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

• Concepts of Federalism
• Federal-State Relations
• Recent Trends in Federalism

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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