Politics

Course summary

Have you ever wondered who makes the big decisions that affect your everyday lives? Maybe the face of the current Prime Minister comes to mind (whoever the Prime Minister is when you are reading this, in the last nine years there have been six). Maybe you are thinking on a more international basis – it is certainly true that the decisions made by the President of Russia have had a huge impact on the lives of people living in UK and beyond. By studying Politics at A-Level you will have the opportunity to ask and seek answers to questions about power and the people who exercise this power. There are five key questions to ask politicians: What power do you have? Where did you get your power? In whose interests do you exercise it? To whom are you accountable? How can we get rid of you? These questions are applied not just to domestic Politics - studied in Year 12 - but also global politics and institutions which is central to Year 13. The exam has three components: Paper 1 – UK Politics and Core Political Ideas (liberalism, conservatism and socialism). Paper 2 – UK Government and Non-Core Political Ideas (anarchism, feminism, multiculturalism or nationalism). Paper 3 – Global Politics (including the UN, NATO, Climate Change and Nuclear powers). Politics is a fascinating and unique subject; it gets to the heart of who we are and how we think the world should be. Everyone should study it! Students are given the opportunity to engage with current political issues and debates in the UK and on a global scale. Students are required to decide which side of the argument they are on and are expected to make coherent and intelligent arguments that are supported with evidence and demonstrate that alternative viewpoints have been thoroughly dealt with. These capacities developed go beyond the study of one A-Level and equip students with all required to understand and make sense the complex nature of the world around them.