Politics
Subject specific entry requirements.
Grade 6/B in GCSE English.
How the course is assessed.
100% examination.
Exam board.
AQA.
Where does it lead?
Politics fits very well with subjects like Economics, History, Law, Psychology and Sociology. Many students go on to read Politics at university and it is excellent preparation for a career in the civil service and public sector, business and management, the media, and the voluntary and community sector.
Course overview
The two-year A level course consists of three units:
· Government and Politics of the UK: our different elections and electoral systems; referendums; political parties and pressure groups; our constitution and judiciary ; the role of parliament ; how our prime ministerial and cabinet system operate ; and finally, local and devolved government and the main institutions of the European Union.
· Government and Politics of the US and comparative politics: in which students cover US presidential and congressional elections, the US Constitution and role of the Supreme Court; Congress; and the Presidency. We then compare and contrast the main features of British and American government and politics.
· Political Ideas: in which students look at the main ideas of socialism, conservatism, liberalism and one other from a list that includes feminism and anarchism.
You can expect to:
· Be aware of the main political stories on a daily and weekly basis.
· Participate in a lot of debate and discussion.
· Develop a good understanding of British and American politics and political ideologies.
Other useful information
Each year we organise a trip to a student conference in Westminster for Year 12s and this year we also visited Parliament and met with the MP for Rugby.
2018 – 19 Students’ views
· Politics has become one of my favourite subjects and it has helped my understanding of international and global society which is what I would like to follow at university.
· It has helped me to learn about the inner workings of government and interested me to engage in political discussion due to my improved knowledge.
· Lessons have typically been engaging and intriguing. I’m much more interested in now in the news thanks to class discussions.
Please click here for the Sixth Form Prospectus
