Politics

Course summary

The course in Politics will enable students to develop a wide range of skills including the ability to comprehend, synthesise and interpret political information; analyse and evaluate political knowledge; identify connections, similarities and differences between the areas studied; select relevant material and construct and communicate arguments clearly and coherently using appropriate political vocabulary. Over the period of the course, students study the comparative politics of the UK and USA, including the nature of constitutions, processes of elections, the role of pressure groups, the structure of legislatures and the judiciary. Regular visits are incorporated into the programme of study and include visits to Parliament, the Supreme Court and the European Parliament office in London. Course content Paper 1 Government and politics of the UK Paper 2 Government and politics of the USA and comparative politics Paper 3 Political Ideas Each unit has an equal weighting towards the full award.