"...Stimulating ,challenging and opens up a range of career opportunities"

Contents

Introduction
Requirements
What the pupils think

Mock Bar TrialsThe Politics Society
Trips and Visits
The Student Council

Introduction

Government & Politics is a two-year A-level course.

It is an interesting and varied course and is an excellent qualification for the following careers:

• Law
• Journalism
• The Civil Service
• Teaching
• Social work
• Charity work
• and many others

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Thornhill College pupils prepare to participate in the Mock Bar trials

Requirements

At Thornhill College there are no formal requirements for studying Government and Politics, although a good standard of English and an interest in current affairs is essential.

What the pupils think

"...interesting because you learn about the world around you."

"..You meet people in power and gain an insight into the institutions of Government"

"...Stimulating ,challenging and opens up a range of career opportunities"

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Mock Bar Trials

Mock Bar Trials Teams of students from schools all over Northern Ireland participate each year in the mock bar trials. The competitors use carefully constructed witness statements to prepare the prosecution and defence of two specially written criminal cases. Students take on the roles of lawyers, witnesses, court staff and jurors and compete against other schools in a live format, with one team prosecuting and the other defending. Their performances are judged by Circuit Judges, Recorders and senior barristers/advocates and take place in Crown Courts.

Thornhill College students participate each year  with many recent notable successes.

The Politics Society

The Politics Society is a group of students interested in politics and current affairs. It meets every week to organise events such as debates, quizzes and meetings with senior politicians. Recently we have organised question-time sessions with:

Patricia Lewsley (NI Children's Commissioner)
Dawn Purvis (PUP)
Martin McGuiness (Sinn Fein)
Gregory Campbell (DUP)
David Trimble (UUP)
Mark Durkan (SDLP)
Carmel Hanna (SDLP)
(The late) David Ervine (PUP)
David Ford (Alliance)
and other senior politicians

Dawn Purvis of the PUP debates with the Thornhill College Politics Society

The meetings are always very enjoyable, extremely well-organised and the standard of debate is very high.

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Thornhill College Government and Politics students visit salt mines in Poland and former camps at Auschwitz

Government & Politics Department's Visits Overseas

There are regular trips and visits organised by the Govt & Politics Department. These include exciting trips overseas.

On 2008, a group from Thornhill College visited the site of the the former Nazi camps and salt mines of Auschwitz-Birkenau in Poland. Following the visit, the students participated in a special remembrance service for all the victims of the Holocaust.

In March, 2006 a group from Thornhill College visited Washington DC to experience the centre of US government at first hand. The trip included visits to the White House, Congress, The Capitol Building and other important centres of the US administration.

A return visit to Washington DC is currently being planned for March 2010.

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The Student Council

A Thornhill College we have a student council which includes representatives from all year groups. The council is an active body which represents the interests of pupils within the school. Each year new representatives are elected and the Politics Society is very much involved in organising the elections and pre-election campaigning.

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