Subject:
Government & Politics
Autumn Term 1
Year 12 (AS)
What is politics & democracy
Power vs Authority
Nature of plualism vs elitism
British political culture
Recent changes in political culture
Different kinds of participation
Changing patterns of participation
Implications of these changes
Elections: who votes & how?
Turnout: Why does turnout fluctuate?
Voting & … gender, class, age, ethnicity, region
Class alignment / de-alignment
Theories & debates of determinants of voting be'r
Voting models: primacy & recency
Voting models: social structures, rational choice
Voting models: party ID model, context model
Issue voting: spatial vs valence models
Issue voting: policies, leaders & events
Stability vs Volatility
Differences between GE and by-elections
Roll of mass media in election outcomes
Roll of opinion polls in elections
Tactical voting, protest voting, swings & churn
Representative vs Direct Democracy
Representative vs Delegate Theory
Features of a representative democracy
Purposes of elections
Types of ES - pluralism, major, prop & mixed
Theory & practice of FPTP, AMS & STV
Factors in considering ES; choice, link, prop, stab, simp
Coalition vs Majority government
Other systems: AV, AV+, SV, D'hondt
Arguments for and against electoral reform
Adv & Disadv of the use of referenda
Staff Members ALI/CDA
Year 13 (A2)
What different kinds of elections are there in the US?
What is an "invisible primary" and how important are they in determine the
outcome of the final election / selection?
What are the key differences between primaries and Caucuses; and which
is better for democracy?
Why have more states opted for primaries in recent years?
How important to democracy is the "primary process"
Frontloading & Momentum
Definition of the National Nominating Conventions (NNCs)
Formal and informal functions of the NNCs
What is the purpose of a balanced ticket?
How are General Election campaigns strategized?
What ways are there of reaching 270?
How important is the media to election results?
How Important is money to election results?
What attempts, and with what success, has the issue of campaign finance
been dealt with?
What is the Electoral College and how does it work?
How does the EC affect the campaign itself?
What reforms or alternatives are there to the EC?
Use of initiatives, propositions & referenda
To what degree is America a "direct" democracy?
Brief history of each party; origins & traditions
In what ways are the parties similar and different?
Examine the ideological beliefs of the 2 parties
Examine specific current policy provision on social, economic & foreign
policy
What kind of people do each party attract and why is this important?
How are the parties organised and why do some people consider them to
be "weak"?
Detailed study of the internal divisions and factions within the parties
.. The reasons for this ... And the concept of the 100 Party State
Why does the US have such a strong 2 party state?
Why have 3rd parties not made breakthroughs in the USA?
Are political parties in a terminal decline or are they about to have an
ideological resurgence?
Autumn Term 2
Spring Term 1
Spring Term 2
What are political parties & what is their function?
Single issue parties & regional parties
Ideological roots on parties
Debate over the "end of ideology"?
Major policy differences between the parties
Internal party factors and their beliefs
Role of the party member
Internal party democracy - policy making, leaders & cand
Structure of the parties
Funding of political parties
Role of the party conference
Is the UK a two party system?
Role & impact of minor/third parties
Definiton of PG and examples of them
Traditional vs New (or Social) movements
Role of Pressure Groups
Insider/Outsider Groups
How do PGs operate? (Methods)
How much influence do they have? (impact)
Do PGs enhance or undermine democracy?
Are the groups internally democratic?
Factors that affect PG success; including …
… aim, method, resources and specialism
Impact of the EU on pressure groups
Nature of Constitution - flexible, codified, written, unitary
Sources of the Constitution
How has the UK constitution changed?
How far does the constitution limit the power of govt?
