PSC 120 – American Political System – Midterm Review Sheet
The exam will include 25 – 30 multiple-choice questions (60%), a choice of 3 of 5 identifications (important terms and/or people) (15%), and
a brief essay (25%). It will cover all material covered since the beginning of the quarter through class readings and material covered in class.
All information related to, and not limited to, the following topics may be included in the exam:
1. American Political Culture
a. Primary political values: Liberty (various types of freedom, connection to limited government), Equality (political v.
social equality), Democracy (theory v. form of government), others?
b. Role of founding documents in our political culture and values (Declaration of Independence, The Constitution, The
Federalist Papers, Bill of Rights)
c. American Government System (Republic v. direct democracy)
i. Constitutional government (substantive and procedural limits)
d. Citizens and Government (trust, political knowledge, political efficacy)
i. Presence and role of Government in our lives
e. Identifications: Liberty, equality, democracy, autocracy, oligarchy, constitutional government, trust in government,
political efficacy, political knowledge, republic/representative democracy, direct (or pure) democracy, Libertarian,
Laissez-faire capitalism, popular sovereignty
2. The Founding and the Constitution
a. Road to the Revolution (13 colonies, salutary neglect, taxes, Boston Massacre, Boston Tea party, Intolerable Acts)
b. Declaration of Independence (various parts, main ideas, source of ideas)
c. Articles of Confederation
d. The Constitution
i. The Constitutional Convention (compromises, Virginia Plan, New Jersey Plan, Great Compromise, 3/5
compromise, commerce compromise)
ii. Separation of powers
iii. Checks and balances
iv. Ratification of the Constitution (federalists v. anti-federalists, the Federalist Papers, Federalist #23, #51,
Anti-federalist #23, the Bill of Rights)
v. Types of power and limits to power
e. Living Constitution
f.
Identifications: Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, John Jay, Alexander Hamilton, Federalists, Anti-Federalists, Bill of
Rights, Checks and Balances, Separation of Powers, Living Constitution, Elastic clause, Judicial Review, Federalists,
Anti-Federalists, amendments, enumerated powers, shared powers, implied powers
3. Federalism
a. Responsibilities of federal, state, and local governments and concurrent powers
i. Federalism continuum (unitary system v. confederal system)
b. Historical context of federalism (federalists v. anti-federalists, Federalist #46)
i. Sections of the constitution that support states/federal government
c. Types of federalism
i. Dual federalism (Layer cake model)
ii. Cooperative Federalism (marble cake model)
1. Supreme Court decisions: McCulloch v. Maryland, Gibbons v. Ogden
2. Expansion of Federal powers (what parts of the Constitution are used to do this?)
3. New Deal
4. Picket fence
5. Coercive federalism
d. New Federalism (devolution of power)
e. Identifications: federalism, unitary system, confederal system, concurrent powers, enumerated (or expressed) powers,
shared powers, implied powers, police powers, supremacy clause, commerce clause, elastic clause, reserved powers, full
faith and credit clause, “comity” or “privileges and immunities” clause, devolution, block grants, unfunded mandates,
states’ rights, regulated federalism, preemption
4. Political Participation
a. Forms of participation (What can we do beyond voting? Electoral v. non-electoral forms of participation)
b. Obstacles to participation
i. Formal obstacles: historical barriers, registration rules, naturalization, felons
ii. Procedural barriers: day, time, process
c. Who participates (inequalities based on race, gender, education, class, age, religion)
d. Political mobilization/civic engagement
i. Strategies – direct mail, phone banking, etc.
ii. Organizations – political parties, interest groups, 527s, grassroots campaigns, netroots campaigns
e. Identifications: lobbying, protest, public relations, turnout, Jim Crow, literacy tests, poll taxes, civic engagement,
socioeconomic status (SES), suffrage, litigation, grassroots campaigns, netroots campaigns
5. Campaigns and Elections
a. Who Runs for office? (Gender, age, background)
i. Why people run for office (Institutional/career approach, calculus of candidacy)
b. How people vote (3 main factors)
c. Election Campaigns
i.
6.
7.
8.
Path to presidency (primaries/caucuses, conventions, general campaign, popular vote (general election),
electoral college)
ii. Polling and “focus groups” (more in public opinion)
iii. General election and high tech politics (organizationally driven v. media driven campaigns)
iv. 6 important communication techniques
d. Money in elections (sources of campaign funds – individuals, PACs, the candidates, 527s, soft money, public funding;
contribution limits)
e. Election Day video: 2004 election
f.
Identifications: primaries, caucuses, convention, delegates, electoral college, Political Action Committees (PACs), 527
Committees, “soft money,” redistricting, gerrymandering, polling, coattail effect, straight/split ticket voting, incumbent,
platform, town hall/meeting, debates
Political Parties
a. Political parties and their goals (3 main goals)
b. Historical Shifts
i. No parties in Constitution
ii. Party emergence (internal mobilization v. external mobilization, Federalists, Democratic
Republicans/Jeffersonian Republicans)
iii. Alignment into 2 party systems and Realignments (5 in history, causes, definition)
c. Third parties (4 main types)
i. Affect on major parties and American political culture
ii. Why do they remain weak?
d. Components of parties (elected officials, appointments)
i. Party identification (how do you get party ID? when it might change? weakening party ID starting in 1960s1970s)
ii. Differences in party ID based on race, class, education, gender, religion, SES, ideology, region)
e. Parties and elections
i. Party organization
ii. Recruiting candidates, nominations
iii. Getting out the vote
f.
Political parties vs. political ideology (Dem., GOP, 3rd parties…vs. socially and/or economically conservative/liberal)
g. “Inside Red-and-Blue America” by Liz Marlantes (polarization)
h. “What Culture Wars?” by Morris Fiorina
i.
Identifications: E.E. Schattschneider, “revolution of 1800,” electoral realignment, dealignment, single member district,
multiple member district, plurality system, proportional representation, conservative, liberal, moderate, political
ideology, two-party system, “solid south,” divided government, platform, patronage, majority party, minority party,
responsible party government
Interest Groups
a. Federalist #10 (faction)
b. Types of Interest Groups
c. Interest Group organization (leadership, financial structure, agency, membership)
d. Interest Group Action (lobbying, iron triangles v. issue networks, litigation, public mobilization)
e. Pluralism (what is it? who supported it? what were the criticisms of it?)
f.
“Logic of Collective Action” by Mancur Olson (Free Rider Problem, Why join Interest Groups?)
g. “Associations Without Members” by Theda Skocpol (changes in associations, New Politics Movement)
i. When do Interest Groups form? (based on Skocpol reading)
h. Identifications: pluralism, Robert Dahl, David Truman, E.E. Schattschneider, elitism, Mancur Olson, social capital,
Robert Putnam, Theda Skocpol, selective incentives, sponsorship groups, New Politics Movement, lobbying, Iron
Triangle, Issue network, grassroots mobilization, Public Action Committees (PACs), faction
Social Movements
a. Examples of social movements in American History
b. Similarities and differences with other political organizations (parties, interest groups, etc…)
c. Major elements of social movements (What do most social movements have in common?)
d. Social movement life cycle
e. Strategies of social movements (success v. failure, use of media, sit-ins, boycotts, strikes, etc…)
f.
Eyes on the Prize video: Montgomery Bus Boycott
g. Identifications: grievance, grassroots, Piven and Cloward, catalyst, contentious, civil disobedience, scope of conflict
(E.E. Schattschneider), mass mobilization