Skip to main content
Social Sci LibreTexts

2.2: Course Contents at a Glance

  • Page ID
    59666
  • \( \newcommand{\vecs}[1]{\overset { \scriptstyle \rightharpoonup} {\mathbf{#1}} } \)

    \( \newcommand{\vecd}[1]{\overset{-\!-\!\rightharpoonup}{\vphantom{a}\smash {#1}}} \)

    \( \newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\)

    ( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\)

    \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\)

    \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\)

    \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\)

    \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\)

    \( \newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\)

    \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\)

    \( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\)

    \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\)

    \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\)

    \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\)

    \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\)

    \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\)

    \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\)

    \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\AA}{\unicode[.8,0]{x212B}}\)

    \( \newcommand{\vectorA}[1]{\vec{#1}}      % arrow\)

    \( \newcommand{\vectorAt}[1]{\vec{\text{#1}}}      % arrow\)

    \( \newcommand{\vectorB}[1]{\overset { \scriptstyle \rightharpoonup} {\mathbf{#1}} } \)

    \( \newcommand{\vectorC}[1]{\textbf{#1}} \)

    \( \newcommand{\vectorD}[1]{\overrightarrow{#1}} \)

    \( \newcommand{\vectorDt}[1]{\overrightarrow{\text{#1}}} \)

    \( \newcommand{\vectE}[1]{\overset{-\!-\!\rightharpoonup}{\vphantom{a}\smash{\mathbf {#1}}}} \)

    \( \newcommand{\vecs}[1]{\overset { \scriptstyle \rightharpoonup} {\mathbf{#1}} } \)

    \( \newcommand{\vecd}[1]{\overset{-\!-\!\rightharpoonup}{\vphantom{a}\smash {#1}}} \)

    \(\newcommand{\avec}{\mathbf a}\) \(\newcommand{\bvec}{\mathbf b}\) \(\newcommand{\cvec}{\mathbf c}\) \(\newcommand{\dvec}{\mathbf d}\) \(\newcommand{\dtil}{\widetilde{\mathbf d}}\) \(\newcommand{\evec}{\mathbf e}\) \(\newcommand{\fvec}{\mathbf f}\) \(\newcommand{\nvec}{\mathbf n}\) \(\newcommand{\pvec}{\mathbf p}\) \(\newcommand{\qvec}{\mathbf q}\) \(\newcommand{\svec}{\mathbf s}\) \(\newcommand{\tvec}{\mathbf t}\) \(\newcommand{\uvec}{\mathbf u}\) \(\newcommand{\vvec}{\mathbf v}\) \(\newcommand{\wvec}{\mathbf w}\) \(\newcommand{\xvec}{\mathbf x}\) \(\newcommand{\yvec}{\mathbf y}\) \(\newcommand{\zvec}{\mathbf z}\) \(\newcommand{\rvec}{\mathbf r}\) \(\newcommand{\mvec}{\mathbf m}\) \(\newcommand{\zerovec}{\mathbf 0}\) \(\newcommand{\onevec}{\mathbf 1}\) \(\newcommand{\real}{\mathbb R}\) \(\newcommand{\twovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\ctwovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\threevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cthreevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\mattwo}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{rr}#1 \amp #2 \\ #3 \amp #4 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\laspan}[1]{\text{Span}\{#1\}}\) \(\newcommand{\bcal}{\cal B}\) \(\newcommand{\ccal}{\cal C}\) \(\newcommand{\scal}{\cal S}\) \(\newcommand{\wcal}{\cal W}\) \(\newcommand{\ecal}{\cal E}\) \(\newcommand{\coords}[2]{\left\{#1\right\}_{#2}}\) \(\newcommand{\gray}[1]{\color{gray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\lgray}[1]{\color{lightgray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\rank}{\operatorname{rank}}\) \(\newcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\col}{\text{Col}}\) \(\renewcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\nul}{\text{Nul}}\) \(\newcommand{\var}{\text{Var}}\) \(\newcommand{\corr}{\text{corr}}\) \(\newcommand{\len}[1]{\left|#1\right|}\) \(\newcommand{\bbar}{\overline{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bhat}{\widehat{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bperp}{\bvec^\perp}\) \(\newcommand{\xhat}{\widehat{\xvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\vhat}{\widehat{\vvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\uhat}{\widehat{\uvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\what}{\widehat{\wvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\Sighat}{\widehat{\Sigma}}\) \(\newcommand{\lt}{<}\) \(\newcommand{\gt}{>}\) \(\newcommand{\amp}{&}\) \(\definecolor{fillinmathshade}{gray}{0.9}\)
    an icon of a pair of binoculars

