American Government

Institutions and Policy Processes: Presidency, Bureaucracy, and Congress

The major formal and informal institutional arrangements and powers
Structure, policy processes, and outputs
Relationships among these three institutions and links between them and political parties, interest groups, the media, and public opinion

Federal Courts, Civil Liberties, and Civil Rights

Structure and processes of the judicial system with emphasis on the role and influence of the Supreme Court
The development of civil rights and civil liberties by judicial interpretation
The Bill of Rights
Incorporation of the Bill of Rights
Equal protection and due process

Political Parties and Interest Groups

Political parties (including their function, organization, mobilization, historical development, and effects on the political process)
Interest groups (including the variety of activities they typically undertake and their effects on the political process)
Elections (including the electoral process)

Political Beliefs and Behavior

Processes by which citizens learn about politics
Political participation (including voting behavior)
Public opinion
Beliefs that citizens hold about their government and its leaders
Political culture (the variety of factors that predispose citizens to differ from one another in terms of their political perceptions, values, attitudes, and activities)
The influence of public opinion on political leaders

Constitutional Underpinnings of American Democracy

Federalism (with attention to intergovernmental relations)
Separation of powers
Checks and balances
Majority rule
Minority rights
Considerations that influenced the formulation and adoption of the Constitution
Theories of democracy