Government & Politics

In this course, Dr Jon Herbert (University of Keele) thinks about the office of the Presidency of the United States, focusing in particular on the extent of the president’s powers. We begin in the first module by thinking about how the Founding ...

In this course, Andrew Wroe (University of Kent) explores the theory and practice of the separation of powers in the United States. In the first module, we are introduced to our key concepts and begin to complicate the notion of separated powers...

This course explores the US Party System, oriented around the US Politics section of the Government and Politics A-Level specifications. Throughout, we analyse voter statistics from the 2020 election, and refer to several useful examples from the...

In this course, Dr Andrew Blick (King’s College London) explores the similarities and differences between federalism in the United States and devolution in the United Kingdom. In the first module, we summarise the key characteristics of US...

In this course, Dr Clodagh Harrington (De Montfort University) examines the presidency of Barack Obama. We begin in the first module with Obama’s strategy and performance in the 2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries and then the ...

This course offers an in-depth exploration of the historical background to the US Constitution, up to and including the Constitutional Convention of 1787. In the first lecture, we consider the US in 1783, at the end of the War of Independence,...

In this course, Dr Neil Cocks (University of Reading) explores the life, works, and core ideas of Ayn Rand. In the first module, we are introduced to the controversial figure of Ayn Rand and consider her influence on contemporary political life....

In this course, Dr David Andersen (Durham University) explores the system of primaries and caucuses – also known as the presidential nomination process – in the United States. In the first module, we are introduced to the system of presidential...

In this course, Dr Matthew Williams (University of Oxford) explores the concept of ‘affirmative action’ in the United States through the question ‘Why have critics asserted that affirmative action should be declared unconstitutional?’ In the...

In this course, Professor John Kincaid (Lafayette College) explores the theory and practice of federalism in the United States. In the first module, we lay the groundwork for later modules by establishing just what we mean when we refer to...

This course picks up just after the proposal of a new US Constitution by the Constitutional Convention held in Philadelphia during the summer of 1787. We begin in the first lecture by exploring the process of state ratification and its...

This course explores the political philosophy of John Rawls (1921-2002). We begin with some biographical information on Rawls, highlighting his importance and influence. This is encapsulated by Rawls’s conservative contemporary Robert Nozick’s...

In this course, Dr Kevin Yuill (University of Sunderland) explores the history of gun control in the United States from the colonial period to the present day. In the first module, we think about the history of the right to bear arms in English...

In this course, Dr Andrew Blick (King’s College London) compares and contrasts the protections of civil and political rights in the UK and in the US. In the first module, we are introduced to the topic of civil and political rights, and begin to...