Senior Politics

Course Overview

Politics is a stimulating, enlightening and rewarding focus for academic study. It investigates how people and societies agree to live together and how decisions made, drawn from those agreements influence our laws, our customs, and our societal, cultural, economic and environmental structures.

You will: Investigate, research, and discuss options and alternatives to the way societies currently work, by understanding the goals and motivations of different ideologies and those that advocate and implement on their behalf. Engage with current policies, ideologies, and social issues at the local, national and global level, by exploring and assessing the social and political structures and ideas in their communities, in Aotearoa New Zealand, and in the wider world.

Underpinning investigations will be “big ideas” such as: How “big” should our political structures be?   What should be governed, by whom, for whom and how? Where does ultimate power/sovereignty reside and how is it assigned, reviewed and accounted for?

Areas of investigation: Political ideologies Political systems Ideologies in action – studies of contentious political issues Politics and you – the opportunities and costs of critical citizenship

This course offers 20 Credits in a University Entrance-approved domain 16 internally assessed credits in 3 standards A 4 credit externally assessed task sat in November is available. The standards and topics offered are set, but internal assessment timings are indicative All internal tasks, especially the second and third tasks, will provide the knowledge base and analytical preparation to take on the fourth, optional, externally assessed task.

Course endorsement is only available if the externally assessed standard is achieved The internally assessed standards offer up to 16 UE Literacy Reading credits. The externally assessed standard offers 4 Reading AND Writing Credits.