Oxford & Cambridge.
Contributors
Julie Arliss
Julie Arliss is a well-known experienced teacher and author. She works closely with exam boards and is perfectly placed to support students in preparation for A level examinations. She is an experienced examiner. Julie has an international reputation for inspiring academic excellence and encouraging students to push the boundaries of knowledge.
Professor Daphne Hampson
Associate, Theology and Religion, Oxford University.
Daphne Hampson holds doctorates in history from Oxford, in theology from Harvard and a master’s in Continental Philosophy from Warwick. She is Professor Emerita of Divinity at the University of St Andrews, where she held a Chair in Post-Christian thought. In her retirement she is an Associate of the Department of Theology and Religion at Oxford and also a Life Member of Clare Hall, Cambridge. Daphne has published and lectured widely on the challenge which feminism represents to Christianity, bringing together a theological realism and an ethical critique of Christian mythology. Otherwise, she has worked on the Lutheran tradition and on Kierkegaard. She is at present engaged in writing a further book Religion as Gender Politics: Theology, Feminism, and Continental Philosophy.
Professor Keith Ward
Emeritus Regius Professor of Divinity, Oxford University.
Professor Keith Ward is a leading philosopher of religion and much in demand on the international academic scene. Liberation Theology and Marx feature in his book, ‘A Guide for the Perplexed’ and more fully in ‘In Defence of the Soul’ both of which are accessible to students. A Former President of the World Congress of Faiths and member of The Board of Social Responsibility for the Church of England; Professor Ward has also written a 5 volume work on ‘Comparative Theology’, which is about inter-faith relations. Professor Ward has recorded programmes for Al Jazeera TV and recently for the Egyptian Arabic TV channel. He is a former Chair of the Governors of the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies and on the Academic Committee of the Islamic Centre at Oxford.
Professor Tom Greggs
Marischal Chair, University of Aberdeen.
Tom Greggs holds the Marischal Chair, (actually a physical chair established in 1616) at the University of Aberdeen. He previously held a chair at the University of Chester. He has also taught at the University of Cambridge. He is a fellow of the Royal Society of Scotland, and is an Honorary Professor of Theology at St Mellitus College, London. He has been a visiting research fellow at St John’s College, Durham, and College of Arts and Sciences International Visiting Scholar and Visiting Professor at the University of Virginia.
He is the author of five major books and is currently the recipient of a British Academy Mid-Career Fellowship. He is in high demand as a speaker and well known for his engaging wit.
Professor Alister McGrath
Professor McGrath holds the Andreos Idreos Professorship in Science and Religion in the Faculty of Theology and Religion, and is a fellow of Harris Manchester College at the University of Oxford, and is Professor of Divinity at Gresham College. He was previously Professor of Theology, Ministry, and Education at King’s College London and Head of the Centre for Theology, Religion and Culture, Professor of Historical Theology at the University of Oxford, and was principal of Wycliffe Hall, Oxford, until 2005.
He holds an Oxford DPhil for his research in Molecular Biology and a DD from Oxford University’s Faculty of Theology for his work in Historical and Systematic Theology. A former atheist, he has established a reputation as one of the leading apologists for Christianity.
Dr James Orr
Dr James Orr left corporate law ten years ago to become a student again and has recently secured a lectureship at Cambridge University. Formerly McDonald Postdoctoral Fellow at Christ Church, Oxford, Dr Orr holds a PhD and MPhil from St. John’s College, Cambridge, and a Double First in Literae Humaniores from Balliol College, Oxford. His publications and policy papers cover many fields including ‘The Discarded Mind’ ‘Created Equal’ and ‘Being and Eternity’. An impressive polymathic mind keen to inspire curious young minds in the search for knowledge.
Venues
London
30th November 2022
London Bloomsbury Baptist Church, Shaftesbury Avenue
Schools for London need to telephone for places.
Oxford
7th December 2022
Oxford Mathematical Institute, Woodstock Road
Cambridge
8th December 2022
Lady Mitchell Hall, Sidgwick Site, University of Cambridge
Bookings
Conference Fees
Students
A fixed fee of £35 [£30 until 7 October]
We have access to sponsorship for students wishing to attend but for whom the cost is a significant challenge for their families. Please contact us for further details.
Staff
A fixed fee of £35 [£30 until 7 October]
One free staff place with every 12 students booked.
Unaccompanied teachers attending for CPD to pay £220.
GET IN TOUCH
These events fill quickly but we appreciate that many schools need time to collect money from students.
We are keen to help if you need more time.
Please contact us: E-mail [email protected]
Booking Places at a Conference
Bookings for a conference are usually made by a teacher or other representative from a school, and students attend conference with their school group accompanied by a supervising teacher. The school is invoiced for the number of students and staff attending (if schools require payment from students or parents for attendance, these payments are made to the school).
Please note that due to workplace health and safety regulation students attending independently need to be accompanied. If you are in this situation and unable to find somebody to accompany you, please get in touch as we will do all we can to help you attend.
Arrival and Registration
From 9.30am. The program begins promptly at 10.00am and concludes at 3.15pm.
Note: times for London conference as follows – 10.00 arrival; 10.30 start; 4.00pm finish.
Student & Staff Bookings
If your group is smaller than 5 please get in touch and we will help you with your booking: E-mail [email protected].
Bookings are made on behalf of pupils by their teacher. If you are studying the online EthIQa A level or do not have a teacher please make contact and we will help you with your booking.
Continuing Professional Development Bookings
What Students Say
“I am so glad I got to go to this conference. Speaking to others, we all agreed that it allowed us to see our course in a different and broader context. It was lovely engaging in our subject in a way that goes beyond our textbooks. Listening to speakers who knew about Philosophy and were passionate about it, reminded me why I chose to study RS”.
“I found the conference to be very interesting and enriching – both for the content and philosophy as a whole. It rejuvenated our passion for philosophy and I am so grateful I had the opportunity to attend. Thank you very much!”
“LOVED IT! It was amazing and really useful. Julie Arliss’ talks linked in with what we’ve been doing, and all the speakers were so interesting!”
“I enjoyed how the speakers were so enthusiastic about their subjects and came up with interactive analogies that people could relate to.”
What Teachers Say
“The calibre and quality of speakers is exceptional and the content challenging and inspirational. It enabled my students
to think philosophically beyond the classroom. The notes are also brilliant and a great resource for the students’ independent, extended learning.”
“The presentations are first-rate, fun, lively, and at times humorous. The speakers are balanced and it helped my pupils. Thank you for organising.”
“My students were inspired by the speakers, who were excited to meet some key thinkers. It was all pitched at the right level for my students and they were buzzing about the talks on the journey home.”
“Thank you for making us feel so welcome. The feedback from our students was overwhelmingly positive; the talks continue to stimulate lots of discussion and a number of them have engaged in further research based on the lectures.