Unit Components Explained
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- Readings: 36 digital essays and introductions in the fields and subjects of American Government reinforced with instructive images, videos, and animations. (Essays are audio recorded and have adapted 11th-grade versions for struggling readers.) Readings include banks of questions tagged by difficulty level and aligned to key terms and focus questions.
- Poly Sci Activity Manual: 58 textual and/or data-driven problems and 8 contemporary issues for the current presidential and Congressional terms. Includes a context-building background section, an analytical activity (optional for grading purposes), opinion polls, quiz polls, and activity quizzes.
- Video Libraries: Over 80 brief 1-4 minute videos available to enhance or launch lectures or discussions.
Assessments and video libraries can be reviewed on the secure live site.
Overview of American Government
- Document: Articles of Confederation
- Document: The Declaration of Independence
- Document: The US Constitution
- Document: The Bill of Rights
Unit 1: The Foundations of American Government by Jack Rakove, Stanford University
Introduction: The Foundations of American Government
Contemporary Issue: The Future of the Electoral College After 2016
Unit Further Reading
Readings
- Reading: The Authority of the Constitution
- Reading: Brief History of the Emergence of the US Constitution
- Reading: Three Myths of the US Constitution (Topical Essay)
- Reading: Federalism
- Reading: Separation of Powers
Poly Sci Activity Manual
- Activity: Federalist 10
- Activity: Federalist 37
- Activity: Federalist 51
- Activity: John Adams’ Thoughts on Government
- Activity: Would Direct Democracy Be Better?
- Activity: Why are Americans generally uninformed about the Constitution?
- Activity: The Equal Rights Amendment
Video Library
Unit 2: Federalism, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties by Ange-Marie Hancock, USC
Introduction: Federalism, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties
Contemporary Issue: Immigration and Immigration Rights in the Trump Administration
Unit Further Reading
Readings
- Reading: Federalism Today
- Reading: Civil Liberties
- Reading: Civil Rights
- Reading: How to Get Away With a Social Movement (Topical Essay)
Poly Sci Activity Manual
- Activity: Voter ID Laws
- Activity: Gibbons v. Ogden
- Activity: How have views of sexual harassment changed over time?
- Activity: The Second Amendment and State Regulations
- Activity: The Eighth Amendment and Incarceration
- Activity: Lesser Known Amendments
- Activity: Should immigrants have civil rights?
Video Library
Unit 3: Political Culture, Public Opinion, and Elections by Melinda Jackson, San Jose State University
Introduction: Political Culture, Public Opinion, and Elections
Contemporary Issue: The Job Approval Rating of President Trump
Unit Further Reading
Readings
- Reading: Political Socialization and Values
- Reading: Understanding Public Opinion (Topical Essay)
- Reading: Elections in America
- Reading: How Voters Decide
- Reading: The Media
Poly Sci Activity Manual
- Activity: The Big Sort
- Activity: How Your Government Affects You?
- Activity: Conventions: Pageants or Political Drama?
- Activity: Where is the Real Election Battleground?
- Activity: Do Debates Make a Difference?
- Activity: Voter Participation
- Activity: The Citizenship Test
- Activity: How Do Americans Decide?
- Activity: The Vote of the College Educated
- Activity: Why is the Hispanic Vote Critical in Presidential Elections?
Video Library
Unit 4: Social Movements, Interest Groups, and Political Parties by Dara Strolovitch, Princeton University
Introduction: Social Movements, Interest Groups, and Political Parties
Contemporary Issue: Affirmative Action and White Grievance
Unit Further Reading
Readings
- Reading: Groups and the Democratic Exercise of Power
- Reading: Can Interest Groups Represent the Disadvantaged? (Topical Essay)
- Reading: Understanding Interest Groups and Social Movements
- Reading: Political Parties
Poly Sci Activity Manual
- Activity: Madison and De Tocqueville
- Activity: Advocacy in Hard Times
- Activity: Rapid Social Change and the LGBT Community
- Activity: Citizens’ United
- Activity: The US Libertarian Party Platform
- Activity: What is my political type?
- Activity: Are parties relevant or essential?
Video Library
Unit 5: The US Congress by Kathleen Dolan, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee
Introduction: The US Congress
Contemporary Issue: The American Deficit and the Trump Tax Cut
Unit Further Reading
Readings
- Reading: Congress and Representation
- Reading: Apportionment and Representation in the House (Topical Essay)
- Reading: Congress and the Legislative Process
- Reading: Congress in the Political System
Poly Sci Activity Manual
- Activity: Congressional Representation and Pork Barrel Politics
- Activity: Congress and War Powers
- Activity: The US National Debt
- Activity: Should Congress eliminate the mandatory minimum sentence?
