2. WHAT IS GENERAL STUDIES? Covers a variety of topic areas involving different subject areas e.g. Law, Science, Art, Sociology etc Unit 1 – Challenges for Society – Exam in January 2013 Unit 2 – The Individual in Society - Exam in May 2013 Your AS General Studies course guide will give you a complete overview of the subject – make sure you read it and look at the exam format.

3. HOW TO SUCCEED IN GENERAL STUDIES Attend all lessons with enthusiasm and interest Supplement learning in class by keeping up to date with current affairs Familiarise yourself with the content of each unit Practice exam questions to prepare fully for module examinations Use the edexcell website www.edexcel.org.ukwww.edexcel.org.uk

4. UNIT ONE – DEBATE FORMAT Unit one will be delivered through a debate format. You will be allowed to choose which debating topic area you want to be involved in. Teaching groups will then be allocated on the basis of your choice of debate. We hope that all students will be allocated their first choice. The debates will take place in the common room in front of the year group.

5. DEBATE FORMAT - STUDENT ROLES 1 CHAIRPERSON 4 PROPOSITION SPEAKERS (FOR) 4 OPPOSITION SPEAKERS (AGAINST) 2 NOTE TAKERS DURING DEBATE 2 STUDENT LEADERS ONE FOR EACH SIDE RESEARCHERS/SUPPORTERS

6. DEBATING TOPICS “Science has done more harm than benefit to the Planet and Society”. Medicine Extermination of animals/Protection of species War Nuclear Power/Nuclear Bombs

7. Religious beliefs and modern scientific ideas are incompatible. Darwinism V’s Creationism Materialism V’s Design theory Sense perception V’s The ‘leap’ of faith Scientific progress V’s The ‘myth’ of progress and the issue of moral decline

8. There is more immoral behaviour in modern society because fewer people are religious. What is immoral behaviour and who decides this? How does religion prevent immoral behaviour? Is there a connection between religion and morality? How do we define morality? How do we decide whether someone is religious? Is there any immoral behaviour as a result of religion? Are there any conflicting or additional factors in the increase in immoral behaviour?

9. Does the increase in personal data benefit society? Would you like someone following your every move? Would you really like to be a part of something like Big Brother? In this debate you will look at whether the governments increase in the use of personal data will benefit society. In 2006 the Identity Cards Act was introduced which allowed individuals to have the choice to hold an identity card. The main purpose of this identity card were to be used instead of a British passport, although there was talk about the government making it compulsory for everyone to have an identity card and to carry it with them at all times, producing it if need be. Do you think this would benefit society, having all your personal information on one card?

10. In 2010 the government started to scrap the identity cards and in 2011 they were ceased to be legal documents. Is this because the government felt that the identity cards were of no good to the public? This is your chance to look at things such as the identity cards, the use of CCTV, DNA database, human rights and the Data Protection Act 1998.

11. REHABILITATION IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN RETRIBUTION Reform of the defendant v imprisonment Costs involved in imprisonment Is there any point in sending people to prison – is there any benefit to society Capital punishment – purpose – is it a deterrent? Benefits of rehabilitation – public perception

12. ANIMAL USE IN SOCIETY IS WRONG Drug testing Farming Hunting Pets Zoos-captivity Selective breeding/crufts/kennel club Racing

13. We should stop funding the development of new health treatments and instead spend all available money on treating patients Current examples of expensive equipment; CAT scan, MRI, mass spectrometer, nuclear magnetic resonance. Development of expensive drugs and their trials. Do pregnant women need as many scans? Is all cosmetic surgery necessary? Standards of patient care falling; the elderly particularly vulnerable. Are nurses over trained – above tasks such as dealing with bed pans. More nurses needed. Shortage of midwives. Numbers of both smear tests and breast x-rays have been reduced – cost cutting.

14. NOW YOU CHOOSE!

15. EXAMPLE OF PUBLIC SPEAKING Link: http://vimeo.com/channels/esupublicspeaki ng

16. NOW YOU TRY! JUST A MINUTE EXERCISE.