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Individual Course

American Government: Constitutional Foundations

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Course Length

4 weeks

2–4 hours per week

Featuring faculty from:

Harvard Kennedy School LogoHarvard Kennedy School

Enroll as Individual

Certificate Price:

$ 149

Enroll as Individual

Certificate Price:

$ 149

How do you govern a country as large, diverse, and complex as the United States?

“We the People” are the opening words of the U.S. Constitution, yet the original document did not give citizens much say in the election of their officials. Though some of those issues have been addressed, substantial barriers—gerrymandering, voter registration, and voter ID laws—still restrain the power of the vote. Why? How can a country, founded more than 200 years ago on the ideals of liberty, equality, and individualism, still struggle to empower all of its citizens equally? This course explores the origins of U.S. political culture, how that culture informed the Constitution, and how that framework continues to influence the country’s politics and policies. We will examine the Constitution’s provisions for limited government, the division of power between the federal and state governments, and the forces that have made federalism a source of political conflict and change. We will address how the Constitution not only established the structure of the U.S. government but guarantees personal freedoms and civil rights. These rights have been challenged and expanded in significant Supreme Court cases, which will help to illustrate how historically disadvantaged groups have struggled to realize the 14th Amendment's promise of equality. The course will be delivered via edX and connect learners around the world.

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  • Esther M.

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Faculty

Your Instructor

Thomas E. Patterson

Bradlee Professor of Government and the Press, Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University

Thomas E. Patterson is Bradlee Professor of Government and the Press in the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He is author of the book Informing the News: The Need for Knowledge-Based Journalism , published in October 2013. His earlier book, The Vanishing Voter , looks at the causes and consequences of electoral participation, and his book on the media’s political role, Out of Order , received the American Political Science Association’s Graber Award as the best book of the decade in political communication. His first book, The Unseeing Eye , was named by the American Association for Public Opinion Research as one of the 50 most influential books on public opinion in the past half century. He is also the author of the award winning Mass Media Election (1980), and a general American government text, We the People , now in the 11th edition. His articles have appeared in Political Communication , Journal of Communication , and other academic journals, as well as in the popular press. His research has been funded by the Ford, Markle, Smith-Richardson, Pew, Knight, Carnegie, and National Science foundations. Patterson received his PhD from the University of Minnesota in 1971.

It was a dream come true for me because I respect the institute so much. It was my pleasure to be a part of the Harvard community, a place that represents a legacy of excellence and is highly respected globally. Harvard's commitment to excellence, truth, responsibility and diversity will always attract the cream of the crop because of its excellence.

Esther M.

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Ways to take this course

Audit or Pursue a Verified Certificate

A Verified Certificate costs $149 and provides unlimited access to full course materials, activities, tests, and forums. At the end of the course, learners who earn a passing grade can receive a certificate.

⁠Alternatively, learners can Audit the course for free and have access to select course material, activities, tests, and forums. Please note that this track does not offer a certificate for learners who earn a passing grade.

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