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Learning Objectives
- Understand the concepts of free will and determinism, and reflect on the extent to which we are free.
- Consider the purpose and value of morality.
- Understand different concepts of right and wrong.
1. Understand the concepts of free will and determinism, and reflect on the extent to which we are free.
The Adjustment Bureau View Lesson»
Students investigate different Christian understandings of free will and predestination, in the light of a film that portrays cosmic meddling with the freely made decisions of ordinary men and women.
Students will:
- Reflect upon factors restricting their ability to control their own lives
- Reflect upon how they would feel to discover that their free choices were, in fact, controlled by a sinister outside force
- Evaluate an argument by a character in The Adjustment Bureau that humans can't be trusted to control their own destiny
- Analyse Bible passages to determine the relationship between God's will and human will
- Analyse three different Christian theologies of predestination, and use defined terms from a glossary to identify key features
- Synthesise learning by writing an alternative scene from The Adjustment Bureau, featuring representatives of Calvinist, Lutheran and Arminian theologies
Kinsey View Lesson»
Why does faithfulness matter in a marriage? This lesson uses a scene from the biopic of sex researcher Dr. Alfred Kinsey to explore the Christian perspective on the subject, as well as considering the relationship between morality and freewill.
Students will:
- Reflect upon important elements of a marriage
- Reflect upon the implications of marital unfaithfulness
- Analyse biblical teaching on the subjects of sex, marriage and fidelity
- Analyse the role of morality in sexual decision-making
Minority Report (2) View Lesson»
Steven Spielberg’s futuristic world, where murderers are arrested before they are able to commit their crimes, is the backdrop for this lesson on free will and determinism. You know that you’re meant to teach this one.
- Students to understand the difference between determinism and fatalism, and to understand the role of free will in the Christian worldview.
X-Men View Lesson»
The actions of main characters in the film X-Men are determined by different perceptions of what is right and wrong. This teaching block uses the film to consider the difference made by moral concerns and also looks at the issue of free will.
- A statement of how free the student feels themself to be.
- Written work defining what is right and wrong, and considering the value of following a moral code.
- Written speech for a debate on “This house believes that there is no such thing as right and wrong. Morality is all in the mind”.
The Truman Show View Lesson»
How the Jim Carrey film The Truman Show helps us to examine the issue of freedom.
- An understanding of what it means to be free, and consideration of how this applies to their own lives.
2. Consider the purpose and value of morality.
Torchwood: Children of Earth View Lesson»
An almost-impossible moral conundrum enables students to consider how different ethical frameworks can be applied to deciding the right course of action.
Students will:
- Reflect on the influence of different factors in their decision making, and on how their values shape the decisions they make
- Evaluate the moral implications of a dilemma faced by characters in the television programme Torchwood: Children of Earth
- Analyse six different approaches to making moral decisions and apply each to the dilemma from Torchwood: Children of Earth
- Apply the six ethical approaches to one or more other hypothetical moral dilemmas
- Reflect upon the importance of moral considerations when making decisions
- Synthesise learning by describing their own approach to making moral decisions
Quantum of Solace View Lesson»
James Bond and a friend discuss the difficulties of telling right from wrong. Students do likewise (but without entering into a world of death, betrayal and international espionage. Not during lesson time, anyway).
Students will:
- Reflect upon a number of moral scenarios, determining in each whether the actions described are morally right or morally wrong
- Assess the ease or difficulty of determining right from wrong
- Analyse the strengths and weaknesses of six different approaches to making moral decisions
- Analyse a Christian perspective on making moral decisions, evaluating the strengths and weaknesses
- Synthesise learning by writing a continuation of a scene from the film Quantum of Solace
Kinsey View Lesson»
Why does faithfulness matter in a marriage? This lesson uses a scene from the biopic of sex researcher Dr. Alfred Kinsey to explore the Christian perspective on the subject, as well as considering the relationship between morality and freewill.
Students will:
- Reflect upon important elements of a marriage
- Reflect upon the implications of marital unfaithfulness
- Analyse biblical teaching on the subjects of sex, marriage and fidelity
- Analyse the role of morality in sexual decision-making
National Treasure (3) View Lesson»
A historian decides to steal the Declaration of Independence, claiming that he has to do what is considered wrong, in order to do right. We look at the relationship between rules, morality, conscience and authority.
Students will:
- Reflect upon what a world without rules would be like
- Reflect upon whether there are ever moral reasons for disobeying good rules.
- Analyse Bible passages to see how God’s followers dealt with a conflict between obedience to God and to authorities
- Reflect upon hypothetical situations where it may be appropriate to disobey rules or laws
- Produce a letter justifying hypothetical law-breaking as being morally necessary according to a Christian perspective
The Good Girl (3) View Lesson»
The moral choices faced by Jennifer Aniston’s character in The Good Girl provides the starting point for an examination of how pupils go about making moral decisions.
Students will:
- Investigate how they make moral decisions
- Explore the consequences of moral decisions
- Discover what moral guidance is offered by the Ten Commandments
Cricket World Cup Controversy View Lesson»
The debate concerning England’s participation in the Cricket World Cup provides the backdrop for this consideration of the different factors that we take into account when making decisions.
- Students to be aware of the different factors that influence decision making, and to see how a Christian point of view affects their relative significance.
Friends: The One Where Chandler Crosses The Line View Lesson»
Students watch a moral dilemma from the TV series Friends, and then decide which ethical philosophy each of the characters is applying to the decision-making process.
- Students consider the effect of different ethical philosphies to resolving a moral dilemma.
