Table of Contents for American Government

American Government

Table of Contents

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