Government & Politics

Government and Politics 

Government and Politics is offered to students as a two-year AS/A2 course of British and American Politics beginning in year 12. 

The AS course comprises 2 modules: 

People, Politics and Participation

This unit focuses on the nature of participation in the political process and in particular theories of voting behaviour. 

It also looks at the role of elections, the different electoral systems we have, and how referendums have been used in the UK. 

We then go on to look at political parties and end this unit by considering pressure groups and their impact on our democracy. 

Governing Modern Britain

This unit considers how Britain is governed. We look at our constitution and judiciary.  

We study the role of parliament and how our prime ministerial and cabinet system operate. 

Finally, we look at local and devolved government (the Scottish parliament and Welsh assembly in particular) and the main institutions of the European Union. 

At A2 there are two further modules: 

The Politics of the USA

This unit mirrors our study of British politics in that it covers presidential and congressional elections and the role of referendums; the factors that influence US voting behaviour; political parties and how pressure groups operate in the USA. 

The Government of the USA

In this unit we look at how the USA is governed. As with unit 2, we focus on the American constitution; the workings of the Supreme Court; the role and powers of Congress; and the American Presidency. 

In addition to the class-based learning, students get to visit Parliament and attend a Politics conference in Westminster each year. And in July 2010 we are running a trip to New York and Washington.