Review the terms and links listed under the title of each chapter on this
page. Use your textbook or the
Government
Glossary to look up any terms or concepts you do not know.
I.
Constitutional Underpinnings of United States Government . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . 5–15%
A. Considerations that influenced the formulation and
adoption of the Constitution
B. Separation of powers
C. Checks and balances
D. Federalism
E. Theories of democratic government
II. Political Beliefs
and Behaviors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . 10–20%
A. Beliefs that citizens hold about their government and its
leaders
B. Processes by which citizens learn about politics
C. The nature, sources, and consequences of public opinion
D. The ways in which citizens vote and otherwise participate
in political life
E. Factors that influence citizens to differ from one
another in terms of political beliefs and behaviors
III. Political Parties, Interest Groups, and Mass Media . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . 10–20%
A. Political parties and elections
1. Functions
2. Organization
3. Development
4. Effects on the political process
5. Electoral laws and systems
B. Interest groups, including political action committees
(PACs)
1. The range of interests represented
2. The activities of interest groups
3. The effects of interest groups on the political
process
4. The unique characteristics and roles of PACs in the
political process
C. The mass media
1. The functions and structures of the news media
2. The impacts of the news media on politics
3. The news media industry and its consequences
IV. Institutions
of National Government: The Congress, the Presidency, the Bureaucracy, and the
Federal Courts . . . . . . . . . . .35–45%
A. The major formal and informal institutional arrangements
of power
B. Relationships among these four institutions and varying
balances of power
C. Linkages between institutions and the following:
1. Public opinion and voters
2. Interest groups
3. Political parties
4. The media
5. State and local governments
V. Public Policy . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . 5–15%
A. Policymaking in a federal system
B. The formation of policy agendas
C. The role of institutions in the enactment of policy
D. The role of the bureaucracy and the courts in policy
implementation and interpretation
E. Linkages between policy processes and the following:
1. Political institutions and federalism
2. Political parties
3. Interest groups
4. Public opinion
5. Elections
6. Policy networks
VI. Civil
Rights and Civil Liberties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . 5–15%
A. The development of civil liberties and civil rights by
judicial interpretation
B. Knowledge of substantive rights and liberties
C. The impact of the Fourteenth Amendment on the
constitutional development of rights and liberties
Precedents Set By
Court Cases
Expansion of National Power
Marbury
v. Madison
McCulloch
v. Maryland
Application of Bill of Rights to the States
Barron v. Baltimore
Gitlow
v. New York
Gideon v. Wainwright
Civil Rights
Plessy
v. Ferguson
Brown
v. Board of Education
Swann v. Charlotte Mecklenburg
Regents
of the University of California v. Bakke
Richmond v. Croson
Heart of Atlanta Motel v. United States
Shaw
v. Reno
Hopwood v. Texas
First Amendment
Everson
v. Board of Education
Engel v. Vitale
Lemon
v. Kurtzman
Employment
Division v. Smith
Schenck
v. U.S.
New
York Times v. Sullivan
Miller
v. California
Texas v. Johnson
Hustler Magazine v. Falwell
Buckley v. Valeo
Life, Liberty, and Property
Roe
v. Wade
Terry v. Ohio
Mapp
v. Ohio
Miranda v. Arizona
Campaign Finance
Buckley v.
Valeo
Various Supreme Court Tests
The Establishment Clause
Lemon
Test
Endorsement Test
Nonpreferentialist Test
The Free Exercise Clause
Compelling Interest Test
Freedom of Speech
Bad Tendency Doctrine
Clear and Present Danger Doctrine
Preferred Position Doctrine
Prior Restraint
Vagueness
Least Drastic Means
Content and Viewpoint Neutrality
Commercial Speech
Obscenity Test
Equal Protection
Rational Basis Test
Heightened Scrutiny Test
Strict Scrutiny Test
Abortion
Undue Burden Test
