Politics
Higher
Course Overview
The purpose of this course is to develop an understanding of important political concepts and ideologies, enabling learners to develop individual views and perspectives and enhance critical skills of analysis, synthesis and evaluation. Learners will also be comparing and contrasting information and interpreting a wide range of electoral data.
The course content includes:
Political Theory
Learners study the key political concepts of power, authority and legitimacy, with particular reference to the work of Steven Lukes and Max Weber, and analyse the relevance of these concepts today. In addition, learners will consider the nature of democracy and the arguments for and against direct and representative democracy, including the works of relevant theorists.
Political Systems
Learners study the constitutional arrangements in different political systems, focusing on the roles of the executive and legislative branches within each system. Learners will compare and contrast the powers of individual branches of government in two political systems, and draw balanced conclusions about these.
Political Parties and Elections
Learners compare the policies and ideologies of two UK political parties. These ideas are studied alongside the impact of political campaign management strategies and theoretical analyses of voting behaviour.
Faculty Principal Teacher
Mrs J Irvine
Assessment Methods
The course is externally assessed. Learners must complete an Assignment report and a final exam. Higher courses are graded A-D.
Entry Requirements
S6 Only
While entry is at the discretion of the department, students would be normally be expected to have attained: Grade A-C in a Higher Humanities Subject or Higher English.
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