Learning Objectives
GOVT 2305, U.S.
GOVERNMENT
This course is an introduction to United
States national government. The course includes an
introduction to a framework for understanding United States
government and politics, the constitutional basis for United
States government and politics, the processes of United
States government and politics, the institutions of United
States government and politics, and the policies of United
States government and politics.
Constitutional Foundations
Learning Outcome: The student will understand the
foundations, development, and features of the U.S.
Constitution.
Learning Objectives: After
completing this section of the course, the student should be
able to:
1. define democracy.
2. distinguish among direct,
representative, and pluralist democracy.
3. describe separation of
powers.
4. describe checks and
balances.
5. describe the importance of the
Declaration of Independence.
6. describe the nature and impact of
the Articles of Confederation.
7. describe the members and operation
of the Constitutional Convention of 178
8. describe the compromises reached at
the Constitutional Convention of 1787.
9. describe the ratification process
of the U.S. Constitution.
10. define federalism.
11. describe the evolution of
federalism.
12. distinguish among enumerated
(delegated, express), inherent, implied, concurrent, and
reserved powers.
13. describe McCulloch v. Maryland
(1819) and its impact.
14. describe the obligations of states
to each other.
15. describe the obligations of the
national government to the states.
16. describe the process for amending
the U.S. Constitution.
17. describe the substantive changes
made in the U.S. Constitution through the amending
process.
18. describe the informal methods for
changing the U.S. Constitution.
19. define judicial review.
20. describe Marbury v. Madison (1803)
and its impact.
Linkage Institutions
Learning Outcome: The student will understand how
media, interest groups, and political parties serve as
institutions to connect people to government.
Learning Objectives: After
completing this section of the course, the student should be
able to:
1. describe how the government
regulates the media.
2. distinguish between objective and
interpretive reporting.
3. describe the influence of the media
on the political system today.
4. define interest group.
5. describe the types of interest
groups in the United States today and their
goals.
6. describe the resources and tactics
used by interest groups to influence public
policy.
7. describe the impact of interest
groups on politics and government in the United
States.
8. describe political action
committees (PACs) and their significance.
9. distinguish between iron triangles
and issue networks.
10. define political party.
11. describe the functions of the two
major parties today.
12. describe the evolution of the U.S.
political party system.
13. compare and contrast the issue
positions of the two major parties today.
14. describe the reasons for the
two-party system in the United States.
15. describe minor parties and their
impact.
16. describe the organization of the
two major parties.
17. define party identification and
its significance.
18. describe the changes in the
distribution of partisan attachments in the United States
over the last fifty years.
19. distinguish between realignment
and dealignment.
Political Learning
Learning Outcome: The student will understand how
political values, attitudes, and behaviors are learned,
organized, and expressed.
Learning Objectives: After
completing this section of the course, the student should be
able to:
1. define political
socialization.
2. describe the agents of political
socialization and their impact.
3. describe the U.S. political
culture.
4. define political
ideology.
5. define public opinion.
6. describe the methods for measuring
public opinion.
7. describe the impact of public
opinion on U.S. government and politics.
Campaigns and Elections
Learning Outcome: The student will understand the
operation of a political campaign, types of elections, and
the factors that affect election outcomes.
Learning Objectives: After
completing this section of the course, the student should be
able to:
1. define suffrage.
2. describe the expansion of the right
to vote in the United States.
3. define voter turnout.
4. describe the factors that influence
voter turnout.
5. describe the factors that influence
vote choice.
6. distinguish between primary
elections and general elections.
7. distinguish among the types of
primaries.
8. describe the factors that affect
elections.
9. describe current campaign finance
regulations and their impact.
Institutions of Government
Learning Outcome: The student will understand the
structure, functions, and operations of the institutions of
U.S. government.
Learning Objectives: After
completing this section of the course, the student should be
able to:
1. describe the bicameral
structure of Congress and its impact.
2. describe the organization of
Congress, including the leadership structure and the
committee system.
3. describe the powers and functions
of Congress.
4. describe the impact of
incumbency.
5. distinguish between reapportionment
and redistricting.
6. describe gerrymandering and its
impact.
7. describe the legislative
process.
8. describe the influences on the
voting behavior of members of Congress.
9. describe the process by which the
parties nominate their presidential
candidates.
10. describe the process by which a
president is elected.
11. describe the constitutional powers
of the president.
12. describe the formal and informal
roles of the president today.
13. describe the organization of the
executive branch.
14. describe the jurisdiction of the
federal courts.
15. describe the structure and
operations of the federal courts.
16. describe the process by which
federal judges are selected.
17. distinguish between judicial
activism and judicial restraint.
Civil Liberties and Civil Rights
Learning Outcome: The student will understand how
civil liberties and civil rights protect both the individual
and categories of people.
Learning Objectives: After
completing this section of the course, the student should be
able to:
1. distinguish between civil
liberties and civil rights.
2. describe the nature of the Bill of
Rights.
3. describe the First Amendment
freedoms.
4. describe the landmark decisions of
the Supreme Court in First Amendment cases and their
impact.
5. describe the rights of accused
criminals as guaranteed in the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and
Eighth amendments.
6. describe the landmark Supreme Court
decisions in interpreting the rights of the accused and
their impact.
7. describe the development of the
right to privacy.
8. describe selective incorporation
and its application.
9. describe the Fourteenth Amendment's
equal protection and due process clauses and their
significance.
10. describe Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)
and its impact.
11. describe Brown v. Board of
Education (1954) and its impact.
12. describe the Civil Rights movement
and its impact.
13. describe the Civil Rights Act of
1964 and its impact.
14. describe the Voting Rights Act of
1965 and its impact.
15. define affirmative
action.
16. describe the landmark Supreme
Court cases in the area of affirmative action and their
impact.
17. describe the Americans with
Disabilities Act of 1990 and its impact.
Public Policy
Learning Outcome: The student will understand the
development and implementation of both foreign and domestic
policies.
Learning Objectives: After
completing this section of the course, the student should be
able to:
1. distinguish between fiscal
and monetary policy.
2. describe the Federal Reserve Board
and its role.
3. describe the Social Security
program.
4. describe the Medicare and Medicaid
programs.
5. describe the food stamp
program.
6. describe the TANF (Temporary
Assistance for Needy Families) program.
7. describe the processes by which
foreign and defense policies are made.
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