Please note this curriculum is with reference to students beginning Year 13 in 2022
In term 1, students will continue with their study of UK government with a thorough examination of Parliament, both the House of Commons and the House of Lords. Students will investigate the legislative process as well as assessing the effectiveness of parliament in fulfilling its roles of representation, legislation and scrutiny.
Students will finalise their study of UK Government by exploring the executive branch of the UK government. Students will gain knowledge and understanding of the structure, role, and powers of the Executive, the concept of individual and collective ministerial responsibility and the role of the Prime Minister and cabinet. Students will assess the influence of a number of Prime Ministers, including Thatcher and Blair and their influence on both their inner cabinet and wider government.
The British legislature made up of the House of Commons, the House of Lords and the monarch.
The primary chamber of the UK legislature, directly elected by voters.
The second chamber of the UK legislature, not directly elected by voters.
The rights to remove the government and to grant or withhold funding. Also used to describe a type of informal coalition agreement where the minority partner agrees to provide these things in exchange for policy concessions
The convention whereby the House of Lords does not delay or block legislation that was included in a government’s manifesto
The right of MPs or Lords to make certain statements within Parliament without being subject to outside influence, including law.
Proposed laws passing through Parliament
Committees responsible for looking at bills in detail
MPs or Lords who do not hold any government office
Committee responsible for scrutinising the work of government, particularly of individual government departments
The MPs and Lords who are not members of the governing party or parties
The collective group of Prime Minister, Cabinet and junior ministers, sometimes known as ‘The Government’.
The Prime Minister and senior ministers, most of whom lead a particular government department
An MP or member of the House of Lords appointed to a position in the government, usually exercising specific responsibilities in a department
A part of the executive, usually with specific responsibility over an area such as education, health or defence
A set of powers and privileges belonging to the monarch but normally exercised by the Prime Minister or Cabinet, such as the granting of honours or of legal pardons
Powers given to the Executive by Parliament to make changes to the law within certain specific rules
The principle by which ministers are responsible for their personal conduct and for their departments
Principle by which ministers must support Cabinet decisions or leave the Executive
An executive dominated by one individual, this may be a President but is also used to describe a strong, dominant Prime Minister
Through exploring historical case studies of Prime Ministers, students will analyse how the different personalities and approaches of individual leaders have produced different results, allowing them to form their own judgment of their relative merits.
Students will understand the importance of communities in the constituency model that is a key feature of UK democracy. Students will appreciate the pluralist nature of parliament and how it reflects a diverse United Kingdom.
Please note this curriculum is with reference to students beginning Year 13 in 2022
Students will begin their study of US Politics by exploring the document that guides it – The Constitution. Students will explore the arguments surrounding the constitution and federalism, comparing it with the UK’s uncodified constitution and devolution. Students will also gain an appreciation of some of the key political debates centered around the constitution and begin to form their own judgments.
Students will then explore the complex path to the Presidency, along with the ideological makeup, of the two major parties: the Democrats and Republicans.
In doing so, students will use three models, rational, cultural, and structural in order to assess the differences and similarities between the US and UK.
Attempts within the structure of the US Congress to try and ensure that the two main parties must work together in order to fulfil Congressional functions
The division of power between the three branches of government where each branch has a direct ability to prevent action from another branch.
A constitution that is written down in one document.
A set of rules determining where sovereignty lies in a political system, and establishing the precise relationship between the government and the governed
A system by which the US Constitution is protected from change by law; in this case, by the Amendment Process of Article V.
Such powers are stated explicitly in the US Constitution – for example Article 1, Section 8 provides a list of Congressional powers.
The US system in which sovereignty is shared between a central government (federal government) and the individual states, with each having their own specific rights.
The power of the US federal government over its states and citizens is subject to limitations as laid out in the Constitution
The core structural aspects of how the US Constitution was defined by the Founding Fathers when it was drafted.
The three key bodies of government, legislature, executive and judiciary each have their own powers, personnel and buildings
Campaign finance refers to all funds raised to promote candidates, political parties or policy initiatives and their agendas during an election
The groups (factions) that make up political parties – ideological wings, particular age and occupation groups, citizens concerned about particular issues – are now a feature of modern politics
This is the period between when a candidate announces their bid for public office and when the actual primaries take place. It is also sometimes called the ‘money primary’ since candidates spend most of their time during this period raising money in an
This raises and spends money in order to elect/defeat electoral candidates, with a donation limit of $5,000 per candidate per election.
The number of parties that have a realistic chance of forming government within a political system
A group that attempts to influence a whole policy area, e.g. American Israeli PAC (AIPAC)
A group that represents the economic interests of its members, e.g. American Medical Association (AMA), American Bar Association (ABA)
A group that advocates policy surrounding a small specific issue, e.g. National Rifle Association (NRA)
When cash is contributed directly to a political candidate, it is ‘hard money’, which may come only from an individual or a political action committee. When cash is contributed to a political party with no limits attached to the amount that can be rece
A Super-Political Action Committee (Super PAC) raises and spends unlimited amounts of money to support or oppose political candidates but without directly donating or co-ordinating with these candidates (a result of Citizens United vs FEC 2010)
The movement, which generally gives support to the Republican Party, is an ultraconservative religious response to the sexual revolution and an attempt to translate this into public policy, promoting family values, opposing abortion and the 1973 Roe v
Students will explore the relationship between the individual and the constitution and how this impacts on individual and collective rights.
