COURSES

Government & Politics
Overview
Did George Burns get it right when he claimed
that “all the people who really know how to run the
country are busy driving taxi cabs and cutting hair”
Or as another wag put it, “The problem with political
jokes is they get elected”, or still more blunt,
“Politicians and diapers have one thing in common.
They should both be changed regularly and for the
same reason.”
Politics changes from week to week; Harold Wilson
was wrong – sometimes a day is a long time in
politics. Oh, and by the way, Government & Politics
is a contemporary study so this might be the last
time we mention Wilson. There will not be a detailed
study of anything that predates Thatcher, even she
will barely get a mention.
Government & Politics is an independent discipline
in its own right, a worthy aspiration to study later at
university. At Millfield, this A level can work well with
any combination of subjects, although the most
common might be History, English, Economics,
Philosophy, or Modern Languages.
Approach
Beyond any doubt the most successful pupils are
those who are prepared to read. Politics textbooks
are out of date the minute that they are printed,
and do little more than provide a framework within
which we can understand the body politic, but the
nitty-gritty, the dirt, the stuff that makes it worth
studying, is in the newspapers, on the TV, on the
radio, in podcasts.
There are also some wonderful websites available;
not only for studying the UK, but especially for
studying the USA where reading a conventional
American newspaper on a regular basis might prove
more difficult.
If reading is the key to understanding – and enjoying –
this subject, writing is the only way in which
candidates can communicate with examiners, so
there is no getting away from the need to be able to
construct an essay. Some shorter written answers
are also required.
Given the absolute necessity of being willing to read
regularly and being able to write fluently anyone
without a good cluster of GCSE grades would
certainly struggle. Grade C at GCSE English Language
is essential as a minimum and, depending upon other
results, grade B is desirable. If you are not willing to
read regularly, or if writing an essay makes you feel
anxious, you would be better advised to look for
another A level. On the other hand, if you are
comfortable with reading lots of material, engaging
in current political debates and writing essays then
we look forward to you joining us.
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Millfield Sixth Form Courses 2014-2015