Course Modules
Six comprehensive modules dissecting the legacy systems that govern American democracy. Each module includes primary sources, data visualizations, and system analysis.
The Census Machine
How Population Becomes Power
From Hollerith's punch cards to algorithmic apportionment. Learn how the decennial count shapes $1.5 trillion in federal spending and the balance of Congressional power.
Gerrymandering
Cartography as Weapon
District boundaries as political technology. Explore how packing, cracking, and algorithmic mapping let legislators choose their voters instead of voters choosing representatives.
Electoral College
The 538 Gatekeepers
Why your vote's weight depends on your zip code. Trace the evolution from compromise to crisis, and model alternatives that never gained traction.
Voter Suppression Patterns
Access Control Mechanisms
From poll taxes to voter ID: the persistent architecture of exclusion. Analyze how laws designed to 'secure' elections systematically reduce participation.
The Lobby System
Shadow Legislature
Where laws are really written. Follow money flows through PACs, Super PACs, and dark money networks to understand the parallel power structure.
Constitutional Deadlock
Why Updates Fail
The amendment process as system freeze. Examine why the Constitution is nearly impossible to modify and how workarounds (and exploits) emerge.
The Senate
Minority Rule by Design
How equal state representation creates systematic power imbalances. Wyoming's 580,000 residents get the same Senate power as California's 39 million.
Primary Systems
The Pre-Election Filter
How candidates are selected before you ever vote. Explore the maze of primaries, caucuses, superdelegates, and party rules that determine your choices.
The Courts
Unelected Power
Lifetime appointments, judicial review, and the politicization of justice. How nine unelected officials became the final arbiters of American law.