Year One content
Component One: UK Politics and Core Political Ideas
This section explores the nature of politics and how people engage in the political process in the UK. You will explore the emergence and development of the UK’s democratic system and the similarities, differences, connections and parallels between direct and indirect democracy. You will focus on the role and scope of political parties that are so central to contemporary politics, including the significance of the manifestos they publish at election time and their relevance to the mandate of the resulting government. You will examine how electoral systems in the UK operate and how individuals and groups are influenced in their voting behaviour and political actions. This component will further examine the role of the media in contemporary politics.
Component Two: UK Government and Non-core Political Ideas
The component introduces the set of rules governing politics in the UK, the UK constitution, which is different in nature from most of the rest of the world. It further introduces you to the specific roles and powers of the different major branches of the government – legislative, executive, and judiciary – as well as the relationships and balance of power between them, and considers where sovereignty now lies within this system. You will explore the following key themes: the relative powers of the different branches of UK government; the extent to which the constitution has changed in recent years; the desirability of further change; and the current location of sovereignty within the UK political system.
Year Two content
Component Three: Comparative Politics (Government and Politics of the USA)
The USA has been considered by some to be a ‘beacon of democracy’. As a world power, understanding the nature of US democracy, and the debates surrounding it, is crucial given the considerable impact that the USA has on UK, European and global politics. You will explore the US Constitution and the arguments surrounding this guiding document of US democracy. In learning about the key institutions of government in the USA and analysing the manner in which they achieve this power and exercise it over their citizens, you will judge ultimately whether ‘liberty and justice for all’ has been achieved in the USA.
You will be expected to highlight the debates on the nature of democracy in the USA and evaluate the extent to which it remains an issue. You will also compare and contrast politics and institutions in the US with those in the UK. This will develop a wider understanding of politics as a discipline, underpinned by the theoretical concepts of comparative politics.
