Government and Politics

Course summary

The study of UK and US Politics at this level allows students to develop not only their knowledge of the subject in depth, but also their techniques and skills of study. By the end of the course students will have acquired the ability to comprehend, synthesise and interpret political information in a variety of forms; analyse and evaluate; identify parallels; select and organise relevant material to construct arguments and explanations leading to reasoned conclusions and communicate arguments and explanations with relevance, clarity and coherence using appropriate political vocabulary. Class time is spent working through a range of topics using many resources, including news media, up to date documentary evidence and audio-visual material. wider reading around topics being studied is expected of students taking A Level Politics. They are also encouraged to regularly read broadsheet newspapers to maintain awareness of current topical debates within the subject. In the second year, debating skills, independent research and in particular essay writing are developed further.