Gov 30: Introduction to American Government - Vocabulary Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms, definitions, foundational concepts, and assignment specifications from the Gov 30 introductory lecture.

WWWC (or w3c)

A consortium of firms, universities, and other stakeholders that governs the World Wide Web by setting standards for websites and developing web security.

Collective Decision Making

A process of negotiation involving unstructured deliberation, finding common ground, and agreeing on solutions.

Institutions

Entities that put structure on deliberations, characterized by decision rules, organization of interests, and status quo bias versus sunsets.

Federalist Papers View of Political Science

The perspective articulated by Madison and Hamilton that a science of politics is necessary to design institutions that protect liberty and create the common good.

Harold Laswell's Definition of Political Science

The study of "who gets what where when and how".

Demos

A term meaning "people," representing American society and its representation within democracy.

Res Publica

A term meaning "the public thing or affair or property," which forms the root of republicanism.

Separation of Powers

An institutional structure in American government dividing power into three components: Will, Force, and Judgment.

Backgrounder Paper

The first short paper in the Observing Politics project focusing on what an institution does, its decision-makers, agenda setting, and decision-making processes.

Observation Paper

The second short paper in the Observing Politics project describing what occurred during in-person attendance at two institutional meetings.

Analysis Paper

The third short paper in the Observing Politics project defining a topic relevant to an observed institution, examining who wins/loses, political dynamics, and potential improvements.