Unit 2: Interactions Among Branches: Congress, Presidency, Bureaucracy, & Judiciary

Readings

1.  The Legislative Branch 

2.  Powers of Congress

3.  Powers of Congress 2

4.  The Senate

5.  Structure of Congress

6.  Congressional Elections

7.  The House

Videos

1. THE BICAMERAL CONGRESS (9:05)

2. WHAT IS THE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH? (4:27)

3. CONGRESSIONAL ELECTIONS (8:58)

4. HOW DOES IMPEACHMENT WORK? (5:12)

Required Videos

Topic 2.1 

Activities

Readings

1.  Influences on Members of Congress

2.  Leadership in Congress

3.  How a Bill Becomes a Law

4.  The Committee System

5.  Earmarks Pork Barrel

6.  Legislative Process

Videos

1. CONGRESSIONAL LEADERSHIP (8:11)​

2. BILL: A MEMOIR (12:21)

3. I'M JUST A BILL (3:00)

4. THE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS (5:10)

5. HOW A BILL BECOMES A LAW (7:00)

6. CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES (8:27)

7. FILIBUSTERY: INTRO (2:08)

8. FILIBUSTERY: EPISODE 1 (7:19)

9. WHAT IS A FILIBUSTER? (3:11)

Required Videos

Topic 2.2

Readings

1. What Determines Representation in the House

2. How Gerrymandering Can Swing an Election 

3. How to Gerrymander

4. Gerrymander PowerPoint

5. Everything You Need to Know About Gerrymandering

Videos

1. ​GERRYMANDERING: A THREAT TO DEMOCRACY? (10:54)

2. GERRYMANDERING  CRASH COURSE (7:57)

3. GERRYMANDERING (3:52)

4. THE U.S. CENSUS AND APPORTIONMENT (2:09)

5. WHAT IS REAPPORTIONMENT? (1:53)

Required Videos

Topic 2.3

Readings

1.  The Impeachment Process

3.  Evolution of the Presidency

4.  Overview of the Presidency  

5.  Roles of the President

6.  Presidential Powers

Videos

1. FEDERALIST #70 (4:11)

2. FEDERALIST #70 FOR AP GOV REDESIGN (8:28)

3. PRESIDENTIAL POWER - CRASH COURSE (6:30)

4. PRESIDENTIAL SIGNING STATEMENTS (5:13)

5. SEPARATION OF POWERS - SIGNING STATEMENTS (10:33)

6. INVENTING THE AMERICAN PRESIDENCY (4:00)

7. ​HOW DO EXECUTIVE ORDERS WORK? (4:46)

8. THE 25TH AMENDMENT (6:30) 

Required Videos

2.4 The Presidency

Activities

Readings

1. The Imperial Presidency

2. Congress Responds to the Imperial Presidency

3. Congress v. President

Required Videos

2.5 Checks on Presidency

Readings

1.  Understanding The Bureaucracy

2.   Federalist #70 REQUIRED 

Federalist 70 Annotated

3.  Controlling the Bureaucracy

4.  Iron Triangles

5. Evolving Bureaucracy

6.  The Cabinet

7.  Independent Regulatory Agencies

8.  Government Corporations and Independent Agencies

9.  Bureaucracy of the United States Government

10. BUREAUCRACY AND THE JUDICIARY

Videos

1. BUREAUCRACY BASICS: CRASH COURSE (6:58)

2. TYPE OF BUREAUCRACIES: CRASH COURSE (5:57)

3. ​​CONTROLLING BUREAUCRACIES: CRASH COURSE (7:24)

Videos

1. THE 22ND AMENDMENT EXPLAINED (6:09)

2. WHY DO WE HAVE PRESIDENTIAL TERM LIMITS? (1:39)

Required Videos

Topic 2.8

Topic 2.9

Topic 2.10, 2.11

Readings

1. Federalist #78 REQUIRED

2. Marbury v. Madison (1803) REQUIRED

3.  Introduction to the Federal Courts

4.  Structure of the Federal Courts

5.  Federal Attorneys and Judges

6.  THE SUPREME COURT

7.  FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE SUPREME COURT DECISIONS

8.  CASELOAD OF THE U.S. SUPREME COURT

9.  Judicial Branch Vocabulary

10. BUREAUCRACY AND THE JUDICIARY

Videos

1. ARTICLE III FOR DUMMIES (8:00)

2. FEDERALIST #78 VIDEO

3. LEGAL SYSTEM BASICS (8:13)

4. STRUCTURE OF THE COURT SYSTEM (6:59)

5. HOW A CASE GET TO THE U.S. SUPREME COURT (5:09)​

6. HOW DO U.S. SUPREME COURT JUSTICES GET APPOINTED? (4:25)

Required Videos

Topic 2.6 

Topic 2.7

Readings

1. Read The Bureaucracy of the United States.

2. Read Iron Triangle vs. Issue Network.

Videos

1. The Bureaucracy (6:07)

2. Bureaucracy Basics: Crash Course (6:58)

3. Types of Bureaucracies: Crash Course (5:57)

4. ​​Controlling Bureaucracies: Crash Course (7:24)

5. ​Federal Bureaucracy

6. Understanding the Bureaucracy​

7. Controlling the Bureaucracy

8. Iron Triangle

Required Videos

Topic 2.12

Topic 2.13

Topic 2.14, 2.15