Politics is led by Mr Newton, aided by Ms Dawton. The teaching of the A level course is split along the lines of their other specialisms (Mr Newton - Economics, Ms Dawton - History) at both AS and A2, and they form a successful team in making sure students on the course are well prepared, enjoy their studies and achieve meaningful grades comparable with their abilities.
At AS level, the course focuses on the following key areas:
Unit 1: People and Politics
Themes: Democracy and Political Participation, Party Policies and Ideas, Elections and Pressure Groups.
Some of the key questions we try to answer are:
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How do we increase participation in politics today?
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How different is New Labour from Old Labour?
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Is 'Compassionate Conservatism' really new?
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Do elections guarantee democracy?
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Why do pressure groups have more members than Political Parties in the UK?
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Can they change anything?
Unit 2: Governing the UK
Themes: The Constitution, Parliament, the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Judges and Civil Liberties
Some of the key questions we try to answer are:
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Why does the UK not have a codified constitution?
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What are the roles and powers of the House of Commons and House of Lords?
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How do different Prime Ministers govern?
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Does this make a difference to decision making?
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How independent are the Judiciary from Government?
At A2 level, the course focuses on the following key areas:
Unit 3: Structures of Global Politics
Themes: Approaches to Global Politics, World Order, Global Governance, European Union and Regionalism
Some of the key questions we try to answer are:
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What has been the impact of globalisation on State Sovereignty?
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How has the World Order changed with the emergence of China and India?
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How effective are the UN, IMF and World Bank in 'governing the world'?
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Is the EU heading towards a Federal States of Europe?
Unit 4: Global Political Issues
Themes: Conflict, War and Terrorism, Poverty and Development, Environmental Issues, Human Rights
Some of the key questions we try to answer are:
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Is the 'Clash of Civilizations' really inevitable?
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Does the North/South geo-political divide really exist?
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Do global Environmental problems really require global solutions?
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Why have Human Rights become more prominent in International Politics recently?
Further detail on the curriculum studied can be found at:
www.edexcel.com/quals/gce/gce08/gov/Pages/default.aspx
Assessment Procedures
Students are assessed at regular intervals during the year through both presentation tasks and formal exam style questions as regular homework.
AS Level
Unit 1: People and Politics.
Written examination of 1 hour 20 minutes, where students answer 2 questions from a choice of 4. Questions are broken down into tariffs of 5, 10 and 25 marks.
Unit 2: Governing the UK
Written examination of 1 hour 20 minutes. Students are required to answer one stimulus-based question from a choice of two structured with a mark tariff of 5, 10 and 25 marks. Students are then required to answer one extended question from a choice of two worth 40 marks.
A2 Level
Unit 3: Key Themes in Political Analysis
Written examination of 1 hour and 30 minutes. Students answer 3 short answer questions from a choice of 5 worth 15 marks each. Students then answer on essay style question from a choice of 3, worth 45 marks.
Unit 4: Extended Themes in Political Analysis
The number and style of question are exactly as per Unit 3.
Students are well practised in answering all types of examination questions by the time of their examinations which are all sat in the June of the relevant year, apart from Unit 3 which is sat in the January of the Upper Sixth year. Self assessment and peer assessment opportunities are regularly used throughout the year.
Extra Curricular
We offer a wide range of related extra curricular activities to help students engage with their Politics studies. For example, on a cyclical basis Politics students are encouraged to attend and take part in the Debating Society where they have the opportunity to debate topical political issues. We additionally take part in the 'Debating Matters' national competition.
Our students will also visit the Houses of Parliament during the year to see how government works in practice, and where we have been lucky enough to have been shown around by Lord Hanningfield in recent years. This visit is usually combined with a visit to the Cabinet War Rooms to analyse how government works in times of crisis. Time permitting we additionally look to visit the Supreme Court of the UK to investigate the role of the judiciary in UK Politics.
Self Study
Students are expected to organise their work independently and meet all deadlines. Students are encouraged to take responsibility for planning, drafting and proof reading their work. The more successful candidates will use the drafting process properly and take full advantage of the teacher input available, particularly when planning larger essay questions.
Students are encouraged to use the Sixth Form Study Room to complete their work, where a host of resources related to the subject are available.
Useful Websites
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/british_politics.htm
http://www.tutor2u.net/blog/index.php/politics/
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics
www.nytimes.com/pages/politics
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/
All of these websites are useful for both course content and additionally a range of views on domestic and international political events.
Finally..
This subject thrives on justified opinion and we encourage our students to debate and form arguments on the topics covered as well as topical political news stories. We study Route D of the Edexcel course which is the most international curriculum on offer and ties in very well with the ethos of the school.
We have a healthy number of students who go on to take both Politics and International Relations at Universities around the country and even at some international universities as well.
If you have any further enquiries about the course then please contact me at newtons@aesessex.co.uk