- Activity: The Gender Gap in Voting
- Activity: Congress and the Revolving Door
Video Library
Unit 6: The US President by Sean Gailmard. University of California, Berkeley
Introduction: The US President
Contemporary Issue: Does Lying Matter in a President?
Unit Further Reading
Readings
- Reading: Presidents and Unilateral Powers Over Domestic Policy
- Reading: Presidents and Their Interactions with Congress
- Reading: The Presidency and War (Topical Essay)
- Reading: Presidents and Public Opinion
- Reading: Challenges of the Trump Presidency (Topical Essay) by Jeneen Hobby, Cleveland State University
Poly Sci Activity Manual
- Activity: Character and the President
- Activity: Impeachment: Nixon and Clinton
- Activity: The President’s Use of Media
- Activity: Foreign Policy and the Presidency
- Activity: The Growth and Opportunity Project (2013)
- Activity: Was there a Reagan Revolution?
Video Library
Unit 7: The US Supreme Court and Court System by Lawrence Baum, Ohio State University
Introduction: The US Supreme Court and Judiciary
Contemporary Issue: Trump Supreme Court Appointments (Post-election update January 2019)
Unit Further Reading
Readings
- Reading: Selecting Judges
- Reading: Responding to Decisions
- Reading: The US Supreme Court and Its Decision-Making Process (Topical Essay)
Reading: Influencing Decisions
Poly Sci Activity Manual
- Activity: The Garland-Gorsuch Nomination Controversy
- Activity: Are 5-4 decisions harmful to the reputation of the Supreme Court?
- Activity: Original and Evolving Meaning in the US Constitution
- Activity: Decision-Making on the US Supreme Court (The Kylo Decision)
- Activity: The Louisiana Literacy Test
- Activity: President Obama’s Argument on Solitary Confinement
Video Library
Unit 8: Domestic Policy and Foreign Policy by Paul Pierson, University of California, Berkeley. And Amy Skonieczny, San Francisco State University
Introduction: Domestic and Foreign Policy
Contemporary Issue: Is There a Trump Foreign Policy?
Unit Further Reading
Readings
- Reading: Why Do We Have So Much Government?
- Reading: How Do American Political Institutions Affect Domestic Policy
- Reading: Policymaking in an Era of Polarization
- Reading: Public Policy and the Health Care Debate (Topical Essay)
- Reading: American Foreign Policy and the Impact of 9/11 (Topical Essay)
Poly Sci Activity Manual
- Activity: The Story of Annual Deficits in the Last Two Decades
- Activity: Taxes and Social Welfare Benefits
- Activity: Inequality and Policy
- Activity: Student Loan Debt and Free College
- Activity: Will police reform improve race relations?
- Activity: American Ideas About Foreign Aid
- Activity: National Security Strategy
- Activity: Nuclear Weapons and Their Owners
- Activity: In the long run is our foreign policy in Asia more important?
Video Library
Writing Workshops:
- Writing: Federalist 10
- Writing: Voter ID Laws
- Writing: Voter Participation
- Writing: Madison and De Tocqueville
- Writing: The Gender Gap in Voting
- Writing: The President’s Use of Media
- Writing: Original and Evolving Meaning in the US Constitution
Writing: Taxes and Social Welfare Benefits
Scholars Mart California Government by Kimberly Nalder, Sacramento State University $5.00 (covering American Institutions standards).
- Introduction
- Reading: The Structure of California Government
- Reading: Direct Democracy and the Governability of California
- Reading: Campaigns and Elections in California
- Reading: California Voters: Knowledge, Misinformation, and Consequences
- Activity: Six Californias
- Activity: How will you balance California’s budget?
- Activity: Do California legislators look just like you?
Scholars Mart Florida Government
- The Florida Constitutional Amendment Process in Historical Context (Topical Essay, $2)
By Terri Susan Fine, University of Central Florida - A Brief Introduction to Florida Government (Survey Course Supplement; $15)
By John Bertalan, University of South Florida
Scholars Mart Women in Government and Politics by Kathleen Dolan, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. $5.00 or individual items for $2
- Reading: Women and the US Constitution
- Reading: Women’s Representation in the American States
- Reading: Gender and the American Election
- Reading: The Conservative Women’s Movement (Topical Essay)
- Reading: Do Women in Congress Make a Difference? (Topical Essay)
- Activity: Women and the Presidency
- Activity: Women and the Courts
- Activity: The Impact of Domestic Policy Decisions on Women’s Lives