This is a course that provides the background for the principles of American government that involve politics, processes and major institutions. Skills will be developed in terms of evaluating and analyzing public policies for public interests for the common good.

Learning Outcomes:

• Understand and demonstrate knowledge about political behavior and policymaking by examining the appropriate methods, technologies, and data that social and behavioral scientists use to investigate the human condition.
• Explain the methods and process of political behavior and American politics.
• Explain and recognize the importance of examining political behavior and ideology.
• Survey key components of political behavior by examining the dynamics of public opinion, interest groups, the media, and the campaign and election process.
• Understand and demonstrate knowledge about the effects of public opinion by evaluating the social, historical, cultural, economic, and global forces linking public opinion to political behavior.
• Understand and demonstrate knowledge about the effects of the media by evaluating the historical, social, economic, cultural, and global forces involved in shaping the dissemination of information by the media.
• Understand and demonstrate knowledge about the role of interest groups by evaluating the historical, social, economic, cultural and global forces linking interest groups to political behavior.