POLSC231: Introduction to American Politics

Unit 3: American InstitutionsWhen many people think of the American government, the institutions
that come to mind most often are Congress, the president, and the
Supreme Court. This unit will focus on these three important pillars of
American government in addition to a fourth and often overlooked facet
of American government: the bureaucracy. Each subunit is dedicated to
one of the major institutions and discuss the significant role that the
particular institution plays in the American political system. As we
learned in previous units, the American system of government relies on a
delicate balance of power among many forces. By the end of this unit,
you will understand the specific roles that each institution plays in
establishing and maintaining that balance of power.

Unit 3 Time Advisory
Completing this unit should take approximately 46.5 hours.

☐ Subunit 3.1: 14.25 hours

☐ Subunit 3.1.1: 1.25 hours

☐ Subunit 3.1.2: 2.25 hours

☐ Subunit 3.1.3: 0.75 hours

☐ Subunit 3.1.4: 0.75 hours

☐ Subunit 3.1.5: 1.25 hours

☐ Subunit 3.1.6: 0.25 hours

☐ Subunit 3.1.7: 3 hours

☐ Subunit 3.2: 10.75 hours

☐ Subunit 3.2.1: 1.75 hours

☐ Subunit 3.2.2: 3.25 hours

☐ Subunit 3.2.3: 1 hour

☐ Subunit 3.2.4: 0.75 hours

☐ Subunit 3.3: 6.5 hours

☐ Subunit 3.3.1: 0.25 hours

☐ Subunit 3.3.2: 0.75 hours

☐ Subunit 3.3.3: 0.25 hours

☐ Subunit 3.3.4: 1.5 hours

☐ Subunit 3.4: 12.5 hours

☐ Subunit 3.4.1: 0.75 hours

☐ Subunit 3.4.2: 0.5 hours

☐ Subunit 3.4.3: 1.25 hours

☐ Subunit 3.4.4: 0.75 hours

☐ Subunit 3.4.5: 5.25 hours

☐ Unit 3 Current Events Challenge: 1.5 hours

☐ Unit 3 Assessment: 1 hour

Unit3 Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- outline the structure and powers of the US Congress;
- compare, contrast, and discuss the defining features of the US
Senate and House of Representatives;
- explain the factors involved in electing members of Congress,
including the advantages of incumbency;
- explain the process of how a bill becomes a law;
- discuss the role, structure, and powers of congressional committees;
- explain the basic structure of party leadership in both houses of
Congress;
- identify and analyze the factors that influence how members of
Congress vote;
- contrast the concepts of trustee, delegate, and politico roles in
congressional representation;
- discuss the constitutional origins of the executive branch;
- outline both the powers of the presidency and the constraints on
those powers;
- trace the evolution of the modern presidency;
- explain the roles and duties of the vice president, the Executive
Office of the President, and the cabinet of the United States;
- analyze the dynamics among the president, the public, and the media;
- discuss the historical evolution of the federal bureaucracy;
- define the characteristics and organization of the bureaucracy;
- discuss the methods used to check the bureaucracy and efforts made
to reform the system;
- outline the development and structure of the judicial branch;
- explain the role and powers of the federal court system;
- analyze the decision-making powers of the US Supreme Court;
- discuss the landmark decisions in the history of the Supreme Court;
and
- describe the politics of the judicial selection and confirmation
process.

Instructions: Use this PowerPoint as a reference as you watch the
lectures “Congress I,” “Congress II,” and “Term Limits” below.

Reading this presentation and taking notes should take
approximately 30 minutes.

Terms of Use: This resource has been reposted with the kind
permission of Dr. Patrick Scott. Please note that this material is
under copyright and may not be reproduced in any capacity without
the explicit permission of the copyright holder.

Instructions: Watch these three video lectures to gain a general
understanding of important terms and concepts for future readings
and assessments. The US Congress is one of the world’s most
significant democratic institutions. On one hand, Congress can enact
far-reaching and vital legislation. Members often succeed in pushing
through projects and funding that benefit their home districts.
However, it is also one of the most criticized – typically for
having low ethical standards and for being frustratingly slow to
act, elitist, beholden to special interest groups, and overly
partisan. It is no wonder that most Americans have a negative
perception of Congress. Job disapproval ratings for Congress as a
whole usually range between 20-30 percent among voters. Most of the
criticisms of Congress are a reflection of three institutional
factors:
here

Congress is an entity that is made up of hundreds of elected
officials, all representing different constituencies, agendas,
and interests. As a result, members of Congress often disagree
about major legislation. Any legislative action requires broad
agreement both within and across the institution.

Because the framers created a system of shared powers, Congress
has to work with the executive branch. Remember, the president
has the power to veto any legislation that Congress enacts
(although they can override the president's veto), so compromise
becomes the order of the day. This is a system that the Founding
Fathers desired, so that no one branch could wield more power
than the others.

Congress is an incredibly complex institution in terms of rules
and procedures. Thousands of bills are introduced each session
in Congress, and these bills must traverse a complex legislative
process involving committees, floor debates, interest group
influence, and party power struggles. This complexity not only
slows the process of enacting legislation, it also provides a
tremendous built-in advantage for opponents of any bill to block
it. Supporters of a bill must have success at every step.
Opponents need to win only once. Of the approximate 8,000 bills
that are introduced in every 2-year congressional cycle, only 5
percent become public laws.

Watching these lectures and taking notes should take approximately 2
hours and 15 minutes.

Terms of Use: The material above has been reposted with the kind
permission of Dr. Patrick Scott from Missouri State University, and
can be viewed in its original form
here.
Please note that this material is under copyright and may not be
reproduced in any capacity without the explicit permission of the
copyright holder.

Instructions: Read Chapter 12 on pages 462-530. The US Congress is
one of the world’s most significant democratic institutions. Members
fight hard on behalf of their states and districts and are free to
introduce any legislation they wish. This openness also makes
Congress one of the world’s most frustrating institutions. The
tension between representation and action has existed from the very
first Congress in 1789. Because Congress is divided into two houses
with their own rules, procedures, and electoral bases, members often
disagree about major legislation, even when the public wants action.
However, as you’ll discover in this subunit, frustration does have a
purpose and was even intentionally built into our constitutional
system.

Reading this chapter and taking notes should take approximately 1
hour and 15 minutes.

Instructions: Read over this brief list of questions, which will be
addressed in Unit 3. You should use it as a guide before each
subunit to help you determine some of the most important material to
be covered. At the end of the unit, use it as a resource for
reviewing important terms and concepts.

Reading this study guide and taking notes should take approximately
30 minutes.

Terms of Use: This resource been reposted with the kind permission
of Dr. Patrick Scott. Please note that this material is under
copyright and may not be reproduced in any capacity without the
explicit permission of the copyright holder.