POS 101 American Government
- Description
- Curriculum
POS 101 American Government is a self-study course whose grade is based solely on the final examination. The course of study that is necessary to be prepared for the final examination consists of fourteen lessons based on the readings from the textbook. Students should read the entire text of all the reading assignments. There are no formal homework assignments, but students are encouraged to answer all the review questions at the end of each chapter to ensure that they have understood the relevant course material are well prepared for the final exam.
Course Description:
This course explores the structure and dynamics of American national government, providing a broad-based introduction to the ideas and institutions that shape politics in the contemporary United States. The students will focus our analysis on three major areas: The Constitution and the debates of the founding era, the institutions of modern American government, and the political behavior of the American mass public. Analysis will draw heavily both on documents from America’s formative period and on insights from modern political science, allowing us to examine important political phenomena from a variety of perspectives. The goal of this course is to steer students toward a deeper, more comprehensive understanding of the forces that shape American government and politics, so that they may be both more discerning and critical of the system as well as a more informed and reflective participant in it.
Learning Outcomes:
Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
- Describe the role of political culture in shaping the politics of the U.S.
- Delineate the nature of federalism and how a federal form of government is distinct from other models.
- Identify constitutional liberties and rights and describe how controversies over such issues shape much of the content of American politics.
- Describe how the Constitution serves as the foundation for all aspects of American government.
- Describe the origins, powers, structure and functioning of the three major branches of government.
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1
Chapter 1: The Nature of Politics -
2
POS 101 - Quiz 1 -
3
Chapter 2: The Meaning of Democracy
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4
POS 101 - Quiz 2
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5
Chapter 3: The Road to Independence
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6
POS 101 - Quiz 3
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7
Chapter 4: The Articles of Confederation
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8
POS 101 - Quiz 4
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9
Chapter 5: Federalism in the Constitution
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10
POS 101 - Quiz 5
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11
Chapter 6: The Constitution vs. The Articles of Confederation
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12
POS 101 - Quiz 6
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13
Chapter 7: Measuring Public Opinion
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14
POS 101 - Quiz 7
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15
Chapter 8: The Growth of the Media
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16
POS 101 - Quiz 8
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17
Chapter 9: The Campaign
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18
POS 101 - Quiz 9
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19
Chapter 10: The Election
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20
POS 101 - Quiz 10
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21
Chapter 11: The Functions of Congress
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22
POS 101 - Quiz 11
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23
Chapter 12: Congressional Leadership
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24
POS 101 - Quiz 12
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25
Chapter 13: Selection and Removal of the President
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26
POS 101 - Quiz 13
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27
Chapter 14: The President’s Roles and Powers
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28
POS 101 - Quiz 14
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29
Chapter 15: The Vice-President
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30
Chapter 16: The Federal Bureaucracy
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31
Chapter 17: The Organization of the Executive Branch
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32
Chapter 18: The Law
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33
Chapter 19: The Dual Court System
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34
Chapter 20: Freedom of Religion
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35
Chapter 21: Civil Rights
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36
Chapter 22: The Right to Vote
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37
Chapter 23: What Is Public Policy?
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38
Chapter 24: Interest Groups and Lobbing
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39
Chapter 25: Interest Groups and the Courts
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40
Chapter 26: Foreign Policy
