MCCCD Program Description

American National Government

Course: POS110

First Term: 2023 Fall

Lecture 3.0 Credit(s) 3.0 Period(s) 3.0 Load
Subject Type: Academic
Load Formula: S - Standard Load

Description: Study of the historical backgrounds, governing principles, and institutions of the national government of the United States.

MCCCD Official Course Competencies
1. Discuss the causes of the American Revolution and why the American Revolution is consistent with British Constitutional values. (I) 2. Explain how the Constitution remedies the main defects of the Articles of Confederation. (II, III) 3. Explain how Federalism, Separation of Powers, and Checks and Balances address concerns about concentrated political power. (IV) 4. Explain the mechanism for amending the U.S. Constitution. (V) 5. Identify the major civil liberties and civil rights issues in the U.S. (VI) 6. Describe the party leadership structure in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate and how this leadership structure impacts the policymaking process. (VII) 7. Identify the steps involved in the lawmaking process in the U.S. Congress. (VIII) 8. Identify the constitutional powers of the U.S. President as well as the constraints on the exercise of those powers. (IX) 9. Outline the organization and role of the federal bureaucracy in carrying out executive branch functions. (X) 10. Describe the structure of the federal courts as well as the process for appointing federal judges. (XI, XII) 11. Trace the development of political parties and interest groups and differentiate between the functions each performs. (XIII) 12. Examine the process of political socialization in the U.S. (XIV) 13. Examine the roles that the media and public opinion play in the U.S. political system. (XIV) 14. Explain the role that elections play in U.S. politics and the major criticisms of the electoral process. (XV)
MCCCD Official Course Competencies must be coordinated with the content outline so that each major point in the outline serves one or more competencies. MCCCD faculty retains authority in determining the pedagogical approach, methodology, content sequencing, and assessment metrics for student work. Please see individual course syllabi for additional information, including specific course requirements.

MCCCD Official Course Outline
I. Causes of the American Revolution and the fight for independence II. Challenges and limitations of the U.S. Government under the Articles of Confederation III. The Great Compromise and the U.S. Constitution IV. Constitutional principles: separation of powers, checks and balances and federalism V. Amending the U.S. Constitution VI. Major issues of civil rights and civil liberties VII. Congress: Leadership structure, committees and policy-making VIII. The legislative process: How a bill becomes a law IX. Powers and constitutional duties of the President X. Executive departments and the federal bureaucracy XI. The Supreme Court and the structure of the judicial branch XII. The principle of judicial review and the appointment of judges XIII. The role of political parties and interest groups XIV. Political socialization and the media XV. Political campaigns, elections and voting

MCCCD Governing Board Approval Date: February 28, 2023

All information published is subject to change without notice. Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of information presented, but based on the dynamic nature of the curricular process, course and program information is subject to change in order to reflect the most current information available.