Government and Politics

Course summary

Within the Politics A Level course we look closely at the major institutions of UK Government, examining their relationships with one another and considering their effectiveness. In Paper 1, we will look at democracy and participation; elections and referenda; political parties and pressure groups. In Paper 2, students examine the representative processes of the US political system and consider their adequacy in terms of popular participation and democracy. Students investigate elections and voting, political parties, pressure groups, and civil rights, as well as the constitutional framework of the US government, the interrelationships of its legislative, executive and judicial processes, and the health of US federalism. Students also study comparative politics and analyse the similarities and differences between the USA and UK. In Paper 3, students will study three core ideologies: Liberalism, Conservatism and Socialism. Stamford Sixth Form Politics students also study Feminism as their fourth ideology. These ideologies focus on key thinkers from history, from John Locke to Karl Marx, Edmund Burke and Simone de Beauvoir.