POLSC 2030 Political Parties and Interest Groups

This course will introduce students to ideas about institutional structures, political actors, and constitutional debates in U.S. government and politics. We will explore the historical development and founding of the United States, discuss major debates about the structure of our republican form of government, connect the three branches of government to contemporary politics and elections, examine the role of race and gender in American politics, and critique the American constitutional system.

This course will examine the context, processes, institutions, and outcomes of the U.S. political system. Through writing, building, social science skills,and examining democratic principle, this course will introduce students to basic concepts and theories central to the study of political science. A special focus will be placed on the concept of civic engagement, and the importance of citizen participation to a robust democracy.

The emphasis of this class is understanding the way that the U.S. government and politics implements concepts and theories of democracy. This course will examine the context, processes, institutions, and outcomes of the U.S. political system. Through writing, building social science skills, and examining democratic principle, this course will introduce students to basic concepts and theories central to the study of political science. Students will engage in multiple forms of developing strong first year academic writing skills over the course of this class.