Schedule & Slides
Readings are chapters from Wilson et al., American Government (18th ed.), plus the linked primary documents. Lecture slides open in your browser; press F for full screen and Esc for a slide overview.
Part I: The Constitutional Order and the American Political System
| Week | Dates | Topic | Readings | Slides |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aug 17–19 | Course Introduction and the Study of American Government | Ch. 1 | Slides |
| 2 | Aug 24–26 | The Constitution | Ch. 2; Declaration of Independence; Constitution; Federalist 10; Federalist 51 | Slides |
| 3 | Aug 31–Sept 2 | Federalism (No class Wed, Sept 2) | Ch. 3 | Slides |
| 4 | Sept 7–9 | Civil Liberties (No class Mon, Sept 7) | Ch. 5 | Slides |
| 5 | Sept 14–16 | Civil Rights | Ch. 6 | Slides |
| 6 | Sept 21–23 | Political Culture · Exam 1: Wed, Sept 23 | Ch. 4 | Slides |
Part II: Formal Institutions
| Week | Dates | Topic | Readings | Slides |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Sept 28–30 | Congress | Ch. 13; Constitution, Article I; Federalist 55; Federalist 62 | Slides |
| 8 | Oct 5–7 | The Presidency | Ch. 14; Constitution, Article II; Federalist 68, 70, 72 | Slides |
| 9 | Oct 12–14 | The Bureaucracy | Ch. 15 | Slides |
| 10 | Oct 19–21 | The Judiciary | Ch. 16; Constitution, Article III; Federalist 78 | Slides |
| 11 | Oct 26–28 | Economic Policy and the Federal Budget · Exam 2: Wed, Oct 28 | Ch. 18; Introduction to the Federal Budget Process | Slides |
Part III: Individual Agency and Mediating Institutions
| Week | Dates | Topic | Readings | Slides |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | Nov 2–4 | Public Opinion | Ch. 7 | |
| 13 | Nov 9–11 | Political Participation | Ch. 8 | |
| 14 | Nov 16–18 | Political Parties | Ch. 9 | |
| 15 | Nov 23–25 | Elections and Campaigns (No class Wed, Nov 25) | Ch. 10 | |
| 16 | Nov 30 | Interest Groups | Ch. 11 |
Final Exam: Date and time TBD.