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.



Page last updated Tue 2 Dec 2008 13:03