    The following list shows a summary of the topics covered in this course. To see all of the course pages, visit the Table of Contents.

    Module 1: American Government and Civic Engagement

    • What is Government?
    • Who Governs? Elitism, Pluralism, and Tradeoffs
    • Engagement in a Democracy

    Module 2: The Constitution and Its Origins

    • The Pre-Revolutionary Period and the Roots of the American Political Tradition
    • The Articles of Confederation
    • The Development of the Constitution
    • The Ratification of the Constitution
    • Constitutional Change

    Module 3: American Federalism

    • The Division of Powers
    • The Evolution of American Federalism
    • Intergovernmental Relationships
    • Competitive Federalism Today
    • Advantages and Disadvantages of Federalism

    Module 4: Civil Liberties

    • What Are Civil Liberties?
    • Securing Basic Freedoms
    • The Rights of Suspects
    • Interpreting the Bill of Rights

    Module 5: Civil Rights

    • What Are Civil Rights and How Do We Identify Them?
    • The African American Struggle for Equality
    • The Fight for Women’s Rights
    • Groups: Native Americans, Alaskans, and Hawaiians
    • Equal Protection for Other Groups

    Module 6: The Politics of Public Opinion

    • The Nature of Public Opinion
    • How Is Public Opinion Measured?
    • What Does the Public Think?
    • The Effects of Public Opinion

    Module 7: Voting and Elections

    • Voter Registration
    • Voter Turnout
    • Elections
    • Campaigns and Voting
    • Direct Democracy

    Module 8: The Media

    • What Is the Media?
    • The Evolution of the Media
    • Regulating the Media
    • The Impact of the Media

    Module 9: Political Parties

    • What Are Parties and How Did They Form?
    • The Two-Party System
    • The Shape of Modern Political Parties
    • Divided Government and Partisan Polarization

    Module 10: Interest Groups and Lobbying

    • Interest Groups Defined
    • Collective Action and Interest Group Formation
    • Interest Groups as Political Participation
    • Pathways of Interest Group Influence
    • Free Speech and the Regulation of Interest Groups

    Module 11: Congress

    • The Institutional Design of Congress
    • Congressional Elections
    • Congressional Representation
    • House and Senate Organizations
    • The Legislative Process

    Module 12: The Presidency

    • The Design and Evolution of the Presidency
    • The Presidential Election Process
    • Organizing to Govern
    • The Public Presidency
    • Presidential Governance: Direct Presidential Action

    Module 13: The Courts

    • Guardians of the Constitution and Individual Rights
    • The Dual Court System
    • The Federal Court System
    • The Supreme Court
    • Judicial Decision-Making and Implementation by the Supreme Court

    Module 14: State and Local Government

    • State Power and Delegation
    • State Political Culture
    • Governors and State Legislatures
    • State Legislative Term Limits
    • County and City Government

    Module 15: The Bureaucracy

    • Bureaucracy and the Evolution of Public Administration
    • Toward a Merit-Based Civil Service
    • Understanding Bureaucracies and their Types
    • Controlling the Bureaucracy

    Module 16: Domestic Policy

    • What Is Public Policy?
    • Categorizing Public Policy
    • Policy Arenas
    • Policymakers
    • Budgeting and Tax Policy

    Module 17: Foreign Policy

    • Defining Foreign Policy
    • Foreign Policy Instruments
    • Institutional Relations in Foreign Policy
    • Approaches to Foreign Policy
    CC licensed content, Original
    CC licensed content, Shared previously

    2.2: Course Contents at a Glance is shared under a not declared license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.

    • Was this article helpful?