A2 Politics Scheme of Work, GOV 3A
Weeks
Key question /
lesson content
Lesson outcomes
Suggested learning
activities
Homework/ extension
Resources / E Learning
Hold a balloon debate on
which US President made
the greatest contribution to
recent US political history
Write to US Embassy in
London to invite a guest to
school to discuss the US
constitution & the election
process
Anthony Bennett, ‘US and
Comparative Govt and Politics’,
p.1-12, see also the ‘Politics’
Resources section of
www.studyhistory.co.uk as well as
the weblinks section including
www.constitutuincenter.org which
has useful downloadable teacher
resources
Research into 2008
presidential campaigns, to
produce a ‘diary’ or timeline
of Obama’s presidential
campaign
Hold a debate on whether
primaries are good or bad
for democracy.
Produce a plan for a
presidential campaign.
Bennett, p.28-43
Notes on 2008 US Presidential
campaign can be found at:
http://www.historylearningsite.co.u
k/2008_US_election_result.htm;
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_dept
h/americas/2008/vote_usa_2008/
default.stm
Lesson series focus: Electoral Process and Direct Democracy
Teacher 1
1-6
What’s so
different about
US politics?
Introduction to A2 Govt &
Politics. Overview of US
political history and
different political opinions
across the United States.
What’s so
different about
US elections?
Overview of unique
features of US electoral
system, e.g. federal
structure, separation of
powers, fixed terms.
Analysis of differences
between a caucus and a
primary. Evaluate the case
for and against the use of
primaries
Keywords: presidential
primary & caucuses, Super
Tuesday, front loading,
McGovern Frasier
Commission Open, closed
Presentation on course
requirements, exam
format and timetable of
preparation for the exam.
Create a timeline of key
US constitutional events
from War of
Independence to Bill of
Rights. Produce
presentations and
factoids on key US
Presidents assessing
their political contribution.
Read about the technical
and personal
requirements to be a US
president, and produce a
factoid on the ideal US
candidate. Refer back to
the balloon debate on US
presidents as part of the
introduction to the course
and decide which
candidate matches the
characteristics identified
the most.
Study the difference
between caucuses and
Politics Review, Nov 2003,
‘Primaries and Caucuses’
& ‘invisible’ primaries;
balanced ticket
How important
are the national
nominating
conventions?
How important
are the media in
election
campaigns?
How are
elections
financed?
How powerful is
the Electoral
College?
Understand the value of
conventions as both formal
and informal occasions.
Assess the importance of
national conventions in US
elections and general
politics.
Key words: national party
convention, party platform,
acceptance speech
To understand the role of
television and other media,
e.g. print journalism,
internet etc. in election
campaigns
Understand the importance
of money in US
campaigns. Examine
sources of funding and the
effects of recent electoral
reform, e.g. Federal
Election Campaign Act,
McCain_Feigold Reforms
Key words: soft and hard
money
Examining the workings of
the Electoral College and
assess its strengths and
weaknesses
primaries. Produce a
scales chart on the case
for and against the use of
primaries.
Identify the key features
of a presidential
campaign.
Create a spider diagram
identifying the functions
of conventions.
Highlight evidence to
suggest the convention
plays a key role in the
election process and in
another colour, evidence
that it is used merely to
‘crown’ the winner
Read Bennett, p.51-6 and
complete an evidence
table on the importance
of print journalism,
television news,
commercials and
debates. Write a
judgement paragraph on
which is the most
influential media to day
Read about the financing
of US elections and
presidential campaigns.
Draw up a list of
concerns. Take notes on
the efforts to reform
campaign financing.
Assess how far reforms
met your concerns.
Read Bennett on
workings of Electoral
College. Compile a
scales chart on its
Conduct a case study of a
recent party convention.
Bennett, p.43-9
http://www.historylearningsite.co.u
k/national_conventions.htm
Look at examples of
presidential TV debates
and put together a ‘Bluffers’
Guide’ on how to stage a
successful televised debate
Bennett, p.51-6
Hold a debate on whether
US election campaigns
should be state-funded.
Write a letter to a US
congressman setting out
your arguments for or
against public funding of
campaigns
Bennett, p.49-51. For up-to-date
statistics of campaign funding visit
the Federal Election Campaign
website
Conduct a committee
enquiry into reform of the
US Electoral College
Research who currently sits
Bennett, p.62-8
Does ‘direct
democracy’
exist in the USA
Are elections in
the US more
democratic in
the UK
Understand the difference
between referendums,
initiatives and recall
elections and consider the
pros and cons of the use of
direct democracy in the US
political context.
Compare the electoral
processes of US and UK
and assess the democratic
credentials of each system
strengths and
weaknesses of system.
Assess the advantages of
alternatives, e.g. the
Maine System, the
Automatic Plan and the
Direct Election Plan
on the Electoral College /
proposals for reform
Study the information in
the Harris and produce
definitions of key terms:
referendums, initiatives
and recall elections.
Conduct some research
into the frequency of the
use of referendums,
initiatives and recall
elections
Colleen Harris, ‘AQA Govt
and Politics. The Politics of
the USA’, p.26-7
Complete an evidence
chart on the key feature
of US and UK elections.
