Politics

The academic study of Politics will be a new opportunity for most students, since in the UK there is no GCSE qualification in the subject. This course is therefore designed to provide students with the foundations for effective A Level study. We will explore how political scientists work and clarify how students can undertake rewarding study in this discipline. Students will develop their political literacy and build some contextual knowledge to help frame their future studies.

Lesson Outline:

Week 1: What does it mean to be a political scientist?

• Defining the study of politics • Discussion of what political scientists actually do • Considering the value of political science • Introduction to political research • Students begin their research of a mainstream political party, a prime minister or a general election

Week 2: Building political literacy

• Vocabulary to help make sense of politics • The structure and language of argument • Navigating the news and current affairs • Different perspectives in political journalism

Week 3: The essentials of British politics

• An introduction to parliamentary democracy • Britain’s key political institutions • The main actors in British politics • Building a political timeline since 1997

Week 4: Reflecting on political research

• Discussion of the challenges encountered while undertaking independent research in politics • Considering strategies for improvement in future work • Sharing and discussing initial findings

Project Outcome: Students will undertake an independent research project to build valuable contextual knowledge. In so doing they will produce their first set of detailed A Level notes. At the end of the course students will participate in a seminar discussion to share and debate their findings.