What are the actual powers of the presidency? Congress? The Supreme Court? Join us for a non-partisan look at the division of powers among the three branches, why things move so slowly (by design!), and how to make your voice heard in the national government.

In this class we will discuss the basics of:

• Powers of the president, Congress, and the Supreme Court

• How the three branches of national government work together

• The pace of national government

• How to make your voice heard

This class is part of a series of classes on Civics. Find the full list here.

About the teacher:

Dr. Liz Norell did not grow up in a particularly political family. In fact, when she was about eight years old, her father had her take a political ideology quiz from the weekend newspaper, and the results horrified him so thoroughly that they’ve rarely talked about politics since. However, she felt her interest in politics grow deeper during her undergraduate studies at George Washington University; there, Washington, DC was her laboratory as she pursued a degree in journalism, intent on bringing unbiased information to the masses. Life took a few turns before she went back to school to get her Ph.D. in political science from the University of Texas Dallas. Although she primarily studies public opinion and political behavior, she's borderline obsessed with the Supreme Court. Her favorite thing in the world is teaching the inner workings of American government to others -- most of the time, she does so at Chattanooga State Community College, but honestly? She'll grab any excuse to do so outside of a college classroom, too.