Government & Politics

Politics is a broad term which describes the processes and ideas involved in running a state, in our case Britain. The study of politics therefore involves the study of a wide range of issues which effect the government of our country. These issues include looking at the fundamental principles of British democracy and the structure of the British state and constitution; the study of political parties, what these parties stand for and how they operate; the examination of voting behaviour and why people vote for the parties they do; the ‘art’ of politics and how politicians operate and the reasoning behind different political ideologies’.

PAPER 1: British Politics

This paper looks at the workings of the British Political system and asks the key question; how does our democracy work? How far is Britain a true democracy? How do we improve things? Are things changing for the better or worse? Units include:

• How does the British constitution work?
• How does Parliament work? How effective is it?
• How does government work? Who is really in charge?
• How effective is our voting system? 
• What are political parties? Are they democratic? What do they stand for?

PAPER 2: American Politics

This paper looks at American politics and compares the American system with the British system of government. Units include:

• The American Constitution
• How does Congress work? Is it effective?
• What is the role of the president?
• How do US elections work?

PAPER 3: Ideologies

This paper looks at ‘political philosophy’ and explores the ideas behind the dominant ideologies that influence modern politics. We look at:

• Socialism
• Conservatism
• Liberalism
• Feminism
• Anarchism

Three essay based exams: 2 hours each.

Politics is a well respected A level that teaches the skills of analysis that are valued in many careers, from accountancy and management to journalism and political research. Some specific career routes might be:

• Journalism
• Civil Service
• Political research
• Political Party Work
• Teaching