Government & Politics

Course summary

students study three main units over the two years. The first unit covers British Politics and the Government of the UK and looks at the nature and function of the British Constitution and the three branches of the British Government: the Prime Minister & the Cabinet; the Judiciary and Parliament. Students also study how democracy operates in the UK by looking at political parties, pressure groups, elections and referendums and how we measure participation. The second unit is US politics. Students need to be able to make synoptic links between this unit and the British Politics unit and understand that while there are differences between the two political systems there are also similarities. Students will understand the constitutional framework of the US government focusing on the difference between the power of Congress and the US President. Students also study the US Judiciary, political parties and pressure groups and can make connections, links and highlight differences between the US and the UK. One of the key aspects of the US political system is an understanding of Civil Rights thinking about how the United States have developed political freedoms and rights for individuals. The final unit is an understanding of different political ideologies. Students understand the key features of different political ideologies and the similarities and differences between them. These ideologies include socialism, conservatism, nationalism and feminism.