Political Science

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Politics

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The process by which we choose government officials and make decisions about public policy.

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Civic Life

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Participation in the collective life of the community.

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Government

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The body or bodies charged with making official policies for citizens.

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Civil Society

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The broad array of voluntary associations that bring citizens together to deal with community and social issues of common concern.

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Social Capital

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Bonds of trust and reciprocity between citizens that form the glue that holds modern societies together.

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Direct Democracy

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Form of government in which decisions about public policy extend to the entire citizenry.

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Representative Democracy

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Form of government in which popular decision making is restricted to electing or appointing the public officials who make public policy.

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Majority Rule

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The requirement that electoral majorities determine who is elected to office and that majorities in power determine our laws and how they are administered.

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Political Power

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The ability to get things done by controlling or influencing the institutions of government.

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Ruling Elite Theory

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View positing that wealthy and well-educated citizens exercise a disproportionate amount of influence over political decision making.

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Pluralism

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View positing that various groups and coalitions constantly vie for government favor and the ability to exercise political power but none enjoys long-term dominance.

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Initiative

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Procedure that enables citizens to approve or repeal measures already acted on by legislative bodies.

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Popular Referendum

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A device that allows citizens to approve or repeal measures already acted on by legislative bodies.

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Legislative Referendum

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Ballot measure aimed at securing voter approval for some legislative acts, such as changes to a state's constitution.

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Recall

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Procedure whereby citizens can remove and replace a public official before the end of a term.

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Ideology

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Ideas, values, and beliefs about how governments should operate.

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Liberal Democracy

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Ideology stressing individual rights and expressing faith in popular control of government.

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Political Participation

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Taking parts in activities like voting or running for office aimed at influencing the policies or leadership of government.

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Social Class

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The perceived combination of wealth, income, education, and occupation that contribute to one's status and power in society.

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Service Learning Programs

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Agencies that help connect volunteers with organizations in need of help.

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Civic Engagement

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Involvement in any activity aimed at influencing the collective well-being of the community.

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Sovereign

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Independent.

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Bicameral

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Composed of two houses.

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Unicameral

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Composed of a single body.

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Great Compromise

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Agreement at the Constitutional Convention splitting the legislature into two bodies-one apportioned by population, the other assigning each state two members.

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Elastic Clause

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Provision of Article I of the Constitution authorizing Congress to make those laws necessary and proper for carrying out the other laws it passes.

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Supremacy Clause

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Provision of the Article VI stipulating that the federal government, in exercising any of the powers enumerated in the Constitution, must prevail over any conflicting or inconsistent state exercise of power.

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Federalists

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Supporters of the Constitution and its strong central government.

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Antifederalists

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Opponents of the ratification of the Constitution.

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Faction

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Group-most often driven by economic motives that places its own good above the good of the nation as a whole.

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Judicial Review

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Power of the U.S. Supreme Court to review the acts of other political institutions and declare them unconstitutional.

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Federalism

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Power-sharing arrangement between the national and the state government in which some powers are granted to the national government alone, some powers are reserved to the states, some powers are held concurrently, and other powers are prohibited to either or both levels of government.