X-Men View Lesson»
The actions of main characters in the film X-Men are determined by different perceptions of what is right and wrong. This teaching block uses the film to consider the difference made by moral concerns and also looks at the issue of free will.
- A statement of how free the student feels themself to be.
- Written work defining what is right and wrong, and considering the value of following a moral code.
- Written speech for a debate on “This house believes that there is no such thing as right and wrong. Morality is all in the mind”.
3. Understand different concepts of right and wrong.
Torchwood: Children of Earth View Lesson»
An almost-impossible moral conundrum enables students to consider how different ethical frameworks can be applied to deciding the right course of action.
Students will:
- Reflect on the influence of different factors in their decision making, and on how their values shape the decisions they make
- Evaluate the moral implications of a dilemma faced by characters in the television programme Torchwood: Children of Earth
- Analyse six different approaches to making moral decisions and apply each to the dilemma from Torchwood: Children of Earth
- Apply the six ethical approaches to one or more other hypothetical moral dilemmas
- Reflect upon the importance of moral considerations when making decisions
- Synthesise learning by describing their own approach to making moral decisions
Quantum of Solace View Lesson»
James Bond and a friend discuss the difficulties of telling right from wrong. Students do likewise (but without entering into a world of death, betrayal and international espionage. Not during lesson time, anyway).
Students will:
- Reflect upon a number of moral scenarios, determining in each whether the actions described are morally right or morally wrong
- Assess the ease or difficulty of determining right from wrong
- Analyse the strengths and weaknesses of six different approaches to making moral decisions
- Analyse a Christian perspective on making moral decisions, evaluating the strengths and weaknesses
- Synthesise learning by writing a continuation of a scene from the film Quantum of Solace
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End View Lesson»
The decision-making at the Pirates’ Brethren Council is compared with the way modern Christians interpret tradition and the Bible in making moral decisions.
Students will:
- Reflect upon the case for breaking rules
- Identify different attitudes towards tradition and rules from a film clip
- Evaluate the merits of the Ten Commandments
- Evaluate Christian rules for life from the Bible
- Analyse the demands of Jesus’ approach to rules
- Consider whether obeying the letter of the law is harder or easier than obeying the spirit of the law
- Synthesise learning by identifying some rules that apply in modern life, and suggesting the difference between complying with the letter and the spirit of those rules.
Tristan and Isolde View Lesson»
Love or honour: which matters most? Students use Tristan and Isolde’s dilemma as a springboard for exploring different concepts of right and wrong.
Students will:
- Reflect upon the way that their perspective on life influences the decisions that they make
- Reflect upon the worldviews displayed by two film characters in resolving a personal dilemma
- Analyse the positive and negative aspects of the courses of action urged by each of the two characters
- Analyse a number of ethical philosophies, reflecting on the positive and negative aspects of each
- Apply a number of ethical philosophies to hypothetical scenarios, considering how each philosophy might influence decision making
- Analyse a number of Bible passages and consider how they might be applied to the dilemma from the film clips and other scenarios
- Synthesise a summary of the students' own worldview
- Synthesise a summary of the strengths and weaknesses of all of the ethical philosophies considered in the lesson
Kinsey View Lesson»
Why does faithfulness matter in a marriage? This lesson uses a scene from the biopic of sex researcher Dr. Alfred Kinsey to explore the Christian perspective on the subject, as well as considering the relationship between morality and freewill.
Students will:
- Reflect upon important elements of a marriage
- Reflect upon the implications of marital unfaithfulness
- Analyse biblical teaching on the subjects of sex, marriage and fidelity
- Analyse the role of morality in sexual decision-making
National Treasure (3) View Lesson»
A historian decides to steal the Declaration of Independence, claiming that he has to do what is considered wrong, in order to do right. We look at the relationship between rules, morality, conscience and authority.
Students will:
- Reflect upon what a world without rules would be like
- Reflect upon whether there are ever moral reasons for disobeying good rules.
- Analyse Bible passages to see how God’s followers dealt with a conflict between obedience to God and to authorities
- Reflect upon hypothetical situations where it may be appropriate to disobey rules or laws
- Produce a letter justifying hypothetical law-breaking as being morally necessary according to a Christian perspective
Pirates of the Caribbean (2) View Lesson»
A light-hearted introduction blockbuster movie Pirates of the Caribbean leads to a study of how Christians follow rules for life.
Students will:
- Understand the difference between a rule and a guideline
- Evaluate Christian rules for life from the Bible
- Analyse the demands of Jesus’ approach to rules
- Consider whether obeying the letter of the law is harder or easier than obeying the spirit of the law
- Produce a personal rule to live by and analyse the implication of applying that rule in different ways
Spider-Man (2) View Lesson»
Spider-Man’s impossible moral dilemma leads into a lesson on how people make decisions.
Students will:
- know what is meant by the term 'moral decision'
- Consider how they make moral decisions
- Be aware of different ethical approaches to moral decision making
- Analyse and evaluate the consequences of each approach
- Understand how Christians make moral decisions
- Compare the Christian viewpoint with other ethical approaches
Friends: The One Where Chandler Crosses The Line View Lesson»
Students watch a moral dilemma from the TV series Friends, and then decide which ethical philosophy each of the characters is applying to the decision-making process.
- Students consider the effect of different ethical philosphies to resolving a moral dilemma.
X-Men View Lesson»
The actions of main characters in the film X-Men are determined by different perceptions of what is right and wrong. This teaching block uses the film to consider the difference made by moral concerns and also looks at the issue of free will.
- A statement of how free the student feels themself to be.
- Written work defining what is right and wrong, and considering the value of following a moral code.
- Written speech for a debate on “This house believes that there is no such thing as right and wrong. Morality is all in the mind”.