A Level Politics
As a student of Politics will learn about, and engage in, political debates and study how decisions are made within the British, US and international frameworks.
A level politics students will be critical thinkers who learn to understand how the world around them functions. Students will understand how common political ideas came to take shape; how the UK is governed; how political participation in the UK takes place; how countries interact with each other on the global stage and why they interact the way they do; how countries demonstrate their power; how countries work together to achieve their aims.
Overview
The Politics course is designed to widen understanding of democracy and political participation in the UK and the global community. Politics creates critical thinkers who are able to analyse current affairs in the UK and globally and communicate their understanding of those events. Politics students are able to understand British values of democracy, liberty, the rule of law and mutual respect intrinsically through the course of study in the Sixth Form. The course raises social awareness and encourages students to address social issues and become more politically aware and become more civic-minded.
While no prior knowledge of Politics is required, an interest and having opinions on politics and current affairs is crucial.
Politics students have been successful in gaining degree courses in Law, Politics, PPE, History, Geography and International Relations at institutions such as Cambridge, Oxford, Manchester, St Andrews, LSE and Durham universities.
Students take three components across the sixth form: UK Politics; UK Government; Global Politics.
There is an annual trip to Westminster to the Houses of Parliament and the Supreme Court.
Year 12
In Year 12 Students learn the following;
Component 1: UK Politics (9PLO/01) – 33% of qualification
1) Political Participation
a. Democracy and Participation
b. Political Parties
c. Electoral Systems
d. Voting Behaviour and the Media
2) Core Political Ideas
a. Liberalism
b. Conservatism
c. Socialism
Component 2: UK Government (9PLO/02) – 33% of qualification
1) UK Government
a. The Constitution
b. Parliament
c. Prime Minister and the Executive
d. Relationships Between Branches
2) Non-core Political Ideas
a. Anarchism
b. Feminism
Year 13
Component 3: Global Politics (9PLO/3B) – 33% of qualification
1) Global Politics
a. The state and Globalisation
b. Global Governance: Political and Economic
c. Global Governance: Human Rights and Environmental
d. Power and Development
e. Regionalism and The European Union
f. Comparative theories of International Relations
