Students will learn the following in this course.

CLASS 1 CHAPTER SUMMARY - THE CONGRESS:

Understanding the constitutional powers of Congress enables citizens to participate more easily in the political process. This class provides such understanding to students through its examination of the following:

 The origins of Congress
 Congressional elections
 The powers and functions of Congress
 A comparison of the bodies of Congress
 The legislative process
 The structure and powers of legislative leadership
 Decision making in Congress from the perspective of political parties, interest groups, the president, and constituents
 The people and their representatives (demographics of Congress)
 A re-examination of Congress’ role in American politics

CLASS 2 CHAPTER SUMMARY - THE PRESIDENCY:

Understanding the constitutional powers of Presidency enables citizens to participate more easily in the political process. This class provides such understanding to students through its examination of the following:

 Presidential elections
 Presidential roles in domestic and foreign policy
 The structure of the executive branch
 Key offices that influence the president in making and carrying out public policy
 The order of presidential succession
 The constitutional and statutory sources of presidential power
 Public approval
 The evolution of presidential powers
 An evaluation of presidential leadership
 The role of women in the White House

CLASS 3 CHAPTER SUMMARY - THE JUDICIARY:

Understanding the constitutional powers of Congress enables citizens to participate more easily in the political process. This class provides such understanding to students through its examination of the following:

 The origins of the U.S. judiciary
 The basis of U.S. law, including common law and code law
 The sources of U.S. law, including constitutions, statutes, judicial decisions, executive orders, and administrative law
 The structure of the federal court system
 The selection process of federal judges
 The processes of decision-making by the U.S. Supreme Court
 The notion of judges as policy makers
 Checks and balances that apply to the courts

CLASS 4 CHAPTER SUMMARY - U.S. DOMESTIC AND FOREIGN POLICY:

Understanding the constitutional powers of Congress enables citizens to participate more easily in the political process. This class provides such understanding to students through its examination of the following:

 The types of public programs by which government provides for its citizens’ basic needs
 Income security programs
 Health care policy
 Environmental protection policy
 Energy policy
 Homeland security policy
 Immigration policy
 The tools of foreign policy, including diplomacy, trade and economic policies, and military options
 The agents responsible for creating foreign policy, including the executive and legislative branches, as well as the media, interest groups of other nations, and private individuals
 A historical perspective from the ratification of the Constitution until World War II
 An analysis of the postwar era and the United States’ emergence as a world superpower
 A post-9/11 foreign policy and national security analysis
 A discussion of the future challenges confronting United States foreign policy

CLASS 5 CHAPTER SUMMARY - U.S. ECONOMIC POLICY:

Understanding the constitutional powers of Congress enables citizens to participate more easily in the political process. This class provides such understanding to students through its examination of the following:

 The nature of the American economy and the use of economic policy tools
 The American dream and economic prosperity
 Various economic theories and the government’s approach to creating a healthy economy
 The data used to measure economic health
 Fiscal policy approaches of Congress and the president and the impact of these policies on the economy
 The goals of monetary policy and the function of the Federal Reserve System
 The government’s regulatory policy to prevent market failure
 Trade policy in the global economy, both past and present
 An assessment of the U.S. economy and the failure of more and more people to achieve the American dream and financial security