Students will examine the different ways in which people from different communities participate, such as partaking in protest and pressure groups. By analysing the causes such groups campaign for, students will develop an awareness of the power of working cohesively within the community.
Please note this curriculum is with reference to students beginning Year 13 in 2022
After investigating how the President comes to office, students will explore the role and functions of the Presidency once in office. Students will study all Presidents since 1992 in order to draw conclusions surrounding key debates such as that of the ‘Imperial Presidency’
Students will continue their study of US Politics with a study of the country’s legislative body – Congress. Students will explore how congress is elected and what it does, whilst considering the factors that impact the way in which Congress votes, such as Lobbyists and Pressure Groups. Students will also gain an appreciation of some of the key political debates centered around congress and begin to form their own judgment of questions such as "Is Congress the broken branch?”
In doing so, students will use three models, rational, cultural, and structural in order to assess the differences and similarities between the US and UK.
Issues within the USA that directly concern citizens, e.g. healthcare, gun control, racial issues
An electoral mandate is the permission granted to a political leader or winning party to govern and act on their behalf, e.g. to President Obama in 2008 and 2012. The mandate is more or less in effect for as long as the government is in power
The executive branch, headed by the president, is one of the three branches of government; the other two are the legislative branch (headed by Congress) and the judiciary (headed by the Supreme Court)
A direction to the federal bureaucracy on how the president would like a piece of legislation to be implemented.
A dominant presidency with ineffective checks and balances from the other branches
This is the contrasting theory to that of an imperial presidency – it is claimed that the president does not have enough power to be effective.
Powers of the president not listed in the Constitution but taken anyway
This is an informal power of the president in which they can use the prestige of their job, and other bargaining methods in order to get people to do as they wish
Where both Houses of Congress and the presidency are controlled by people from the same political party
These are groups of legislators who share special interests and meet to pursue common legislative objectives, e.g. black caucus, women’s caucus, Hispanic caucus
When the House of Representatives, Senate and presidency are not all controlled by one party
When a senator gives a prolonged speech on the floor of the Senate in order to obstruct legislative progress of a bill or confirmation of appointments to the Executive or judiciary.
A situation in US politics where the president and Congress are equally powerful, constantly preventing each other from acting, resulting in difficulty passing legislation.
The current holder of a political office re House or Senate seat or presidency
Congressional elections held mid-way through a President’s four year term
The ability of one branch of government to supervise the work of another.
A situation in which Congressmen/women are incredibly loyal to their party, even when it means that the result is gridlock.
A senator or Congressman/woman may request unanimous consent on the floor to set aside a specified rule of procedure so as to expedite proceedings
Students will analyse how the different personalities and approaches of individual leaders have produced different results, allowing them to form their own judgment of their relative merits.
Students will gain an appreciation of how congress is an elected body that represents both individuals and the multitude of views within communities.
Please note this curriculum is with reference to students beginning Year 13 in 2022
The role and functions of the Supreme Court has proved a controversial topic in recent years. Students will explore its relationship with the executive office and its impact on public policy. An exploration of Civil Rights in the USA presents students with an excellent opportunity to engage with contemporary debates and issues.
Students will use three models, rational, cultural, and structural in order to assess the differences and similarities between the reach of the Supreme Court in both UK and US Politics.
A Justice with a strong belief in stare decisis, with a more narrow view of the Constitution, more likely to believe in a literal interpretation of the wording and believing in a generally smaller government
A judiciary that is all powerful and on which checks and balances are weak and ineffective
An approach to judicial decision making that holds that a Justice should use their position to promote desirable social ends
An approach to judicial decision making that holds that a Justice should defer to the executive and legislative branches, which are politically accountable to the people, and should put great stress on the principle established in previous court decisi
An approach to judicial decision making that holds that a Justice should defer to the executive and legislative branches, which are politically accountable to the people, and should put great stress on the principle established in previous court decisi
A Justice who interprets the Constitution more broadly in order to give the people more freedom and bring about social change
The idea that the Constitution is an evolutionary document that can change over time through re-interpretation by the Supreme Court (linked to loose constructionism)
The idea that the meaning of the US Constitution is fixed and should not be subject to interpretation
Legislation and judicial decisions made on any policy that affect the whole of the US population
This doctrine is built on the idea of standing by decided cases, upholding precedents and maintaining former adjudications – thus tends to favour status quo – this is the opposite of the ‘living Constitution’ approach
‘Loose construction’ is a legal philosophy that favours a broad interpretation of a document's language. This term is often used to contrast with strict construction, a philosophy that favours looking solely at the written text of the law
An informal name for the Justice on the Supreme Court who falls ideologically in the centre of the nine current Justices
The rights specifically outlined for citizens within the US Constitution, Bill of Rights and subsequent Amendments
Racial equality is an equal regard to all races. It can refer to a belief in biological equality of all human races and to social equality for people of different races. In the USA, there remain calls for desegregation and voter registration in the sou
A policy of favouring historically disadvantaged members of a community
Through exploring the historical development of Civil Rights in the USA students will gain a sophisticated understanding of how different individuals and events have contributed to the significant milestones in US history. Furthermore, students will gain a better appreciation of the impact that the judiciary has on their rights and responsibilities as an individual.
Students will gain an appreication of how collective action brings communities together and protects the rights of the individual within the community.