Higher Politics

Higher Politics is a relative new but fast-growing subject across Scotland. The course helps pupils to develop a clear understanding of the political landscape and institutions which shape every aspect of modern society.

Politics makes a distinctive contribution to the curriculum through its study of important political concepts and ideologies, the comparison of different political systems, and the evaluation of factors that impact on the electoral performance of political parties.

Pupils develop knowledge and understanding of key political concepts. The theoretical perspective of the course enables candidates to identify, explore and analyse political issues in order to develop their own views and perspectives.

The course consists of three areas of study: Political theory, Political systems, and Political parties and elections.

This will include the following content:

• The study of key political concepts such as power, authority and legitimacy.
• The nature of democracy and the arguments for and against direct and representative democracy.
• The political ideologies of liberalism, conservatism and socialism.
• The constitutional arrangements in the UK and US political systems, focusing on the roles of the executive and legislative branches within each system.
• The electoral impact of two different dominant ideas of the Scottish National Party. These ideas are studied alongside the impact of political campaign management strategies and theoretical analyses of voting behaviour.