POLSC232: American Government

Welcome to POLSC232: American Government

Specific information about this course and its requirements can be found below. For more general information about taking Saylor Academy courses, including information about Community and Academic Codes of Conduct, please read the Student Handbook.

Course Description

Learn about the structure and processes of the U.S. political system: its constitutional foundations, the electoral process, political participation, the Congressional decision-making process, the executive branch, and federal courts.

Course Introduction

In this course, we examine core concepts of the American system of government, the workings of its myriad actors and agencies, the critical components of "politics" in the American system, and how the American government shapes and influences individual freedoms and rights.

First, we explore the core concepts and theoretical underpinnings of the American system of government: American political culture, the Constitution, and federalism. A solid grasp of these concepts provides a foundation for the structure of the American political system. Next, we explore the processes citizens use to learn about politics, including public opinion, the mass media, political parties, interest groups, campaigns, elections, and electoral participation. Then we examine the organizations and processes that impact the political and electoral landscape and how candidates and voters are affected.

Then, we analyze the major U.S. governing bodies: Congress, the presidency, the bureaucracy, and the courts. Next, we explore how the U.S. government shapes and influences the individual freedoms and rights of its citizens. Finally, we look at U.S. social, economic, and foreign policies and how the broad themes of constitutional principles, political behavior, and governmental institutions have intersected to shape them.

This course includes the following units:

• Unit 1: American Political Foundations
• Unit 2: American Political Behavior
• Unit 3: Political Parties, Campaigns, Elections, and Interest Groups
• Unit 4: American Political Institutions
• Unit 5: Civil Rights and Civil Liberties
• Unit 6: Policymaking in American Government

Course Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to:

• explain the development of the U.S. Constitution;
• describe the relationship between political socialization, public opinion, the media, and political participation;
• explain the influence of interest groups and political parties on campaigns and elections;
• describe the roles, functions, and structure of the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches;
• differentiate civil rights and civil liberties and their impact on American politics; and
• define public policy and distinguish economic, domestic, and foreign policy.

Throughout this course, you will also see learning outcomes in each unit. You can use those learning outcomes to help organize your studies and gauge your progress.

Course Materials

This course's primary learning materials are articles, lectures, and videos.

All course materials are free to access and can be found in each unit of the course. Pay close attention to the notes that accompany these course materials, as they will tell you what to focus on in each resource and will help you understand how the learning materials fit into the course as a whole. You can also see a list of all the learning materials in this course by clicking on Resources in the navigation bar.

Evaluation and Minimum Passing Score

Only the final exam is considered when awarding you a grade for this course. To pass this course, you will need to earn a grade of 70% or higher on the final exam. Your score on the exam will be calculated as soon as you complete it. If you do not pass the exam on your first try, you may take it again as many times as you want, with a 7-day waiting period between each attempt. Once you have successfully passed the final exam, you will be awarded a free Course Completion Certificate.

There are also end-of-unit assessments in this course. These are designed to help you study and do not factor into your final course grade. You can take these as many times as you want until you understand the concepts and material covered. You can see all of these assessments by clicking on Quizzes in the course's navigation bar.

Tips for Success

POLSC232: American Government is a self-paced course, which means that you can decide when you will start and when you will complete the course. There is no instructor or an assigned schedule to follow. We estimate that the "average" student will take 31 hours to complete this course. We recommend that you work through the course at a comfortable pace that allows you to make regular progress. It's also a good idea to schedule your study time in advance and try to stick to that schedule as best as you can.

Learning new material can be challenging, so we've compiled a few study strategies to help you succeed:

• Take notes on the various terms, practices, and theories that you come across. This can help you put each concept into context and will create a refresher that you can use as you study later on.
• As you work through the materials, take some time to test yourself on what you remember and how well you understand the concepts. Reflecting on what you've learned is important for your long-term memory and will make you more likely to retain information over time.

Technical Requirements

This course is delivered entirely online. You will be required to have access to a computer or web-capable mobile device and have consistent access to the internet to either view or download the necessary course resources and attempt any auto-graded course assessments and the final exam.

• To access the full course, including assessments and the final exam, you will need to be logged into your Saylor Academy account and enrolled in the course. If you do not already have an account, you may create one for free here. Although you can access the course materials without logging in to your account, you should log in to maximize your course experience. For example, you cannot take assessments or track your progress unless you are logged in.

For additional guidance, check out Saylor Academy's FAQ.

Fees

This course is entirely free to enroll in and access. Everything linked in the course, including textbooks, videos, webpages, and activities, is available for no charge. This course also contains a free final exam and course completion certificate.