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ScotlandModern Studies

Political Issues and Research Methods

4 dot points across 4 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

What does democracy mean in theory, and how well do liberal democracies live up to it in practice?

Democracy and political participation: direct and representative democracy, theories of democracy, legitimacy and consent, participation and turnout, and the debate over the democratic deficit.
How democracy is theorised in SQA Advanced Higher Modern Studies. Covers direct and representative democracy, theories of democracy, legitimacy and consent, forms of political participation and turnout, and the debate over the democratic deficit in modern liberal democracies.
13 min answer →

What are the major political ideologies, and how do they disagree about the individual, the state and equality?

Political ideologies: liberalism, conservatism and socialism (and their variants), the left-right spectrum, and how ideologies differ on the role of the state, freedom and equality.
How political ideologies are studied in SQA Advanced Higher Modern Studies. Covers liberalism, conservatism and socialism and their main variants, the left-right spectrum, and how each ideology answers the core questions about the role of the state, individual freedom and equality.
13 min answer →

How do you write the extended-response essay in Advanced Higher Modern Studies, and what does the marker reward?

The extended-response essay: structuring a sustained line of argument, using theory and evidence, analysis and synthesis, counter-argument, and a substantiated conclusion in the question paper essay.
How to write the extended-response essay in SQA Advanced Higher Modern Studies. Covers building a sustained line of argument, deploying theory and evidence, analysis and synthesis, handling counter-arguments, and reaching a substantiated conclusion, with the marking criteria the examiner applies.
12 min answer →

How do political theorists explain where power really lies, and how do pluralism, elitism and Marxism differ?

Theories of power and the state: pluralism, elitism and the power elite, Marxism and class power, and how each explains who holds power in a liberal democracy.
How theories of power work in SQA Advanced Higher Modern Studies. Covers pluralism, elitism and the power elite, and Marxism and class power, and how each rival theory explains who really holds power in a liberal democracy, with the evidence used to support and challenge them.
13 min answer →