A Level Government and Politics

Course Overview

Politics shapes our lives - what we can do, the type of society we live in, the chances we have to succeed. This course is for people who want to understand more about how politics and government actually work. You will learn about the grand ideas and vibrant movements that are transforming the world around us, and also see how seemingly arcane customs and obscure committees hold enormous power.

In the AS section, we start by looking at politics in the UK: who has the power? How important are elections? What are the limits on Parliament and the prime minister? We will learn how laws are made, and about the ever-changing influence of political parties, the European Union and devolved government. We'll also see some of the ways ordinary people interact with the government - and the power they can wield.

In the A2 section, we use the concepts and ideas we've learned in AS to explore the wider world of politics. You will be able to study the colourful, larger-than-life politics of the United States - learning about its almost sacred constitution, the horse-trading in Congress and the surprising powers of the White House. You can choose to look at the thinkers who have changed history with their ideas on what politics and people are really like - and what they should become. There are opportunities to learn about movements like fascism and socialism, to debate different ideas about what really decides how governments are run, and to understand more about how changes in our society and in Europe affect all our futures.