Unit 4 USA

Content outline	Key concepts	Course outline
Constitution and Supreme Court	separation of powers checks and balances judicial independence judicial review due process	- a knowledge of the nature and principles of the US Constitution. - an awareness of the constitutional framework within which US institutions operate and of the relationship between the Constitution and practical politics. - a knowledge of the role of the Supreme Court, of its impact upon public policy, and an ability
	representation government gridlock	- a knowledge of the structure and workings of Congress, of the distribution of power within Congress, and of debates about the adequacy of its representative role. - a knowledge of factors influencing the relationship between Congress and the presidency, and an ability to discuss the policy significance and institutional effectiveness of Congress.
Presidency	presidential system imperial presidency	- a knowledge of the formal and informal sources of presidential power and of the relationships between the presidency and other institutions. - an awareness of the factors that affect the role of the presidency and an ability to evaluate the capacity to provide leadership of the presidency and of recent presidents.
Federal bureaucracy	spoils system political control	- a knowledge of the general structure and functions of the federal bureaucracy, of the sources of its power, and of the extent of its political accountability.
Federalism	federalism intergovernmentalism state powers	- a knowledge of the relationship between the federal government and state governments and of the changing forms and theories of federalism. - an awareness of debates about the need for and health of federalism inthe USA.