Highlight evidence in the
chart which suggests the
system may not be
democratic.
Sample exam question 1
(a) and (b) from AQA
exam pack
Hold a class debate on
which electoral system is
the most democratic
Bennett, p.266-283
Read Bennett on the
history of the two main
parties and complete a
spider diagram charting
the 6 big issues that have
divided the parties.
Examine divisions within
parties into liberal and
conservative wings as
well as factional grouping,
e.g. ‘fiscal’ and ‘social’
conservatives in the
Republicans and the
Write an interview with a
typical Republican or
Democrat politician.
Bennett, p.70-81
Lesson series focus: Political parties
Teacher 2
1-6
What is the
difference
between
Democrats and
Republicans?
Students understand the
differences between the
two main parties and their
differing ideologies, values,
policies, traditions and
actions
Key terms: liberalism &
conservatism; neo-liberal v.
neo conservative; new
right; religious right;
Look at news items to
explain how ideological
positions of parties has
become more coherent in
recent times, leading to
polarization in US politics
Updates on party policy can be
found on the party websites –
links available in weblinks section
of www.studyhistory.co.uk
compassionate
conservatism, big tent
parties
impact of ‘New’
Democrats in 1990s
under Clinton.
Present students with a
list of issues for them to
discuss how each party
would stand on them.
Complete an evidence
chart comparing the
structures of Democrats
and Republicans.
How are parties
organized in the
US
To understand organization
of US parties. Understand
the factionalised nature of
US political parties and
how party organization is
often weaker than UK
parties (reflecting the
social, ethnic and
geographic diversity of the
country as well as the
federal system of
government)
Research the structure
and organization of US
parties from Bennett and
produce a guide to party
organization.
Identify factors which have
lead to ‘weak’ parties in the
USA and make
recommendations for
change.
Bennett, p.82-3
Are US parties
in permanent
decline?
To assess the reasons for
declining membership and
political activity
Identify factors which
have led to the decline of
US party politics, e.g. use
of primaries, changes to
electoral finance,
changes in campaigning,
interest groups and
partisan dealignment
Examine the policies of the
Republican and Democrats
at 2008 elections and find
evidence of ‘ideological
resurgence’
Bennett, p.90-92
Brainstorm reasons why
USA has developed twoparty politics and
compare with evidence
Hold a debate on whether
two-party politics benefits
US politics or not
Bennet, p.83-5
Key terms: interest groups,
partisan dealignment,
ideological resurgence
Why does the
USA have a
two-party
Identify reasons for
development of two-party
politics and assess its
strengths and weaknesses
system?
7-8
How important
are minor
parties in US
politics?
9-10
How similar are
US parties to
those of the
UK?
Key terms: duopoly, ‘catchall’ parties
Assess the importance of
third parties of independent
candidates
Key terms: ballot access,
split-ticket voting
from Bennett or other
research
Presentations on some of
the third parties or
independents who
campaigned in recent US
congressional elections
Make comparisons with UK
political parties
Investigate some of the
minor parties who
contested seats at the last
US congressional elections
Bennett, p.85-88
Ashbee, ‘Minor Paries in the US’
Complete a table
comparing ideas and
policies of main and
minor parties in US and
UK.
Allocate different
comparative topic areas
to different groups, e.g.
party financing, candidate
selection, policy-making
etc.
Sample exam question
from AQA exam pack 2 (a)
and (b)
Bennett, p.284-298
Spider diagram detailing
the different influences
affecting voter decisions
Case study into evidence of
main variable in 2008
Presidential elections.
Identify which factor played
the strongest influence.
Harris, ‘The Politics of the USA’,
p.38-9 but also the History
Learning Site has some detailed
statistical evidence. See weblinks
as before
Lesson series focus: Voting Behaviour
Teacher 1
7-12
What changes
the way
Americans vote?
Students examine the main
variables affecting the way
people vote in the US and
their relative importance
Students should be aware
that because of the vast
size and demographic
variety in the US voting
behaviour is much more
complex and difficult to
predict
Key words: Short-term
influences; issue-saliency,
partisan alignment, core
voters
Do white,
middle-aged,
middle-class
men always vote
in the same
way?
Do Americans
still vote along
party lines?
Examination of long-term
determinants of American
electoral behaviour, e.g.
socio-economic status,
gender, age, race and
ethnicity, region and
religion
Students complete a
table demonstrating the
effectiveness of different
socio-economic factors,
e.g.race & ethnicity,
religion, gender, age &
region
Key words: ‘core voters’,
‘electoral base’
Debate over the influence
of one factor over others,
using recent electoral
data
Complete an evidence
table on short-term or
‘recency’ factors affecting
voting behaviour, e.g.
issue voting, candidate
voting and performance
voting. Research and
produce a definition of
‘split-ticket’ voting. List
reasons why voting is
becoming more volatile
and difficult to predict.
