Through an exploration of the presidential election of 2016 and the challenges that Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump posed to their own party establishment, you will be able to:

9.1 Understand why Sanders and Trump posed such a challenge to their parties as well as why their messages resonated with large numbers of voters

9.2 Identify the roles that parties play in American representative democracy

9.3 Evaluate the ways in which the structure of the nomination process can affect both the outcomes of the process and the representation of party members

9.4 Explain how American party systems have evolved over time

9.5 Examine theories behind two-party dominance in American political history

9.6 Debate the prospects for third parties in American politics