Politics

Course content

Paper 1: Section A: British Politics: Representation in the UK Today. (Assessment: 2 hr written exam)

a) Representative, Direct and Pluralist Democracy, political participation including pressure groups.
b) Electoral systems in the UK (Westminster, Scottish Parliamentary, Welsh, Northern
c) Ireland and London Assembly, and Mayoral electoral systems.)
d) Political parties in the UK. d) Voting behaviour, and the media, in the UK.

Paper 1: Section B: Political Ideas

a) Conservatism: fundamental ideas and values, differences within Conservatism, Conservative thinkers and philosophers (Hobbes, Burke, Oakeshott, Rand, Nozick.)
b) Socialism: fundamental ideas and values, different types of Socialism, Socialist thinkers and philosophers (Marx and Engels, Webb, Luxembourg, Crosland, Giddens.)
c) Liberalism: fundamental ideas and values, differences within Liberalism, Liberal thinkers and philosophers (Locke, Wollstonecraft, Mill, Rawls, Friedan.)

Paper 2: Section A: British Politics: Government in the UK. (Assessment: 2 hr written exam)

a) The British Constitution and Constitutional Reform.
b) Parliament: Commons, Lords, committee system, legislative process, Parliamentary Reform.
c) The Prime Minister, Cabinet, the executive and Civil Service.
d) The Judiciary, (Supreme Court), the relationships between branches of government,
Sovereignty, Devolution and the UK’s relationship with the EU.

Paper 2: Section B: Optional Political Ideas.

Study one of the following…

a) Anarchism
b) Ecologism
c) Feminism
d) Multiculturalism
e) Nationalism.

Paper 3: Section A: American Politics: Representation in the USA. (Assessment: 2 hr written exam)

a) The US Constitution, (Separation of Powers, Checks and Balances), Amendments and Federalism.
b) The US Congress (House, Senate, Committee System, Mid-Term elections, law-making, oversight, filibusters, efficacy, relations with other branches of US government.)
c) The US Presidency (the individual, the institutionalised presidency, the domestic and foreign policy presidency), relations between Presidency and other branches of government.
d) The US Supreme Court: Judicial Review, the court and public policy, the court and civil rights, relations with other branches of government and the states of the USA.
e) US Democracy and Participation: Elections, Campaign Finance, Political Parties (Democrats and Republicans), US pressure and advocacy groups, Political Action Committees.

Paper 3: Section B: Comparative Politics of the UK and the USA. Similarities and differences between UK and US government and democracy, with reference to cultural, rational and structural considerations.

a) Comparative Constitutions (Codified vs Uncodified)
b) Comparative Legislatures (Congress and Parliament)
c) Comparative Executives (Presidency and PM) d) Comparative Judiciaries (SCOTUS and UK
Supreme Court with reference to Civil Rights)
e) Comparative Parties, Elections, Election Funding, Pressure and Advocacy Groups, Political
Parties.