PS 110 - American Government and Politics

1. Analyze the changing American political culture and how these changes, and evolving ideology, shape citizens’ choice of political leaders, policy agenda, and preservation of individual rights.
2. Describe evolving civil liberties and civil rights in American society and the influence of interest groups, institutions, media, and political parties in these areas.
3. Compare and contrast the formal institutional powers set forth in the Constitution, and the informal (custom and practice) acquisition of power by the Legislative, the Executive, and Judicial branches.
4. Analyze election outcomes and changes in (economic, domestic, and foreign) policy as a result of influential media, political parties, and interest groups.
5. Civic Engagement (GELO 1): Apply knowledge of social and political processes to demonstrate community responsibility for the operation of democratic norms and institutions.
6. Intellectual Curiosity (GELO 6): Demonstrate how to seek and apply knowledge of the political process in their lives including perspectives from interest groups, institutions, media, and political parties

A. The Purposes of Government

B. Types of Government

C. What Is a Democracy?

D. Democratic Values — Liberty, Equality, Justice

II. Foundations of American Government

A. The Colonial Experience

B. Independence and the Articles of Confederation

C. Creating the Constitution

D. The Bill of Rights

III. Federalism

A. The Founders and Federalism

B. Tipping the Scales Toward National Power

C. Federal-State Relations Today: Back to States’ Rights?

D. American Political Attitudes and Participation

IV. American Political Culture

A. What Factors Shape Political Attitudes?

B. Measuring Public Opinion

C. Participating in Government

D. Voting: A Forgotten Privilege?

V. How Do Citizens Connect With Their Government?

A. Political Parties

B. Campaigns and Elections

C. Interest Groups

D. The Media

E. The Internet in Politics

VI. Congress: The People’s Branch?

A. The Powers of Congress

B. Leadership in Congress: It’s a Party Matter

C. The Importance of Committees

D. Who Is in Congress?

E. How a Bill Becomes a Law

VII. The Presidency: The Leadership Branch?

A. The Evolution of the Presidency

B. All the President’s Men and Women

C. Selection and Succession of the President

D. The President’s Job

E. Presidential Character

VIII. The Bureaucracy: The Real Government

A. The Development of the Bureaucracy

B. The Organization of the Bureaucracy

C. Who Are the Bureaucrats?

D. Reforming the Bureaucracy

IX. The Judicial Branch

A. The Creation of the Federal Courts

B. The Structure of the Federal Courts

C. The Supreme Court: What Does It Do?

D. How Judges and Justices Are Chosen

E. The Power of the Federal Courts

X. Civil Liberties and Civil Rights

A. Rights and Responsibilities of Citizens

B. First Amendment Rights

C. Crime and Due Process

D. Citizenship Rights

XI. Policy Making: Political Interactions

A. Foreign Policy: What Now?

B. Defense Policy

C. Economic Policy

D. Social and Regulatory Policy

 
Mandatory Course Components:
None  
Equivalent Courses:
None