USA Politics course content

USA Politics course content

From Edexcel specification 

Overview 

The USA has been considered by some to be a ‘beacon of democracy’. As a world power, understanding the nature of US democracy, and the debates surrounding it, is crucial given the considerable impact that the USA has on UK, European and global politics. 

Students will explore the US Constitution and the arguments surrounding this guiding document of US democracy. In learning about the key institutions of government in the USA and analysing the manner in which they achieve this power and exercise it over their citizens, students will judge ultimately whether ‘liberty and justice for all’ has been achieved in the USA. Students will be expected to highlight the debates on the nature of democracy in the USA and evaluate the extent to which it remains an issue. 

The impact of the US government on the world beyond its borders is increasingly a feature of international politics. Students will begin to engage with this interaction by comparing and contrasting politics and institutions in the US with those in the UK. This will develop a wider understanding of politics as a discipline, underpinned by the theoretical concepts of comparative politics. 

Content 

There are six content areas: 

1. The US Constitution and federalism 

2. US Congress 

3. US presidency 

4. US Supreme Court and US civil rights 

5. US democracy and participation 

6. Comparative theories. 

Skills 

• Students must comprehend and interpret political information in relation to areas of US politics. 

• Students must fully understand and critically analyse and evaluate areas of US politics. 

• Students must identify parallels, connections, similarities and differences between content studied, providing a basis for comparing the UK with the US. 

• Students must construct and communicate arguments and explanations with relevance, clarity and coherence and draw reasoned conclusions about US politics. 

• Students must develop knowledge and understanding of key political concepts. The content supports these skills by presenting the main content for learning in the righthand side of the content tables. 

• Students must use appropriate vocabulary. The content supports this skill by listing key terminology in each content area. The lists are to support teaching of the main content and help students to use appropriate vocabulary in assessment. Students should, therefore, familiarise themselves with the definitions of key terminology for each section, please also see Appendix 2: Key terminology glossary