Oundle School
Government and Politics
Head of Department: J.D.C. Gillings, BA (Kent)Course Specification: EdExcel
Politics will always exist because people disagree – about how they should live (moral questions), about who should get what (resource questions), and about who should make decisions (power questions). Politics is therefore the study of the process by which people can live together within the same society. It is a discipline which seeks to establish the rules and limits of human conduct. As such, it is the most necessary of all social activities. This activity raises further questions of participation, and what ‘citizenship’ may mean.
Some pupils will find these questions more stimulating than others. What distinguishes Politics as an academic subject is the emphasis it places on discussion, debate and argument. Facts (what is the case) and values (what should be the case) are often so closely interwoven in Politics that it is impossible to distinguish them. Politics is likely to suit those pupils who:
• have an interest in the society around them, how it works or could
work.
• enjoy debate and discussion within a structured environment.
• are happy to think for themselves, rather than accept what they are
told.
The course analyses the political structures of the United Kingdom and the United States, placing particular emphasis on current issues, processes, and problems.
