Understand politics on an individual and global scale

This introductory course is designed to help you prepare for a degree in politics at degree level, or to introduce you to the basics of politics.

You’ll learn the basics of democracy, the machinery of government, and the political economy and globalisation. Then we’ll move on to identity politics, looking at class and economic individualism. You’ll be introduced to some key texts, and given further reading to boost your learning.

Discover the meaning and function of democracy

In the first week of this course, you’ll explore the meaning and function of democracy, and learn how to identify and assess different models of democracy. You’ll then apply your new knowledge in a debate on which model of democracy is the best, drawing on key texts and examples.

Explore the machinery of government

In the second week, you’ll learn about key parts of government, including constitutions, the legislature, the executive and the judiciary. You’ll be recommended further reading, to bolster your learning and to prepare you for future study.

Learn more about the political economy, globalisation, and identity politics

In the latter stages of the course, you’ll zoom out to look at how politics affects the economy, enterprise, social capitalism, and globalisation. Debates here include whether students should pay for their own tuition.

The last week of the course focuses on the individual role in politics. You’ll look at class analysis, economic individualism and neoliberalism, and the impacts of economic individualism. The course will be rounded off with some more recommended further reading.

What topics will you cover?

Models of democracy
Types of electoral system
Models of political economy
Identity and class politics

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Learning on this course

You can take this self-guided course and learn at your own pace. On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

Identify and assess different models of democracy
Compare the relative merits of Parliamentary and presidential electoral systems
Identify and assess different models of political economy
Investigate and compare the merits of identity and class politics

Who is the course for?

This course is designed for students who have excellent high school grades or partial A-level equivalent qualifications. It gives undergraduates a flavour of studying politics at degree level, and helps mature students return to study.

Who will you learn with?

Chris Henry

Chris teaches Philosophy, Politics and Sociology on the International Foundation Programme at the University of Kent. His research is in the ethics of political resistance and the idea of truth.

Who developed the course?

The University of Kent

The University of Kent, the UK’s European university, is one of the country’s most dynamic universities. Established in 1965, it now has 19,850 students studying at its various campuses.

About this ExpertTrack

Prepare for further study of politics at degree level, with an introduction to political philosophy, democracy and ideology.

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