POS 201 - American National Government and Politics [SUN# POS 1110]

1. Identify and describe the functions of the three constitutional branches of American government.
2. Differentiate between unitary, federal, and confederal systems of government.

1. Describe different approaches to political analysis.
2. Describe American political culture and some of the major ideological belief systems in American politics.
3. Differentiate federalism from unitary and confederal government, and explain its evolution.
4. Describe the Constitution, civil liberties, and civil rights, and how their evolution has impacted different groups of Americans.
5. Explain demographic change in the U.S. and its political implications.
6. Identify different linkage institutions and explain how they set the political agenda.
7. Describe the institutions of government and what they do.
8. Explain the politics of taxing and spending and the rise of the social welfare state.

1. Introduction to Political Science and Approaches to Political Analysis
   1.  Pluralism
   2.  Elite and Class Theory
   3.  Hyperpluralism
2. American Political Culture and Ideologies
   1. The American Creed
   2. Experiences of different demographic groups including Native Americans, African Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans, White ethnics, immigrants, women, sexual minorities, and the poor
   3. Liberals, conservatives, and other ideological groupings
3. Federalism
   1. Federal, confederal, and unitary systems
   2. Evolution of American federalism
4. Constitution, Civil Liberties, and Civil Rights
   1. Origin and evolution of the Constitution, including formal and informal constitutional change
   2. Separation of powers and checks and balances
   3. The Bill of Rights and its application to the states
   4. Civil Liberties, including freedom of speech, religion, right to bear arms, criminal justice, and privacy
   5. Civil Rights, including the struggle for equality of different groups and the debate over equality of opportunity versus equality of results
5. Demography: The Census, Public Opinion and Participation
   1. The changing demography of the United States and its political implications
   2. Socialization process and opinion formation
   3. Polling
   4. Different forms of political participation, and different levels of participation among different demographic groups
6. Linkage Institutions
   1. The Media
   2. Interest groups
   3. Political parties
   4. Elections
7. Institutions of Government
   1. Legislative Branch
   2. Executive Branch
   3. Judicial Branch
   4. The Bureaucracy
8. The Budget and selected policy areas
   1. The Budget: politics of taxing and spending
   2. Social welfare policymaking
   3. Other selected policy areas