How America Works

About this class

What you’ll learn

By the end of the term, learners will be able to:

• Identify the structure and powers of federal, state, and local government, and explain how they interact
• Trace the legislative process from idea through enacted law, citing recent examples
• Locate and interpret core constitutional rights, including the protections of the First, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Fourteenth Amendments
• Register to vote, locate a ballot, and evaluate candidates and ballot questions using primary-source materials
• Contact elected representatives and submit a public comment in writing or in person
• Read a news story critically, distinguishing reporting from opinion and identifying claims that require verification

Topics covered

• The structure of American government: federal, state, and local — what each branch does and where its authority comes from
• The legislative process: from idea to draft to enacted law, traced through recent legislation
• The Constitution: rights and their limits, with focus on the First, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Fourteenth Amendments
• Voter registration, ballots, and the evaluation of candidates and ballot questions
• Local government in practice: city councils, community boards, and constituent services
• Communicating with elected representatives in writing, by phone, and in public testimony
• Civic participation beyond voting: advocacy, public comment, volunteer governance, coalition work
• Media literacy: news, opinion, sourcing, and information verification

How the class works

The course follows a civics pedagogy grounded in active citizenship: learners study primary documents (the Constitution, local laws, sample ballots) alongside contemporary cases, and practice civic skills in real settings rather than only studying them in the abstract. Discussion is structured to surface and examine multiple viewpoints.

Who it’s for

For adults who want to understand how government, voting, and civic life work — and to develop the literacy to participate as informed citizens. No prior coursework in government or civics is required.

What the term may include

These are intentions for the term, not guarantees. Excursions and guests depend on scheduling and on the group — what happens in class every week is the part you can count on.

• Possible excursionCity Hall, to observe local government in session
• Possible excursionA local courthouse, to observe the judicial system in operation
• Possible excursionA community board meeting, to see civic deliberation firsthand
• Possible guestElected officials at the local, state, or federal level
• Possible guestCommunity leaders and advocates
• In classMock legislative session with public comment
• In classPrimary source analysis: the Constitution, local laws, and sample ballots

Your instructor

Joseph Amodeo

Founder and lead instructor at The Grove. Doctoral student in education policy at the University of Illinois with master's degrees in rehabilitation counseling, public administration, political science, and religious studies, plus eight professional credentials and over a decade of teaching experience at the college and professional level.

Education

• Doctoral student, Education Policy, Organization, and Leadership, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign — concentrations in Human Resource Development and in Diversity and Equity in Education
• M.S., Rehabilitation Counseling, University at Buffalo
• M.P.A., Public Administration, Marist College
• M.A., Political Science, University at Albany
• B.A., Religious Studies (summa cum laude), University at Albany

Credentials

• Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC)
• Certified Professional in Talent Development (CPTD)
• Certified Case Manager (CCM)
• Board Certified Coach (BCC)
• Certified Career Counselor (CCC)
• Certified Employment Support Professional (CESP)
• Certified Vocational Evaluation Specialist (CVE)
• Senior Certified Professional, Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM-SCP)

Professional Experience

Joseph is the founder of The Grove and CEO of Lincoln Square Coaching, a New York provider of workforce development and vocational rehabilitation services. From 2014 to 2016, he served as adjunct professor of political science at St. Francis College in Brooklyn, where he taught state and local government and comparative metropolitan politics — an examination of how urban politics unfolds across metropolitan areas internationally. Earlier in his career, he spent more than 14 years at a major New York City human services nonprofit with an annual budget exceeding $125 million, where he led all marketing and communications and designed professional development and e-learning programs reaching more than 1,400 employees per year. He has also built faculty development programs that help college educators bring fresh, practical approaches into their classrooms.

His research examines how career practitioners in vocational rehabilitation and workforce development make sense of their role and the people they serve, and how that sense-making either supports or stands in the way of person-centered practice. He has presented at the Commission for Case Manager Certification Symposium, the Academy of Human Resource Development International Conference, Applied Behavior Analysis New York City, the American Political Science Association Annual Meeting, and the Law and Society Association Annual Meeting. His work in political science has been published in World Medical & Health Policy, a peer-reviewed journal.

Teaching Approach

Joseph's classroom practice reflects his research interest in person-centered learning: instructors plan and adjust to how each learner actually thinks, and treat every learner as a capable adult with something to bring to the room. In Fall 2026 he teaches both Grove classes — How America Works and The Design Studio — which reflect lifelong interests in civics and creative design.