What we aim to do:

Politics is an exhilarating, diverse and contemporary subject that combines a number of contrasting areas: ideas and practice; the UK and the USA; the past and the present; power and society. We will learn in a holistic manner about how all of these areas interact with each other and, crucially, determine how the world functions. Discussion and debate take place throughout the course, and learning is explored in a variety of ways.

 

The new Edexcel Politics course has been redesigned to reflect the changes that have taken place in the UK and the wider world over the past decade. Politics is about many things, but arguably most of all it is about people and ideas – two things that explain its popularity as a subject and why now more than ever it matters. An A-Level in Politics enables students to better understand the world around them.

Key Stage 5 Curriculum and Assessment:

At Year 12, students will study the following:

• UK Politics (democracy and participation, political parties, electoral systems, voting behaviour and the media)
• UK Government (the constitution, parliament, prime minister and executive, relationships between the branches)
• Political Ideas (liberalism, conservatism, socialism, feminism)

At Year 13, students will study the following

• Comparative Politics (the US Constitution and federalism, US Congress, US presidency, US Supreme Court and civil rights, democracy and participation, comparative theories)

Students are encouraged to refer to the Pearson textbook for further revision support.

Enrichment Opportunities:

In previous years students have had tours of the Houses of Parliament and have participated in other learning activities run by Parliament’s education service. A trip to Washington in Easter 2019 has been planned in order to provide an opportunity to compare the US and UK political systems.

Additional Information:

It is useful to read a range of newspapers to get different perspectives on issues.  Some are listed below:

• http://www.telegraph.co.uk/
• www.guardian.co.uk/
• www.independent.co.uk/

The following are also useful to understand contemporary political issues:

• Westminster Hour : Radio 4 Sunday 10pm (60 minutes)
• What The Papers Say: Radio 4 Sunday 10:45pm (15 minutes)
• Week in Westminster: Radio 4 Saturday 11am (60 minutes)