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Constitutional Underpinnings of United States Government
Federalism
Separation of powers
Considerations that influenced the formulation and adoption of the
Constitution
Theories of democratic government
Institutions of National Government: The Congress, the Presidency, the
Bureaucracy, and the Federal Courts
The major formal and informal institutional arrangements of powers
Relationships among these four institutions and varying balances of power
Links between these institutions and political parties, interest groups,
the media, sub national governments, and public opinion and the voters
Civil Liberties and Civil Rights
The development of civil liberties and civil rights by judicial
interpretation
Knowledge of substantive rights and liberties
The impact of the Fourteenth Amendment on the constitutional development
of rights and liberties
Political Beliefs and Behaviors
Beliefs that citizens hold about their government and its leaders
Processes by which citizens learn about politics
The nature, sources, and consequences of public opinion
The ways in which citizens vote and otherwise participate in political
life
Factors that influence citizens to differ from one another in terms of
political beliefs and behaviors
Political Parties, Interest Groups, and Mass Media
Political parties and elections
Functions
Organization
Development
Effects on the political process
Electoral laws and systems
Interest groups (including PACS)
The range of interests that are or are not represented
The activities of interest groups
The effects of interest groups on the political process
The unique characteristics and roles of PACs in the political process
The mass media
The functions and structures of the media
The impacts of the media on politics
Public Policy
Policy making in a federal system
The formation of policy agendas
The role of institutions in the enactment of policy
The role of the bureaucracy and the courts in policy implementation and
interpretation
Linkages between policy processes and the following:
Political institutions and federalism
Political parties
Interest groups
Public opinion
Elections
Policy networks
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