Government and Politics

Course summary

Politics A-level is concerned with the analysis of the nature of power. Students will explore how people can participate in the processes which create, constrain and uphold the structures of power in our society, as well as an in-depth understanding of the ideas which underpin contemporary political debate: Conservatism, Socialism, Liberalism and Feminism. The Politics A-level curriculum consists of a comprehensive analysis of, and comparison between, the political systems of two of the most established modern democracies; those of the United Kingdom and the United States of America. The nature of democratic processes – elections, political parties, interest group activity, and civil liberties – in both societies is examined in detail. The systems of government of each system – the constitutional rules and the executive, legislative and judicial functions – are analysed and compared. The political philosophies which have underpinned debate within those systems since the nineteenth century – Conservatism, Socialism, Liberalism and Feminism – are also considered and evaluated. Component 1 UK Politics: Political Participation and Core Ideologies Component 2 UK Government and Non-core Ideology (Feminism) Component 3 Comparative Politics: USA