Politics (A Level)

Course summary

Students should also have a keen interest in current affairs and bring some of their own knowledge and opinions to the subject. There are three units at A level: The Government and Politics of the UK, The Government and Politics of the USA and Comparative Politics, and Political Ideas. Unit one examines issues and questions around the British constitution, the role and effectiveness of Parliament, the growing importance of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, the role of the judiciary in UK politics, the impact of devolution in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, different types of democracy, elections and referendums, political parties, the role of pressure groups in UK politics and the European Union. Unit two examines the significance of the US constitution, Congress, the role of the President, the impact of the Supreme Court on US politics, elections, political parties, the growing importance of pressure groups in the US and civil rights. This unit also contains a comparative element in which students compare the UK and US political systems. Unit three examines the role and importance of ideologues and examines, liberalism, conservatism, socialism, and one other ideology from nationalism, feminism, multiculturalism, anarchy and ecologism.