liquid

DS, I am finding your format a bit confusing when you post...

blah blah constitution stuff, we are in agreement here - the point I am making is that the british consitution is not a single document like the American one, and has a different status in law. So not much point trying to pick at semantics.

The important part of the phrase to note is "at all stages of education". RE is required at key stage 3, perhaps key stage 2 as well, but then so is every other mandated subject on the national curriculum - physics, chem, bio, history, geography, PE etc.

Only true to an extent. American universities have more variable and flexible standards and an A level can take you through a year of standard college, but will get you a few credits at best in Harvard. Usually there is no actual advancement, just an easy ride for the freshman year, just as a further maths A level student doesn't skip the first year of my engineering mathematics course.

St. Bedes in Kent requires all students to do an A-level in Religion. Many schools require all student to do an A level in the worthless general studies.

I was in a state secondary school which had no communal worship. It did have regular assemblies, with 'moments of reflection'. This doesn't qualify as worship - no supernatural was mentioned. Assemblies ARE mandated, however, and often are filled with such rubbish.

Ernest Sparks

DS: I guess I picked up "schools" from the initial posting and especially "Emmanuel College is a state-funded school." Also, I believe you call people up at university "scholars", whereas here in the USA "scholars" are usually masters and holders of advanced degrees and people engaged in research.

I read something of Lord Bertrand Russell to the effect that Parliament once decided that belief in literal Hell was not a required article of faith.

[ March 11, 2002: Message edited by: Ernest Sparks ]</p>

Pandora

In Britain a "scholar" is someone who has won a scholarship either to a public school or sometimes a university. They would be referred to as scholars in school lists et.c but not apart from that.

Otherwise in the case of "scholarly research" or "scholars believe today that..." it would be assumed that the person in question was heavily qualified - probably at least a doctorate/university professorship.

University students are either called students,undergrads or postgrads, or you would say that you're studing/reading "x".

Secondary school and under have "pupils".

[ March 11, 2002: Message edited by: Pandora ]</p>

liquid

Just to clear up yet more confusion...

I can see where the confusion comes from. In the UK, a college typically refers to a sixth form institution (i.e. 16 to 18yrs) that teaches A levels and vocational qualifications. They also often take adult learners and part-time courses. Typically they are urban and not the same standard as a school sixth-form, but there are plenty that buck that trend.

To add to that confusion, there are some institutions that are effectively sixth-form schools that call themselves colleges. Emmanuel college is presumably one of these (There are probably several with this name in the UK).

To add even more confusion, there are about half a dozen universities that are called collegiate universities, where the uni is split into smaller accomodation and administrative blocks called colleges. This is a traditional thing and applies to Oxford, Cambridge, Durham etc.

To mess your head up totally, there is an Emmanuel college at Cambridge, but this is not being talked about in the original post for 2 reasons 1. It's talking about basic teaching, not uni level and 2. It is referred to as a school.

Actually, while I think of it, some departments in universities are called schools, particularly in vocational/academic subject like medicine and architecture.

Ernest Sparks

Sez I:
Sez liquid:
I meant evolutionISM and creationISM as philosophies and ideologies, part of the history of ideas. I would expect the processes of genetic mutation and random selection to occur at the appropriate level of detail in core science courses.

Ernie

[ March 11, 2002: Message edited by: Ernest Sparks ]</p>

Answerer

Lucklily, in non-muslims countries in Asia, we don't not much problems with the subjects taught and teachers. However, the problems often lies in the student, who are christians, that refuse to believe what they are taught, sometimes they even comment that the theory of evolution is bullshit.

DireStraits

blah blah constitution stuff, we are in agreement here - the point I am making is that the british consitution is not a single document like the American one, and has a different status in law. So not much point trying to pick at semantics.

DS: No, the point here is that both constitutions are law, and they are in fact the supreme law of their respective countries. The fact that you have to. And if you want to find out what in constitutional in even the American system, you have to do a hell of a lot more than just read the document. Ask the members of the Supreme Court.

DS earlier: Actually, A-levels will take you quite a way through the college courses of most American universities.

Only true to an extent. American universities have more variable and flexible standards and an A level can take you through a year of standard college, but will get you a few credits at best in Harvard. Usually there is no actual advancement, just an easy ride for the freshman year, just as a further maths A level student doesn't skip the first year of my engineering mathematics course.

DS: Since I said “most universities” I stand by my statement. Some exceptional kids before even beginning the A-level course could qualify for entrance to some American universities. This is not to imply that American uni standards are inferior, by the way, it is just that British universities tend to front-load their courses. Degrees on both sides of the Atlantic are generally of approximately the same standard AFAIK.

St. Bedes in Kent requires all students to do an A-level in Religion. Many schools require all student to do an A level in the worthless general studies.

DS: well I agree with your estimation of General Studies, but I never stated anywhere that anyone in England was required to pass an examination in religion. In fact I am quite surprized that there are any such schools. I went to a Catholic school, and we had precisely one period a week of XD, as it was known. We weren’t even required to pass an exam at the end of the 1st, 2nd or any year they way we were with all the other subjects. In fact there wasn’t even an exam to pass. So the whole thing is pretty low-key. Nevertheless, the requirement is the for religious instruction, though even Catholic schools may do the minimum.

I was in a state secondary school which had no communal worship. It did have regular assemblies, with 'moments of reflection'. This doesn't qualify as worship - no supernatural was mentioned. Assemblies ARE mandated, however, and often are filled with such rubbish.

DS: Well it would seem that your school was even more low-key than the one I attended. I am sure that they were able to persuade the Governors that a moment of reflection was all that was required to meet the mandate. Pretty sensible, if you as me, because although you can get someone to recite the words of a prayer, that does not mean that the person is praying. I am not surprized that many schools do this, especially given the multi-religios natue of many parts of Britain.

The last school I attended was a Protestant school and Jews and Catholics were exempted from the communal worship stage if they chose not to attend. We were herded in when general announcements were to be made by the headmaster.