By the time you finish reading this chapter, you will be able to

1.1 Define politics, government, and economics

1.2 Compare the varieties of political and economic systems and explain how they help us understand the differences among nations, including the United States

1.3 Identify and discuss the ideas that underlie the U.S. political system and that bring us together

1.4 Identify and discuss the ideas that divide us despite our being bound by a common culture

1.5 Explain how narratives can perpetuate particular ideas about politics and economics and how living in a mediated world helps to construct those narratives

1.6 Describe the narratives about citizenship that provide the context in which we navigate politics in the United States