POLI 240 - American Political System

3 Credit: (3 lecture, 0 lab, 0 clinical) 3 Contact Hours:

Politics is the universal effort among people to pursue their own interests in society and better themselves and their communities. This inevitably results in ongoing interaction between individuals, groups, and the institutions they create.  Cooperation, competition, and conflict are all a part of this process and have come to be structured and regulated to facilitate decision making, especially in a large, complex, heterogeneous democracy such as our own. Long ago human beings developed the varied but universal institution of government to try to resolve or at least manage the issues and concerns that underlie and energize people in pursuit of their economic, social, and personal goals. Politics and government are closely related: one a universal human activity, the other a universal human institution. We will explore the relationship between the two.
Semesters Offered: every semester

Course Goals/ Objectives/ Competencies:
Goal 1:  Demonstrate an understanding of the structure and functioning of the American Political System.  

1. Identify and compare the three branches of the federal government. 
2. Evaluate the three branches of the federal government within the American Political landscape. 

Goal 2:  Demonstrate an understanding of the historical and contemporary issues within American Political System. 

1. Identify the historical and philosophical groundwork of the Constitution. 
2. Discuss the ways in which the American Political System has evolved since the writing of the Constitution.  

Goal 3:  Reflect on the civic responsibilities of citizens of the United States of America. 

1. Identify responsibilities of citizenship. 
2. Discuss various aspects of civic engagement. 
3. Recognize one’s own participation in the American Political landscape.