This course will survey the complex subjects of U.S. government and politics. We will analyze in some detail the processes and institutions (both formal and informal) through which the political system functions and policy decisions are made. This analysis will include the Constitutional structure of Government, participatory politics, the formal institutions of power, the extra constitutional influences on those institutions, and public polity and individual rights and liberties.

Upon completion of this course you will:

• Express ideas clearly in writing.
• Work individually and with classmates to research political issues.
• Interpret and apply data from original documents such as court cases and bills.
• Write to persuade with evidence.
• Develop essay responses that include a clear, defensible thesis statement and supporting evidence.
• Raise and explore questions about policies, institutions, beliefs, and actions in a political science context.
• Evaluate secondary materials, such as scholarly works or statistical analyses.
• Explain the foundations and underpinnings of democratic government.
• Demonstrate comprehension of documents essential to American government and politics.
• Evaluate the importance of federalism in the political operation of the nation.
• Describe the nature of American political parties and their role in the election process.
• Analyze the patterns of voter behavior.
• Describe the functions and workings of policy making institutions (Congress, the Presidency, the Courts, and the Bureaucracy).
• Analyze the major developments in civil rights and civil liberties in America.

Successful completion of U.S. History from 1700 to the present.

One semester

(1) Edwards, Wattenberg, Lineberry, Government in America, AP* EDITION, Prentice Hall, ISBN #0321195051.
(2) American Government: Readings and Cases, ISBN #0321329776.

Unit I: Underpinnings and Documents of American Government

1. Chapter 1: Constitutional Beginnings
   1. Lesson 1: American Democracy
   2. Lesson 2: English and Enlightenment Traditions
2. Chapter 2: American Documents
   1. Lesson 3: Documents from the Revolution and Beyond
   2. Lesson 4: Constitution Building
   3. Lesson 5: The Constitution
   4. Lesson 6: The Bill of Rights
3. Chapter 3: American Federalism
   1. Lesson 7: Layer Cake Federalism
   2. Lesson 8: Evolution of Federalism

Unit II: Political Beliefs, Behaviors in Parties, Campaigns, and Elections

1. Chapter 4: Political Parties and Voting Behavior
   1. Lesson 9: Political Parties
   2. Lesson 10: Party Function and Structure
   3. Lesson 11: Party Identification
   4. Lesson 12: Voting Behavior and Intensity
2. Chapter 5: Elections
   1. Lesson 13: Financial Participation in Elections
   2. Lesson 14: Congressional Elections
   3. Lesson 15: Presidential Elections

Unit III: The Institutions of Government

1. Chapter 6: The Legislative Branch
   1. Lesson 16: Structure of the House of Representatives
   2. Lesson 17: Structure of the Senate
   3. Lesson 18: Passage of a Bill
2. Chapter 7: The Executive Branch
   1. Lesson 19: The Nature of a President
   2. Lesson 20: Presidential Roles
   3. Lesson 21: The White House
   4. Lesson 22: Presidential Politics, Polls, and the Press
   5. Lesson 23: The Budget
3. Chapter 8: The Bureaucracy
   1. Lesson 28: The Federal Court System
   2. Lesson 29: Historical Supreme Courts
   3. Lesson 30: The Nature of the Supreme Court
   4. Lesson 31: The Modern Supreme Court

Unit IV: Civil Rights & Civil Liberties

1. Chapter 10: Civil Liberties: The Bill of Rights Today
   1. Lesson 32: Incorporation
   2. Lesson 33: The Establishment Clause
   3. Lesson 34: The Free Exercise Clause
   4. Lesson 35: Freedom of Speech
   5. Lesson 36: Freedom of the Press
   6. Lesson 37: The Fourth Amendment
   7. Lesson 38: Due Process and Criminal Rights
2. Chapter 11: Civil Rights
   1. Lesson 39: Civil War Amendments and the Civil Rights Movement
   2. Lesson 40: Post WW II Civil Rights Legislation

*One semester course
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