Courses / Politics
Politics
Politically the world is undergoing great change with Trump facing a challenging election to keep hold of the White House, Brexit and its consequences and a new British Prime Minister trying to deal with both Brexit and the consequences of a global pandemic.
If you choose this course you would benefit from:
- Experienced teacher of Politics who is involved in political activities outside college
- Teacher is an experienced examiner for the exam board
- Politics related trips including the UK Parliament, Supreme Court and Congress to Campus to meet former US politicians
- Guest speakers include Marcus Jones MP
In the first year you will study UK Government and Politics and key ideas, including:
- Constitution and the impact of devolution
- How effective is Parliament
- Powers, constraints and effectiveness of different Prime Ministers
- Pressure Groups and enhancing civil liberties
- Ideas and policies of the main political parties
- Elections and voting behaviour
- Conservatism, socialism, liberalism and nationalism along with key thinkers associated with these ideas
In the second year you will study US Government and Politics:
- US Constitution and federalism
- How effective is Congress
- Powers, effectiveness and limitations of the US President
- The role of the Supreme Court
- US Elections including congressional and presidential
- Comparing US Government and Politics with UK Government and Politics
What will I be taught?
This course is taught by a mixture of flipped learning, where you are directed to material on Moodle and other resources in order for you to deepen your understanding in class. Some use of textbooks and using recent political developments are also used to help develop your understanding. It is important that you have good written skills as you will do exam practice questions on a regular basis too.
Classroom activities will include:
- Multiple choice quizzes
- Classroom based discussions based off previous reading
- Timed essay based work
- Analysing recent political developments
- Mixture of group and individual based work
Based on research into how students learn best, each subject will set independent work to allow you to recap what you have done in the past, consolidate understanding for what you are studying in the present and develop the skills and experiences which will help you for the future. You can read more about the college’s approach to independent study here
The Past
Click here for the suggested ongoing revision activities in this subject which research has shown are most likely to boost your achievement
The Present
Each subject will set weekly homework tasks to help you consolidate your understanding and prepare for your next lesson. This work is typically set through Microsoft Teams, so you will have an electronic log of all your work, notes and feedback.
The Future
A key part of your independent work in this subject will be to prepare for a range of potential jobs and higher education courses when you leave us. To get started, look below at the top higher education courses and jobs which previous students of this course have gone on to do.
Government and Politics helps you to develop skills in analysis and evaluative written work which are useful for a wide range of careers and future courses. As well as going into politics (either as a politician, researcher or lobbyist) many former students have gone on to study History, Politics and International Relations, Law, Economics and Sociology at a number of prestigious universities including Durham, Oxford, Nottingham, Leeds and Sheffield.
5 x GCSE grades 4-9 (incl. English Language)
Additional Requirements
5 in English Language
5 in any of these subjects: History, English Literature, Religious Studies, Geography
Not essential but it will help your success…
An interest in current affairs and a desire to find out about how the country is governed. Good written skills.
Pairs well with other essay based A levels including History, Ancient History, Law, Sociology, Economics, Philosophy and Ethics and English Literature and Linguistics
Teaching contact time is 4 hours and 20 minutes per subject. Other workshops will be available throughout the year including over some holiday periods. Students are expected to complete up to 4 hours of independent study to complete assignments, homework, extra reading and independent research.
100% exam
3 exams:
- Unit 1: UK Politics and Core Political Ideas worth 33.3% of marks
- Unit 2: UK Government worth 33.3% of marks
- Unit 3: Comparative Politics worth 33.3% of marks