Preface. Introduction. 1. GOVERNING PRINCIPLES AND IDEOLOGIES. Reading the Constitution. The Framers of the Constitution and Republicanism. Contemporary American Political Ideologies. Direct Democracy: Electronically. 2. FEDERALISM. Creating Federalism. Federal Aid to State and Local Governments: Should Strings Be Attached? The Amendment Process. Who's in Charge of the Minimum Drinking AgeThe Federal Government or the States? 3. PUBLIC OPINION AND THE MASS MEDIA. Public Confidence in American Institutions. Bias and Accuracy in the News Media: The Case of CBS News and a President's Military Record. How Do You Want Your News: Hard or Soft? 4. POLITICAL PARTIES AND ELECTIONS. The Presidential Election of 2004: Why It Wasn't the Economy. Gerrymandering. To Vote or Not to Vote? Alternative Voting Systems. 5. INTEREST GROUPS. AARP vs. Generation X: Mismatched Interest Group Power. The Charm of Pork Barrel Spending: The Political Side of Punxsutawney Phil. Campaign Finance Reform and the Newest Loophole527 Groups. 6. CONGRESS. What is the Proper Role of the Representative? Why We Hate Congress But Love Our Member of Congress. Blacks in Congress. Legislative Apportionment. 7. THE PRESIDENCY. The Electoral College. Evaluating Presidential Performance. The Power of the Sword. Distinguishing Fact from Opinion in an American Presidential Campaign. 8. BUREAUCRACY AND THE REGULATORY PROCESS. The Fourth Branch. The National Security State. How Much Regulation is Enough? How Much is Too Much? 9. THE JUDICIARY. Establishing Judicial Review. Judicial Activism Versus Judicial Restraint: The Supreme Court and the Juvenile Death. Penalty. What Role Should the Senate Play in Judicial Appointments? Beating the Odds on Judicial Appointments. 10. CIVIL RIGHTS. Mandating Segregation by State Law. Same-Sex Marriage: The New Civil Right? The Gender Wage Gap. The End of Affirmative Action? 11. CIVIL LIBERTIES. The Tension Between Civil Liberties Advocates and Civil Rights Advocates: Campus Hate Speech Codes. Random Drug Testing and the Right to Privacy. Homosexuals and the Right to Privacy. Jerry Falwell and Hustler Magazine: Libel and the Slippery Slope of Censorship. Appendix 1: For Instructors: How to Use this Textbook. Appendix 2: Tools in Political Analysis. Appendix 3: United States Constitution.