ISI - POLS 1101 - American National Government
Course Description
American National Government will introduce students to the fundamentals of the American political system.
This course is an introduction to the study of politics focusing on basic concepts, processes, and institutions; emphasis on government and politics of the U.S. examined in comparative perspective; probable topics include nature of constitutional democracy, ideology, parties and elections, and formation of public policy.
The American political process is often over-simplified in the modern 24/7 news cycle. The reason for this is simply to promote the agenda of the corporate ownership, whether it is CNN, MSNBC, FOX, etc. American politics is, however, anything but simple. The American political landscape is composed of institutional, non-governmental, and individual actors. For this reason, this course will concentrate primarily on the main constitutional actors: the legislative, executive, and judicial actors and how these actors are relevant to society and, most importantly, to you the voter; i.e. the “Iron Triangle" of US intergovernmental relations.
The two overarching questions that you, as a novice student of politics, should ask throughout this course are these: how can I affect the political process at Federal, state, or local levels, and what effect does my participation have on me?
Learner Outcomes
For political science majors/minors, this course is meant as an initial stepping stone in your political science studies. By the end of this semester, you should have the ability to correctly express yourselves, in writing, as to your political views and affiliations. You will be able to write a sufficient essay that covers the governmental branches, their exact functions, the electoral process, and reasonably comprehend and excel in upper-level political science coursework.
For future education studies majors, this course is meant to give you a basic grounding in the American political process and its actors: how it works, actor function in government; the Lasswellian concept of “when, where, and how much,” societal control/reciprocity that the individual in society is “due.”
General Studies majors and other disciplines, this course will not only fulfill coursework requirements but enhance your knowledge of the American political process and your rights/obligations within that process.
Required Course Materials
Marone, James A. and Rogan Kersh. By the People: Debating American Government. 2ND ed. New York; Oxford University Press. ISBN: 978-0-19-021673-3M.
Sponsor Institution
Credits earned for this course are included in a University of Idaho transcript.
This is an INDEPENDENT STUDY IN IDAHO course
To learn about program and refund policies, visit www.uidaho.edu/isi.
Still have a question? Submit an ISI Support Request.
COURSE NUMBER NOTICE
Beginning with the 2025-2026 Catalog year, the University of Idaho transitioned to 4-digit course numbers. As ISI works through this transition, you may continue to see 3-digit course numbers during this time. A crosswalk is available online.