Composition of Parliament
Roles of Parliament - rep, scr & leg
(inc. legislative process, committees, scrutiny tools etc)
Issues surrounding these functions
Role & significance of key parliamentary figures
Powers, role & reform of the House of Lords
Extent of Executive Dominance
Influence of backbenchers & whips
Role & function of the OppositionOpposition
Judicial Independence
Separation of Powers
Judicial Review
Relationship between judiciary, executive & legislature
2005 Constitutional Reform Act specifically
Impact of HRA & ECHR
Role & powers of the PM
Role & powers of the cabinet
PM vs Cabinet Government debate
Cabinet Committees & Cabinet Office
Pluralist & elitist views on Pressure Groups
Reasons for the growth of PG activity
Key differences between PGs and political parties
What methods do Pressure Groups use to achieve their aims?
How do you explain the difference in PG successes?
Importance of insider / outsider PGs
How far do PGs help or hinder democracy
How useful are PACS to the democratic system?
Understanding key background concepts - partisanship, alignment etc
How does party identification arise?
Key importance of swing voters and swing states
The Long term socio-economic factors - economic status, income, gender,
race, ethnicity, region, religion, age
Key examples such as blacks and Hispanics for Dems
Key examples such as Christians for GOP
The short term impact of issues
The short term impact of events
The short term impact of candidates
Split ticket voting - how it happens, what it is and what the consequences
are
Why is the turnout so low in US elections?
What recent reforms are there to help improve turnout?
What are the constitutional powers of Congress?
Composition of Congress
What is bi-cameralism and why is it important?
Key differences between House and Senate
What is the structure of the parties in Congress?
Would you describe party organisation in Congress as weak or strong,
and why?
Scrutiny: How good is the committee system
How good in the Congressional oversight of the other branches?
Explain how why and when Congress uses impeachment
Legislation: How are laws passed in the USA?
Why do so many bills die either in Congress or between branches?
Why is the legislative process so difficult?
Representative function: How representative is Congress and what types
of representation are there?
What are the powers of the US President - both formal and informal?
Why are there so many changes in the powers and authority of the
President?
To what degree does Presidential power "ebb and flow" and why does this
happen?
Why are some presidents "activist" and how do they achieve this despite
the constitution?
What constraints are there on the power of the Presidency - congress and
judiciary?
Imperilled vs Imperial President debate
Summer Term 2
Summer Term 1
Ministerial Responsibilities - I, M, C
Characteristics of the Civil Service
Debates about Civil Service powers
Role of SPADs
Composition and powers of …
EuroParl, Council, Commission & CofMinisters
Method of entering these (election, appointment)
Relationships between these & national govts
Power & functions of these institutions
Working arrangements (QMV etc)
Impact of EU on Westminster
The Democratic Deficit
Main powers of local govt & devolved
Role of these elected officials
Structure of local government
Relationship between W'Minister & local govt
Relationship between W'Minister & dev govt
Implications for Parliamentary Sovereignty
West Lothian Question
Adv / Disadv of Devolution
Impact of Devolution on England
Brief historical background to the writing of the constitution
What are the main principles of the constitution and of
constitutional sovereignty
Strengths and weakness of the Separation of Powers
Strengths and weakness of the checks and balances
Strengths and weakness of federalism
Is the US constitution rigid or flexible?
Why is it so hard to amend the US Constitution?
How are, therefore, changes made to the constitution - formally
and informally?
Is the US Constitution still relevant in the 21st century?
What is the Bill of Rights and how effective is it at defending
What is the appointment procedure, roles and powers of the Vice
President?
What is the selection procedure, purpose, role and powers of the cabinet?
What is the relationship between the cabinet and EXOP?
Development, role and powers of the EXOP, OM and West Wing
Criticisms of the power of EXOP
Differences between federal bureaucracy and executive agencies
How much real power does the bureaucracy wield in the USA?
Where does the real power in the executive lie?
Basic historical development of the Supreme Court
How are Supreme Court justices selected?
Are these appointments "political"?
Understand of recent controversial / abandoned / successful appointments
Describe basic court periods and their features
Judicial Activism vs Judicial Restraint
What is the importance and use of judicial independence?
Role of Supreme Court in defending Citizens Rights
What factors affect the power of the Supreme Court?
Relationship between Court, Leg & Exec
Revision
citizens’ rights?