U.S. Political Institutions

This course is a part of U.S. Government, a 4-course XSeries series from edX.

How do the three branches of government operate? How is power shared among Congress, the president, and the Supreme Court? What role is played by federal agencies that have no direct constitutional authority oftheir own?

In this part of our series on American Government, we will examine the separation of powers among the three branches of government, and the role of voters, political parties, and the broader federal bureaucracy. We’ll explore how “the people” affect the behavior of members of Congress, what constitutes success in a president’s domestic and foreign policies, and how much power an unelected judiciary should have in a democratic system.

What you'll learn

• How Congressmembers are influenced by their constituencies
• What causes political polarization between Republicans and Democrats
• How Congress’s structure limits progress on significant issues
• How executive orders expand the powers of the presidency
• Why presidents are less constrained in foreign policy than in domestic policy
• How federal agencies promote and protect their programs
• The influence of politics on Supreme Court decisions