Government and Politics

Course summary

The following aspects of British politics will be studied: representation, participation, citizenship, elections and electoral systems, voting behaviour and the influence of the media, political parties, constitutions and the institutions of government (the legislative, executive and judicial branches). From the beginning of the first year, the course will focus on the key issue of representation in the politics of the United Kingdom, and ideologies such as conservatism, liberalism and socialism: this will allow key links to be made between the direction of contemporary political parties and the beliefs that underpin them. As domestic politics moves away from the era of consensus, this has significant contemporary relevance. Over the two-year course, as far as is possible, topics will be studied to coincide with the political cycle of the United Kingdom. This feature of the course, together with opportunities to listen to visiting speakers at Charterhouse, to attend major party conferences and to visit the seat of government in London, help to bring the subject matter to life and to make it a truly contemporary study of the subject.