Government and Politics

Course summary

Students will study participation in political life, especially in British political institutions, the UK Government, three core political ideologies, and one contemporary ideology. Students will also study US Government and Politics. Component 1: Political Participation ● Democracy – Different types of Democracy and how Democracy works in the UK. ● Elections – Functions, types, impact, and significance of elections. ● Political Parties – Structures of political parties and their ideas. Pressure groups – You will examine the structure and aims of many pressure groups, e.g. Greenpeace. Ideologies – Liberalism, Conservatism, and Socialism. Component 2: UK Government ● Constitution – The UK’s ‘unwritten’ constitution and issues with reform. ● Parliament – The functions and importance of parliament. Is Parliament out of date? Government – The role of the PM and PM leadership style. ● Judges – Judicial independence and the impartiality of the law. Rights in the UK and Human Rights Act. ● An optional political ideology: Anarchism, Ecologism, Feminism, Multiculturalism, or Nationalism. Component 3: Comparative Politics, US Government and Politics. This covers unit uses ideas from Units 1 & 2 in a comparative study of the UK and the USA.