Politics

Politics is a subject that explores society, governance, and the forces that shape our world. It digs beneath the sound bites and provocative headlines.  If you are passionate about understanding how decisions are made, the dynamics of power, and envisioning a better future, Politics would be a thought-provoking choice.

Why choose it?

Politics is not just about politicians and elections.  It is more fundamental and is about understanding the structures, institutions, and ideologies that govern societies. In studying it for A Level, students will explore the social, economic, and global forces that influence political decisions.

Representative core areas of study

There are core areas of study in the Pearson syllabus, which we are likely to take, and which is largely representative of all the syllabuses at A Level. That said, the course delivered may not be exactly as below, but it should be very similar.

• United Kingdom political participation: democracy and participation, political parties, electoral systems, voting behaviour and the media. Much of the focus of this component is on how culture, class and regional identity shape voter preferences and affect policy decisions.  The influence of social media on public attitudes and the impact of ‘fake news’ are also explored.
• United Kingdom Core Political Ideas: conservatism, liberalism, socialism.
  United Kingdom Government: the constitution, parliament, law courts, Prime Minister and executive, relationships between the branches. Concepts, case studies and evidence are the foundations of this component.  Students learn how to dissect complex evidence and how to construct nuanced arguments, both key skills for those considering studying Law at university.
• One non-core political idea from the following: anarchism, ecologism, feminism, multiculturalism, nationalism. These are the intellectual and ideological forces that are reshaping the world in which we live.  Better understanding the origins and impact of them will provide students with the knowledge to navigate a changing world and to contribute decisively to the urgent debates surrounding these topics.
• USA comparative politics: the US Constitution and federalism, US Congress, US presidency, US Supreme Court and civil rights, democracy and participation, comparative theories. Again, the impact of culture on political developments is emphasised.  This component is particularly topical in the year of a US Presidential election and, in a comparative sense, with a looming General Election in the UK.  How might the election campaign in the US impact the leadup to the vote in the UK?  Do political parties recycle themes and issues that are gaining attention abroad?
• Global politics: sovereignty and globalisation, global governance: political and economic, global governance: human rights and environmental, power and developments, regionalism and the European Union, comparative theories. Identifying where power lies, locally and globally, is the first step toward making meaningful change to the political system. These component topics are essential areas of study for those aspiring to be a senior civil servant, a UN delegate, a human rights activist, a military leader or, simply, a well-informed and responsible citizen.

Other details

This subject is positioned on the humanities side of our A Level offer and sits alongside all the humanities and arts. The subject is already offered in the EPQ and therefore has some grounding in the school already. Common combinations of subject choices might include: History, Politics and English; Art, History of Art and Politics or Drama, Politics and Economics. All are valid and strong subject choices and would be accepted by Oxbridge and Russell Group Universities.