The significance of partisan
alignment and dealignment
Be able to use statistics
from recent election to
demonstrate the voting
behaviour of modern
Americans as well as
identify trends in recent
voting behaviour as well as
the growth of more volatile,
dealigned voters
Research into the
importance of long-term
factors in recent US
elections
Harris, p.39-42, Bennett, p.60-61,
119-122, p.57-62
Compare the accuracy of
opinion polls with recent
election results and identify
examples of deal
Harris, p.42-44 and Bennett
above
Students conduct and
enquiry and produce a
report into
recommendations for
constitutional changes to
tackle problems with
increasing voter apathy
Harris, p.44-45 and Bennett,
p.280-2
Key words:
Partisanship; swing voters;
alignment and
dealignment; protest voting
Why are
Americans not
bothering to
vote?
Cause and consequence of
split ticket voting and high
levels of abstention
Key words: Differential
abstention; ticket splitting;
swing voters; democratic
Produce a spider diagram
highlighting the main
causes of voter apathy in
US elections.
How similar is
voting behaviour
in the UK and
US?
overload; voter fatigue
Comparisons of voting
behaviour in the UK and
US to illustrate behaviour
Complete a venn diagram
showing areas of
difference and similarities
in voting behaviour
Example question from
AQA exam pack 3 (a) and
(b)
Bennett, p.275-282
Complete an evidence
table on the key types of
pressure groups, e.g.
economic, single-issue,
public interest
Contact US pressure
groups to request
resources or answer
questions over policies and
aims
Bennet, p.94-6
Evaluate impact of recent
US initiatives designed to
reduce barriers to voting,
e.g. 2002, ‘Help America
Vote Act’
Key words: voter
registration, ‘democratic
overload’, ‘voter fatigue’,
‘hapathy’
Lesson series focus: pressure groups
Teacher 2
7-12
What are the
main types of
pressure groups
in the USA?
Pupils are able to
differentiate between the
types and classification of
pressure groups, including
economic, moral,
environmental, ethnic,
gender and issue-based
groups
Understand the importance
of pluralism in the US
political system and its
extent
Understand the differences
between pressure groups
and political parties
Key words: Pluralism;
lobbying; mainstream US
Student presentations on
aims and activities of
different US pressure
groups.
pressure groups; sectional,
single-issue and cause
groups
Why has
pressure group
activity
increased in
recent years?
Understand reasons for
growth in pressure group
activity since 1960s
How easy is it
for pressure
groups to
access US
politicians?
Understand the way in
which pressure groups
lobby politicians and
parties and the factors
which lead to success in
lobbying politicians, e.g.
resources, specific aims,
methods, links with the
political and electoral
system
Key words: blanket vote,
hyper-pluralism, lobbying
Key words: Access points;
corporate power; direct
action
What are the
most important
factors affecting
the success of
pressure
groups?
To understand and
evaluate the strategies
used by pressure groups to
achieve their aims
List the functions of
pressure groups and try
to discern reasons why
as a result there has
been a growth in
pressure group activity.
Conduct case studies to
show how pressure group
activity has led to new
legislation e.g. on health
or ethical issues
Complete an evidence
chart on the different
access points, e.g.
legislative branch,
executive branch and
judicial branch. Research
and compare the extent
of lobbying at the state as
well as the federal level.
Examine the extent of
lobbying of Supreme
Court.
Case study of how an
individual bill was
influenced at different
stages by pressure group
activity
Hold a class discussion on
whether the increase in
pressure group activity is
good for US democracy.
Bennet, p.96-7
Role play – design a
pressure group, its aims
and methods and explain
which access points you
will target.
Bennett, p.96-7
Study the factors used as
described in Bennett or
alternative source and
create a spider diagram.
In groups students take
responsibility for a
different factor and
research further evidence
Write a judgement
paragraph on which factor
is most important in
securing success for
pressure groups
Bennett, p.98-102
Are pressure
groups a threat
to democracy?
Understand the checks to
pressure group power.
Debate the value or threat
posed by pressure groups
to democracy in the US
Key words: political action
committees, clientelism;
‘revolving door’; ‘iron
triangles’
of the importance of this
factor in recent elections.
Create a scales chart
listing the advantages
and disadvantages of
pressure groups. Assess
the impact of the FECA
reforms of 1970s
Research and hold a
debate on the power of
US pressure groups
Complete a diagram
identifying the influence
of pressure groups on
Republican and
Democrat parties
Which are more
powerful, UK or
US pressure
groups?
Students are able to
compare the power and
effectiveness of UK and
US pressure groups in
order to make informed
comparisons
Complete evidence chart
comparing the nature and
organization of pressure
groups in the US with
those in the UK
Debate on the
effectiveness of pressure
groups in the UK and US
In groups students produce
case studies of the
effectiveness of pressure
groups in key areas, e.g.
civil rights, environmental
issues, women’s rights,
abortion, gun control, health
Bennett, p.107-113
Peele, ‘Pressure Groups in the
USA’, Politics Review, Apr. 2003
Produce a report on how
pressure group activity
should be further regulated
in the US in terms of
funding, access points,
membership and methods
Sample exam question
from AQA exam pack
question 4 (a) and (b)
Bennett, p.299-309
Batchelor, ‘UK and US interest
groups: similarities and
differences’, Politics Review