Government and Politics
Head of Department: J.D.C.Gillings, BA (Kent)Course Specification: AQA 1151/2151
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 and intellectual activities. This activity raises further questions of participation and representation, and what ‘citizenship’ may mean.
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 ability to communicate ideas and concepts effectively on paper is essential.
The course analyses the political structures of the United Kingdom and the
United States, placing particular emphasis on current issues, processes, and
problems.
There will be an opportunity at the beginning of the Easter Quarter for Fifth Form pupils to attend a short introductory talk to find out more about the Government and Politics Course.
Pattern of Assessment
| AS Unit 1 GOVP1 People, Politics and Participation 1½ hours written examination [25%] |
Study of the electoral and party system |
| AS Unit 2 GOVP2 Governing Modern Britain 1½ hours written examination [25%] |
The formal institutions of UK government |
| A2 Unit 3 GOV3A Politics of the USA 1½ hours written examination [25%] |
Electoral and party systems in the USA Civil Rights and Politics in the USA |
| A2 Unit 4 GOV4A Government of the USA 1½ hours written examination [25%] |
The formal institutions of US government |
Pupils who opt to take Government and Politics as an AS examination only will complete their examinations in the Trinity Quarter of the Lower Sixth.