Politics

The Politics curriculum at Kingsdale aims to give students who study the course the tools to not just interrogate today’s political landscape, but to make constructive contributions towards it as well-informed citizens. It naturally follows that those who have the knowledge that A-Level Politics gives are more comfortable with the complexities of the state they live in, and the world they inhabit. However, it is instrumentally useful in other A level subjects too, not least History and Sociology where knowledge of political structures and theories are needed. In year 12, students will study two topics in the course: Government and Politics of the UK and Government and Politics of the US. In the interest of encouraging comparative study, the topics will be taught concurrently by different teachers.

An understanding of current affairs is crucial for any aspiring student of Politics, and students should be ensuring that they read the news every day as well as reading books that will give them a deeper understanding of what is going on in the world of politics. In the second year of the course we study political ideologies, which will require students to understand why it is that politics provokes such intense conflict and debate.