American Government 3e Lecture Notes

Overview

• Title: American Government 3e
• Senior Contributing Authors: Glen Krutz, Oklahoma State University
• OpenStax provides free, peer-reviewed textbooks and courseware
• Based at Rice University, OpenStax aims to increase educational access
• Textbook licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0

Preface

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Unit 1: Students and the System

Chapter 1: American Government and Civic Engagement

• Definition and purposes of government
• Types of government: Elitism, Pluralism, and Tradeoffs
• Importance of civic engagement in democracy

Chapter 2: The Constitution and Its Origins

• Historical origins and development of the Constitution
• The Articles of Confederation
• Ratification of the Constitution
• Constitutional changes and amendments

Chapter 3: American Federalism

• Division of powers between federal and state governments
• Evolution and different forms of federalism

Unit 2: Individual Agency and Action

Chapter 4: Civil Liberties

• Definition of civil liberties
• Protection of individual freedoms
• Interpretation of the Bill of Rights

Chapter 5: Civil Rights

• Definition and identification of civil rights
• Historical struggles for equality by African Americans, women, and other groups

Unit 3: Toward Collective Action: Mediating Institutions

Chapter 8: The Media

• Evolution and regulation of the media
• Impact of the media

Chapter 9: Political Parties

• Formation and evolution of political parties
• Two-party system and partisan polarization

Chapter 10: Interest Groups and Lobbying

• Role and influence of interest groups
• Pathways of interest group influence

Unit 4: Delivering Collective Action: Formal Institutions

Chapter 11: Congress

• Structure and function of Congress
• Legislative process

Chapter 12: The Presidency

• Design and evolution of the presidency
• Public presidency and presidential action

Chapter 13: The Courts

• Federal court system and the Supreme Court
• Judicial decision-making

Chapter 14: State and Local Government

• State political culture and government structure

Unit 5: The Outputs of Government

Chapter 15: The Bureaucracy

• Evolution of public administration and bureaucracy

Chapter 16: Domestic Policy

• Public policy and budgeting

Chapter 17: Foreign Policy

• Definition and instruments of foreign policy

Appendices

• Appendix A: Declaration of Independence
• Appendix B: The Constitution of the United States
• Appendix C: Federalist Papers #10 and #51
• Appendix D: Electoral College Map
• Appendix E: Selected Supreme Court Cases

Key Themes and Concepts

• Civic and political engagement in democracy
• Balance between governmental powers and civil liberties
• Historical context and development of American political institutions

Study Tips

• Utilize OpenStax's online resources for highlighting and note-taking
• Refer to additional resources and community hubs for supplemental learning
• Engage with critical thinking questions and further study suggestions at the end of each chapter for deeper exploration.