Free Self-Paced Course
American Government and Politics: How Power Works
8 Weeks · 306 Sections · Humanities — Civics & Government
This free, self-paced course provides a structured 8-week syllabus for learning American Government. Each module builds on the previous one, guiding you from foundational concepts through advanced topics with 306 pages of in-depth reading material. All content is drawn from our comprehensive American Government textbook, organized into a clear weekly schedule that you can follow at your own pace.
Weekly Syllabus
- Part II — The Institutions: How Power Is Organized
- Chapter 7 — Congress: The People's Branch That Most People Hate
- Chapter 8: How Congress Actually Works — Committees, Leadership, Parties, and the Filibuster
- Chapter 9: The Presidency — Powers, Constraints, and the Expanding Executive
- Chapter 10. The Vice Presidency, the Cabinet, and the Executive Office of the President
- Chapter 11 — The Executive Branch in Action: Bureaucracy, Agencies, and the Administrative State
- Chapter 12 — The Federal Courts: Judicial Review, Interpretation, and the Myth of Neutral Judging
- Chapter 13. Lower Federal Courts — District, Circuit, and the Real Work of Federal Judging
- Chapter 14: The Supreme Court — Nominations, Ideology, and the Nine Most Powerful Unelected Officials in America
- Chapter 15: State and Local Government — Where Most Government Actually Happens
- Chapter 16: The Budget — How Taxing and Spending Reveal a Nation's Real Priorities
- Part III — Politics and Participation: How the People Engage
- Chapter 17: Public Opinion — What Americans Believe, Why They Believe It, and How We Know
- Chapter 18: The Media — From Walter Cronkite to TikTok, How Information Shapes Democracy
- Chapter 19: Political Parties — The Two-Party System, Realignment, and Why Third Parties Can't Win
- Chapter 20: Elections and Campaigns — How We Choose, and How Money, Maps, and Media Shape the Choice
- Chapter 21 — Campaign Operations: How Modern Campaigns Are Actually Run
- Chapter 22: Voting Behavior — Who Votes, Who Doesn't, and Why It Matters
- Chapter 23 — Identity and Politics: How Religion, Race, Ethnicity, Gender, and Class Shape American Political Life
- Chapter 24: Interest Groups and Lobbying — The First Amendment Right That Distorts Democracy
- Chapter 25 — Political Polarization: How America Sorted Itself and Whether It Can Unsort
- Chapter 26: Social Movements — How Outsiders Change the System from Below
How to Use This Syllabus
- Read at your own pace. Each module is designed for roughly one week of study, but there are no deadlines. Spend as much time as you need on each topic.
- Follow in order or jump around. The modules are arranged sequentially for a structured learning path, but feel free to skip to any topic that interests you most.
- No sign-up needed. Every page in this syllabus links directly to free, open-access content. Just click a topic and start reading immediately.
Ready to Start Learning?
Access the full American Government textbook with all chapters, examples, and exercises.
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