This chapter addresses the following issues: How do values shape the nature of policies andsolutions? Why are there three main types of public policies? Are all the parts of the policy processequally open to political influence? Why doesn't the policy process model have an exact fit withreal-world policy making?

This chapter addresses the following issues: What are the basic differences between fiscal policy andmonetary policy? Who are the major actors in creating economic policy? What are the major sourcesof U.S. government revenue? What are the major areas of expenditure for the government? What arethe major instruments of monetary policy? Why has there been a turn away from regulatory policy inthe recent past? How does trade policy affect the economy?

This chapter addresses the following issues: What key divisions separate Americans in their thinkingabout foreign policy? In what ways are American foreign and domestic policy linked? How can the publicexpress itself in foreign policy-making? What political institutions compete for influence in makingAmerican foreign policy? what major issues confront the United States today?

This chapter addresses the following issues: How are American court systems organized? What makes Americanjudges more powerful than those in other countries? What political processes determine the selection of judges? Whatdo we know about how Supreme Court justices really make decisions? What litigation strategies are employed in thecourt pathway? What is the image of the courts in the United States? Is it appropriate for judges to shape public policy in ademocracy?

This chapter addresses the following issues: How should legislators approach their job as a representative of thepeople? How does the Constitution define the role of the national legislature in American Politics? How docongressional committees help structure the legislative process? How do political parties and legislative leadershelp manage the process while a the same time advancing their own initiatives? How do rules and norms of behaviorhelp ensure a more orderly, efficient legislative process? How are laws made? How well does the membership of theHouse and Senate reflect average Americans? Why might this issue matter? Are members of Congress more or lessethical than in the past?

This chapter addresses the following issues: Why did the framers set aside concerns about the potential forabuse and bestow the executive branch with real powers? What are the changes that have led to the expansionof presidential powers? How might the "powers to persuade" extend beyond the Constitution and formalstructures of government? What are the duties, responsibilities, and functions of modern presidents? What arethe forces that lead to presidential success or failure? How does one define presidential greatness?

This chapter addresses the following issues: Is there a risk that the federal government will become toolarge and ineffective as new agencies are created to handle policy matters that attract the interest ofCongress and the President? Should the heads of federal agencies be the nation's top experts andmanagers, or should they be political appointees who will loyally follow the president's wishes? Is there abetter way to organize and run government agencies in order to reduce the undesirable aspects ofbureaucracies? How can the president and members of the president's cabinet make sure that workerswithin the government's many agencies are performing their duties properly?

This chapter addresses the following issues: How important are the media inAmerican politics? How have the media changed and developed? What functions dothe media perform in our society? How influential are the media in interpreting andframing news stories? How do the media shape and reflect our cultural values andstruggles? How can we negotiate the delicate balance between the need forgovernmental regulation and the desire for a vigorous and free press?

This chapter addresses the following issues: Why are interest groups important in thedemocratic process? Why have we seen such a dramatic increase in the number and activityof interest groups during the last 40 years? How have the tactics of appealing to publicofficials changed? How do interest groups mobilize the masses? Are interest groupshelpful for democracy?

This chapter addresses the following issues: What are the theoretical strengths andlimitations of elections? What is the Electoral College, and is it really the best way to elect apresident? Have numerous legal changes broadened the democratic character of elections inAmerica? Should citizens be allowed to vote on policy matters? Does money corrupt theelection process, or is it simply a way for citizens to express their political views and supportparticular candidates? How has the Internet changed the election process? Do averageAmericans, especially young Americans, take part in the election process?

This chapter addresses the following issues: How are political parties different than otherpolitical organizations, and what functions do they serve in a democracy? Are politicalparties important once a candidate gets in office? What does "party identification" imply,and what bearing does this have on vote choice? What are party "committees", and what dothey seek to accomplish? How have political parties shifted and changed throughout ournation's history? What role do minor parties play in our political system? Are there realdifferences between the two major parties? How do political parties select their candidates?

This chapter addresses the following issues: How influential should public opinion be in swayingpolicymakers and individuals in our society? What factors promote stability, and why and how doespublic opinion change? What is political ideology? What factors influence how people acquirepolitical values? How does membership in different social groups impact political views andbehavior? What factors affect the quality and usefulness of poll data?

This chapter addresses the following issues: How have activism and protest evolved in theUnited States? Why is it important to understand the roots of activism in order to understandcontemporary issues? What Constitutional foundations allow citizens to petition theirgovernment? What elements of our governmental system helped facilitate early socialmovements? What obstacles did they face? What social and political movements emerged inthe United States as industrialization peaked? What central values and actions do modernsocial movements have in common? How do they differ? How much support exists to allowthose of all opinions to petition government and their fellow citizens? Are people disengagedfrom politics, or are their patterns of involvement changing?

This chapter addresses the following issues: What is the difference between government and politics? Howdoes who is allowed to participate, and how decisions are made, shape the nature of government? How didearly politics set the stage for the American Revolution? What were the core principles of the AmericanRevolution? Why did the Articles of Confederation fail? How did compromises at the ConstitutionalConvention shape our political system? What are the core principles of the American Constitution? How didthe struggle over ratification of the Constitution and other events in the early days help structure the nature ofour democracy?

Pages 31-62

This chapter addresses the following issues: What are the advantages and disadvantages of dividing authoritybetween layers of government? How did the Constitution divide power between national and state government? Howdo economic and social changes impact federalism? How has federalism changed in recent decades?

Pages 71-94

This chapter addresses the following issues: Why does the Bill of Rights protect individuals againstactions by state government? How are the two dimensions of freedom of religion under the FirstAmendment different from each other? How "free" is free speech in the United States? Is there anyjustification for government-imposed limitations on written words or artistic and photographicimages? Why does the Bill of Rights provide protections for criminal suspects? Does the Bill of Rightsprovide enough legal protections to make sure that only guilty people receive criminal punishment?Why is the right to privacy controversial?

This chapter addresses the following issues: What conception of equality is most appropriate as the goal of thegoverning system in the United States? How have the developments of American history led us to where wecurrently stand with respect to civil rights and equality? Why have litigation strategies been successful inchallenging discrimination at some moments in history but not others? Has the U.S. Supreme Court interpretedthe equal protection clause too broadly, narrowly, or in an appropriate way? What factors influenced thedevelopment and impact of civil rights grassroots mobilization? How have the civil rights struggles of womenand Latinos differed from those of African Americans? Why are there continued debates, lawsuits, andprotests about civil rights in the 21st Century?