The key areas that will be covered:

The basic settings, basic principles

The United States Constitution and its origin, federalism, checks and balances, division of powers, legitimacy of the government, political culture, flexible/inflexible constitution?, civil liberties, constitutionalism

Outline of the Structure of the Government – Key players

Executive: President, Office of the White House, Departments
Legislative: Congress
Judiciary: Courts
Bureaucracy

- basic structure, who does what, basic requirements for elections into the office.

- explain structure of departments, White House Office

Elections

nominations, primaries, general elections

Who can vote?

The Executive Branch

· electing the president

· the president and his powers (appointment, removal, legislative, vetoes – presidential and legislative, the power of the purse, executive agreement and treaties, the war power, the power to persuade)

· tensions between the legislative and the executive powers

· the White House Office

· the Cabinet, the Departments

· other institutions of the executive branch

· foreign and domestic policy-making

The Judiciary

the structure of the judicial system
the powers and role of the Supreme Court
the framework within which the Supreme Court operates
getting a case in front of the Supreme Court
jury trials
famous cases
where to search for cases.

Congress

Powers of Congress
House of Representatives and Senate
Election to Congress, Members of Congress
Congressional Leadership
Committees
How a Bill Becomes a Law - process in the HoR and S

Party Politics

Political Parties, their role and organization, political parties in Congress, in States
Campaign Finance and support for party candidates

Public Opinion and Frames of Reference