Government and Politics

Course summary

"If you ever ask any of these fundamental questions then politics is for you: Who holds power – you, the government, or corporations? What gives government the power to take away your rights and liberties? Are there any checks on the power of government? Are they strong enough? Do you have any rights? If you do, who defines these and how well protected are they? Are you represented in the political process? What political ideas have shaped our political system? How can you access the political system to change the world around you? We study and analyse the world as it unfolds around us – we seek to evaluate current political events to understand the way we are governed, and what people can do to influence the process. This is a live and current subject – students are expected to stay up to date with UK and US politics in order to build depth of understanding. Course Description: Year 12 The first module will involve developing your understanding of political concepts by studying the emergence and development of the British Political system: the means by which people can participate in the political system; the role of the political parties; how electoral system operates; the role of the media in contemporary politics; voting patterns and voting behaviour. The second module will involve the study of UK political institutions. You will study: the UK Constitution, Parliament, Prime Minister and Government, and the how all the branches of government work together. Year 13 The first module involves the study of core political ideals which exist in the British Political system: Conservatism, Liberalism and Socialism, additionally students will study the idea of Nationalism. In the final module, the focus switches to comparative politics; knowledge and understanding of political concepts is applied to the US political system."