American Government

• Creation of the Constitution
• The Continental Congress
• The Articles of Confederation
• The Constitutional Convention
• Key Concepts in the Constitution
• Summary of the Constitution
• The Debate over Ratification
• The Amendment Process and Bill of Rights

• Concepts of Federalism
• Defining Federal‐State Relations
• Recent Trends in Federalism

• The Two Houses of Congress
• The Powers of Congress
• The Organization of Congress
• How a Bill Becomes a Law

• The Executive Branch
• The Powers of the President
• The Functions of the President
• Organization of the Executive Branch
• Vice President and Presidential Succession

• The State Court System
• The Federal Court System
• The Supreme Court in Operation

• Characteristics of a Bureaucracy
• The Growth of the Federal Bureaucracy
• Controlling the Size of Bureaucracy
• The Functions of the Federal Bureaucracy
• The Structure of the Federal Bureaucracy

• Public Opinion and How It's Measured
• Political Socialization
• Social Background and Political Values
• Political Ideology
• How Public Opinion Is Formed

• Evolution of the Mass Media
• Mass Media: Structure and Regulation
• Functions of the Mass Media
• Mass Media and Political Coverage

• The Functions of Political Parties
• The Development of Political Parties
• Third Parties in American Politics
• The Structure of Political Parties
• Political Parties: Strengths, Weaknesses

• The Right to Vote
• Obstacles to Voting
• Voter Turnout
• Voting Choices
• Getting Nominated and Campaigning
• Electing Candidates to Office

• Types of Interest Groups
• Functions of Interest Groups
• Tactics of Interest Groups
• Regulation of Interest Groups

• Perspective on Civil Liberties
• First Amendment: Freedom of Religion
• First Amendment: Freedom of Speech
• First Amendment: Freedom of the Press
• The Rights of Defendants
• Implied Rights

• Slavery and Civil Rights
• Segregation in the United States
• Breaking Down Segregation
• The Civil Rights Movement
• Civil Rights for Minorities and Women
• Affirmative Action

• The Policymaking Process
• Politics and Policymaking
• Policymaking in Action

• The Goals of Economic Policy
• Theories of Economic Policy
• The Federal Budget
• Taxation and Spending
• International Economic Policy

• Development of American Foreign Policy
• Making Foreign Policy
• The Institutions of Foreign Policy
• Issues in Foreign Policy