ODL69 Government and Politics Diploma

Government and Politics Diploma

By the end of your course, your knowledge and awareness of the world around you and of current affairs should be significantly enhanced.

Course Description

Government and Politics Diploma

You should also have developed your ability to analyse information and to communicate detailed and complex arguments effectively.

Government and Politics is a dynamic and ever-changing subject, and it is essential that you are familiar with contemporary issues, developments and debates. Having an interest and knowledge in such matters is a major advantage to studying this subject.

However, knowledge of current affairs is not sufficient alone, and you need to absorb and digest lots of information while studying this course. Wider reading is always advised, not only of the recommended textbook (non compulsory), but also of other books which can be recommended by your course tutor.

Candidates who do not read a quality newspaper or listen to or watch current affairs programmes can only hope to obtain a high grade if they have quite extraordinary knowledge, and even then are unlikely to do as well as candidates who read newspapers and who follow the news and current affairs programmes on radio and television.

Each module is presented separately and is clearly highlighted within the course notes. The content of the modules have references to the textbook and carefully selected websites for wider student research and reading. Key words are highlighted and explained throughout, and there are regular tasks and questions throughout each module to assess and check that learning has taken place.

All units are broken down into clear subject topics, and students should spend the amount of time studying for each topic as advised by their course tutor. Each topic module has been written for ease of understanding and topic coverage may be of different length and difficulty depending on the level of detail and information required. You will need to study the modules in the sequence provided.

Government & Politics has a distinct language and terminology all of its own. If you have problems remembering terms it is a good idea to write them on index cards or to develop a file of key words as you go along in order to help you learn them.

Materials can be studied online or students have the option to print the documents once, there is also the option to have the materials delivered for an additional charge.

Book List

The following texts may be beneficial for this Professional Diploma course:

Edexcel Government & Politics for AS, Neil McNaughton (2nd ed. Hodder, 2007)

Specific books are required for each module and these will be identified by your course tutor. The recommended AS textbook is a good background read for the entire course.

Previous Knowledge Required

No previous knowledge or experience is essential to study this course.

Support

12 Months Tutor Support. Tutors are available to answer student questions relating to course materials and to comment on the assignments that are sent in to state how well students have understood the unit content.

Assessment

Final online multiple choice examination counts for 100% of the final grade.  Throughout the course there are ten SAPs (coursework) and a thesis.  The course clearly states that this is not mandatory to complete as it has no bearing on the final grade.  We do suggest that students complete these as this will not only assist them in examination preparation but also will give the student the skill set should they wish to continue their studies (continuous professional development) at a higher level.

Modules

• Module One - Democracy and Political Participation
• Module Two - Party Policies and Ideas
• Module Three - Elections and Pressure Groups
• Module Four - The Constitution and Parliament
• Module Five - The Prime Minister and Cabinet
• Module Six - Judges and Civil Liberties
• Module Seven - Economic Policy and Social Welfare, Health and Education
• Module Eight - Law, Order, Criminal Justice, and the Environmental Policy
• Module Nine - Impact of EU on the UK and European Integration
• Module Ten - EU Institutions, their Relationship and Domestic Policy Issues

Awarding Organisation

This Level 3 Government and Politics Diploma is Quality Assured by OLQA. Upon successful completion of the course you will receive certification awarded by Oxford College. The qualification does not carry UCAS points but is recognised by employers and some universities as a level 3 qualification. For entry into university students will need to check the relevant university’s entry requirements to see if they will accept a Level 3 Diploma in place of A Levels / UCAS points.

For more information about Awarding Organisations click here