The constitution, government, and politics of the United States.

Text:  J.J. Coleman et al., Understanding American politics and government (Brief edition; 2nd). (Note that the assigned text may also be available in an electronic-only form which provides a cost-savings; you are welcome to use the CourseSmart version of the Coleman et al. book, but you should satisfy yourself that this format works well for you.)

Orientation for fall or spring; for summer

Rules

Schedule

introduction (ch 1)

the Constitution (ch 3)

federalism (ch 4)

Congress (ch 11)

the presidency (ch 12)

bureaucracy (ch 14)

the judiciary (ch 13)

media (ch 8)

political culture (ch 2)

public opinion (ch 6)

political participation (ch 7)

political parties (ch 9)

interest groups (ch 10)

rights & liberties (ch 5)

This course is part of the ASU General Education curriculum. It has been included as part of that curriculum in order to enable you to develop a strong foundation in the social sciences. In this class, we will study politics, political institutions and political systems. Such systems are one of the many ways in which humans manage and structure their relationships with one another. By developing such a foundation, you become prepared for the roles you will be expected to fulfill as a citizen and decision-maker in a democratic America and the larger global society.

 Your development will be demonstrated by the ability to:

§   Explain the processes and effects of individual and group behavior

 §   Analyze events in terms of the concepts and relational propositions generated by the social science tradition