Government and Politics

Course summary

Politics is a subject to be studied if you have an interest in politics and the way we are governed. If you want to understand how parliament and the government work, or how politicians are elected, or what agendas political parties have on some of the hot political issues of the day, then this is the subject for you. Politics has a profound influence on everyone’s life as the government and politicians decide how much tax we pay, whether certain crimes are punished, whether the laws on immigration and abortion should be reformed, or even if we should go to war with another country. Politics will deal with these current affairs and will turn you from being a passive member of society to an active political animal. Politics is the subject for you if you like debate and discussion and you want to develop your own views, rather than accept the views of others. During the two years, we will study many different topics as separate areas, but you will discover that all areas of political life are interconnected, such as: political ideologies and current political ideas; electoral systems and voting behavior; pressure groups and democracy; constitutions, citizen rights and the judges who guarantee them.