In the General Election of 2015, the SNP won just under 1.5 million votes and won 56 seats. The Liberal Democrats obtained nearly 2.5 million seats and won eight seats. UKIP won close to 4 million votes and a single seat. Many hold this result up as a sign of the bankruptcy of the ‘old system’, one in which power would swing between two parties. Issue-based politics and the rise of nationalism mean that people are identifying with newer parties or not with any one party at all. At the same time, one in three eligible voters didn’t vote. What does this say about politics and the health of our democracy in Britain in the 21st century? By studying Politics at A level, you will become equipped to address questions like these with the care that they deserve. Politics is an academically rigorous subject in which you will learn both political concepts and the structure of the British political system. You will look at a range of political ideologies and political issues that are of global concern. The course will leave you with a clear understanding of the importance of politics at a time when political apathy is on the rise. In the first year, you will be studying the first two units. In Component 1 (UK Politics and Core Political Ideas), you will start by looking at democracy and participation. Can we enhance participation, perhaps by lowering the voting age? You will then look at political parties: and their changing identities and role in our political system. The role of pressure groups will be discussed and, finally, you will also look at the electoral systems used in the UK and how they work. The core political Ideas of socialism, Liberalism and Conservatism will also be studied. In Component 2 (UK Government and Optional Political Idea) students will be introduced to the major governmental processes in the UK. You will be encouraged to develop a critical understanding of the role and effectiveness of key institutions and the relationship between them. Key topics are: The Constitution, Parliament, Prime Minister and the Executive and the relationship between the branches. In the second year, you will study your non-core ideology of Nationalism before studying Component 3: Comparative Global Politics. In this topic, you will be studying key issues in recent global politics and how these issues are dealt with at a global level. This will include Theories of Global Politics, sovereignty and globalization, global governance: political and economic, global governance: human rights and the environment, power and developments, regionalism and the European Union.