GV163-4-AU-CO:
Introduction to United States
2025/26
Government
Colchester Campus
Autumn
Undergraduate: Level 4
Current
Thursday 02 October 2025
Friday 12 December 2025
15
06 March 2025
Requisites for this module
(none)
(none)
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(none)
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This module is designed to explore the structures and dynamics of American government, providing a broad introduction into the history, ideas, and institutions that shape contemporary politics in the United States.
We will focus on three major areas: foundations of Democracy and the American system, American political institutions, and the role informal political institutions and actors in shaping American politics (e.g., interests groups and parties, political participation).
Our analysis will draw on documents from America's formative period and on insights from modern political science, law experts, and journalists, allowing us to examine important political phenomena from a variety of perspectives. Throughout the module we will visit the often conflicting values of order, liberty, and equality.
The aims of this module are:
- To help each member of the class arrive at a deeper, more comprehensive understanding of the forces that shape American government and politics.
- To enable students to not only have a solid understanding of the institutions and processes of American government and politics, but an appreciation of the important role that we, the people, play in maintaining modern democratic institutions.
- To provide students with a basic introduction to the American political system and explain how the American citizens interacting with institutional rules and norms to create policy outcomes.
- To provide students with an understanding of how the American political system has evolved over time
- To encourage students to absorb information about U.S. Politics through an informed and analytic lens.
By the end of the module, students will be expected to be able to:
- Have a basic knowledge of the structure of the political system and its institutions.
- Have knowledge of how those institutions interact and work together.
- Understand the link between society and government.
- Have some understanding of how public-policy outcomes are reached.
No additional information available.
This module will be taught over 2 hours per week.
This module does not appear to have a published bibliography for this year.
Assessment items, weightings and deadlines
| Coursework / exam |
Description |
Deadline |
Coursework weighting |
Additional coursework information
Class Test will be open book with restrictions.
Exam format definitions
- Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
- In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary,
for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.
Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.
Overall assessment
Reassessment
Module supervisor and teaching staff
Prof Lawrence Ezrow, email: ezrow@essex.ac.uk.
Prof. Lawrence Ezrow
Module Supervisor: Prof. Lawrence Ezrow - Ezrow@essex.ac.uk / Module Administrator: Nicola Rowley, govquery@essex.ac.uk
Yes
Yes
No
No external examiner information available for this module.
Available via Moodle
Of 59 hours, 54 (91.5%) hours available to students:
5 hours not recorded due to service coverage or fault;
0 hours not recorded due to opt-out by lecturer(s).
Government
* Please note: due to differing publication schedules, items marked with an asterisk (*) base their information upon the previous academic year.
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