Political Science

Chapter 1: American Politics

• Forms of Government
• Functions of Government
• Who Is American?
• The Tenets of American Democracy
• Political Ideology

Chapter 2: The Constitution and the Founding of America

• The First American Government
• The Constitutional Convention
• The Constitution
• Ratification of the Constitution
• Amending the Constitution

Chapter 3: Federalism

• Federalism in the Constitution
• Fiscal Federalism
• The History of Federalism
• Federalism Today

Chapter 4: Civil Liberties

• Civil Liberties and the Bill of Rights
• The First Amendment: The Right to Freedom of Religion, Expression, Press, and Assembly
• The Second Amendment: The Right to Bear Arms
• The Right to Privacy
• The Rights of the Accused
• Terrorism and Security

Chapter 5: Civil Rights

• Slavery and Civil Rights
• The Civil Rights Movement
• Women’s Rights
• Civil Rights of Other Specific Groups
• Affirmative Action

Chapter 6: Public Opinion

• Public Opinion
• Forming Public Opinion
• Measuring Public Opinion

Chapter 7: Interest Groups

• Interest Groups
• Interest Group Strategies
• Types of Interest Groups
• Regulating Interest Groups
• Elements of Successful Interest Groups
• Political Parties
• The Two-Party System
• The History of Political Parties
• Party Functions
• Party Organization
• Minor Political Parties
• Modern Political Parties

Chapter 8: Campaigns and Elections

• Elections
• The Modern Political Campaign
• Political Candidates
• Presidential Elections
• How Voters Decide
• Recent Elections
• The Role of Money in Campaigns and Elections

Chapter 9: Political Participation and Voting

• Voting as Political Participation
• Why People Vote
• Voter Turnout
• Trends in Voting

Chapter 10: The Media

• The Role of the Media in Politics
• Regulation of the Media
• The Media and Political Campaigns
• Media Bias
• News Coverage

Chapter 11: Congress

• The Nature and Function of Congress
• Organization of Congress
• The Legislative Function of Congress
• The Budgeting Function of Congress
• The Oversight Function of Congress
• Congressional Elections
• How Congressmen Decide

Chapter 12: The Presidency

• The Powers of the Presidency
• The Organization and Institution of the Presidency
• The President’s Many Roles

Chapter 13: Bureaucracy

• Bureaucracy
• The Organization of Bureaucracy
• Functions of Bureaucracy
• Bureaucratic Reform

Chapter 14: The Judiciary

• The American Legal System
• Origins of American Law
• The Federal Court System
• Judicial Review and Policy Making
• Federal Judicial Appointments

Chapter 15: Domestic Policy

• The Policy-Making Process
• Health Care Policy
• Energy and Environmental Policy
• Education Policy
• Immigration Policy

Chapter 16: Economic Policy

• Goals of Economic Policy
• The History of Economic Policy
• Economic Policy
• Taxes
• Politics and Economic Policy

Chapter 17: Social Policy

• The Welfare State
• Social Policies
• Social Policy Demographics

Chapter 18: Foreign Policy

• Foreign Policy
• Who Makes U.S. Foreign Policy?
• The History of American Foreign Policy
• Challenges of Foreign Policy
• Modern Foreign Policy