Government and Politics

Course summary

Lively, interesting and relevant... it is one of the most interesting and engaging qualifications you can choose. Covering news and current affairs from the US and UK, it helps you understand how the UK is run and develops research, written communication and debating skills. The new A Level also explores the traditional ideologies as well as feminism, and encourages a breadth of knowledge and understanding. In the Lower Sixth we aim to answer exciting, intriguing and significant political questions in this course such as How democratic is Britain? How have your rights been eroded? How good a Prime Minister is Johnson? What does the Labour Party stand for? Why have a snap election in 2017? What type of leader will Jeremy Corbyn be? What do the Liberal Democrats stand for? Is this the end of the UKIP? Now is a very exciting time to be studying politics; what will the impact of Brexit be? In the Upper Sixth we study a range of topics including American Politics and look at an equally exciting range of issues including Are Hispanics increasingly significant in US Politics? Is Congress important? and Are Supreme Court judges too powerful? What do the 2018 midterms tell us about American Politics? Why did Donald Trump win? What issues dominated the 2016 election? We will look at the 2020 election. Comparisons are made between US and UK systems. A wide range of activities is used to stimulate learning, including group and pair work, individual research, the use of interactive websites, Internet, current affairs quizzes, lots of debates and discussion. We have recently acquired flipped learning resource Pre-chewed Politics - this is a useful and valuable way of accessing information. Students are encouraged to share their ideas and experiences. Materials used within the lessons include the Internet (for example YouTube resources), newspapers, magazines as well as other useful sources. Studying Politics means there is a wealth of exciting and easily accessible material you can find. Students will develop a good knowledge and understanding of their own political systems alongside that of another state. They are encouraged to develop their own political ideas and beliefs as well as to explore those of others. Edexcel’s new GCE in Politics has been designed to encourage an interest in and enthusiasm for the study of Politics. It will enable students to develop an insight into political beliefs, central to an understanding of the modern world, and to be informed and articulate citizens. It is interesting and exciting to study; you are not expected to have any detailed political knowledge – just an interest in learning!