Course

Objective:

Learning Outcomes:

• Identify and summarize the events leading to the American Revolution. Highlight and correlate the precedent of historical colonial representative assemblies to revolutionary principles and action.
• Explain the contribution of Enlightened thought to the Founding Father’s ideology as exemplified in the foundation of America; validate examples in the Articles of Confederation and Constitution.
• Deconstruct Constitutional interpretations of the Founders’ language of flexibility to deal with unforeseen changes. Assess how the founding beliefs and ideals of the United States have continued to impact our political institution
• Comprehend and explain the Founders’ established and dynamic system of federalism as a central issue in the study of American government.
• Illustrate and measure how the three branches of government (legislative, executive, and judicial) engage in the model of separation of powers – a source of our government’s strength, and at times, a basis of conflict. Detect how checks and balances, closely related to the notion of separation of powers, affects each governmental branch.
• Comment on America’s long history of civil liberties; our history of the struggle to preserve and extend (and at times limit) personal freedoms. Reflect on the development of our civil rights – our guarantee of equality under the law.
• Understand our responsibilities as a citizen, and understand how civic participation is critical for a democratic system to survive. Debate how our civic participation affects our governmental structure and operations.
• Compare, contrast, and explain the structures of the federal, state, and local governments.

General Topics: