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This course provides an introductory overview of interest groups in American politics. It addresses questions of how political organizations form, who they represent, how they pursue influence, and their overall impact on the political system. In asking these questions it has two goals. First, to familiarize students with basic features of the interest group landscape and the ways organized interests engage various political institutions. Second, to sharpen their awareness of the challenges interest groups pose to democratic governance and to consider ways in which their influence can or should be limited.