Course content
A Level Politics gives you an understanding of the workings of the British political system, an in-depth analysis of political ideologies and global politics including international relations. You will explore the extent to which governance in the UK is democratic, what is freedom, how is it best promoted and protected and question whether or not we even need a government at all.
You will look why should we be governed, what is democracy and how close does the UK political system come to meeting this ideal. These are some of the concepts we will discuss that will enable you to develop an in-depth understanding of British politics. We will explore the political ideas associated with liberalism, conservatism, and socialism and the extent to which these can be found within the parties competing for our votes. In year two we focus on the politics of the United States of America covering the same related content as year one.
Topics covered can include:
UK Politics
- Democracy and participation
- Political parties
- Electoral systems
- Voting behaviour and the media
- Conservatism, liberalism, socialism
UK Government
- The constitution
- Parliament
- Prime Minister and executive
- Relationships between the branches
- Anarchism, ecologism, feminism, multiculturalism, nationalism
Comparative Politics
- Sovereignty and globalisation
- Global governance: political and economic
- Global governance: human rights and environmental
- Power and developments
- Regionalism and the European Union
US Government
- The US Constitution
- The US Congress
- The US Presidency
- The US Supreme Court
US Politics
- Elections
- Political Parties
- US pressure and advocacy groups
