Part 1

• What are the functions of political parties in the United States?

• Why is 1968 considered a watershed year for American political parties?

• What are the primary differences between the American two-party system and the multi-party systems found in many European countries?

• How do interest groups differ from political parties?

• How does Madison's dilemma help us to understand interest groups as a system of countervailing forces?

• Why might one join an interest group?

• What is the role of money in politics?

• Do interest groups distort the democratic process? Why or why not?

Part 2

• Why do we have elections?

• Why are elections critical to the peaceful transfer of power?

• What demographic factors are most likely to predict whether an individual votes?

• Why do some people choose not to participate in the political process?

• What does V. O. Key's typology of elections tell us about the nature of American politics?

• How does public opinion relate to values and political ideology?

• What are some of the sources of the opinions that we have and what are the bases for cleavages in public opinion?

• What role does the press play in measuring public opinion?

• Given Key's definition of a critical election, can we say that the 1994 election was an example of one? Why or why not?