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The structure and process of United States national politics and government. Special attention to the ideas and values, institutions, and political processes that shape contemporary public policies in this country. 1 unit. Meets the Critical Learning: SHB requirement.

Degree requirement — Critical Learning: SHB

1 unit — Coggins, Derdzinski, Edlin

Previously Featured Offering

United States Politics and Government

Block 2, Sep. 2020
Instructor: Dana Wolfe

PS200 explores fundamental concepts, debates, and questions in U.S. politics, with the primary goal of understanding “who gets what, when, how, and why.” We will explore the foundations of U.S. democracy, institutions of U.S. government, and concepts in democratic politics, such topics as public opinion, ideology, and the media.

Mar. 2012

Political Science has been called the study of “who gets what, when, how, and why?” or “Who governs? who benefits?” for short.

The basic approach of the course follows Founding Father James Madison, who said faction [conflict] is “sown into the nature of man.” This course presents different, disagreeing, maybe disagreeable to you and sometimes mutually contradictory accounts of American politics. Your tasks are first to understand each and every account, and then to decide how much truth, usefulness, and elegance each account has, and finally to begin to put them together to form your own answers to “Who governs? Who benefits?”.

Offerings