This course analyzes contemporary American politics. We focus on two key developments. The first is the contentious 2016 national election. We use President Donald Trump’s election and his administration as a point of departure for assessing American politics. Political life is turbulent and even chaotic. The two parties oppose each other intensely on all fronts. While economic concerns remain powerful, other issues resonate strongly in politics. There are passionate arguments about immigration, the role of the government in regulation and social policy, the political meanings of ethnicity and race, and the appropriate role of the U.S. in international politics. Dynamic political and social movements, often with populist themes, have emerged across the political spectrum. Our second focus is on inequality in the United States. Why have several forms of inequality become the site of large and contentious political and policy arguments? How should we explain large increases in inequality in the last several decades? In addition to economic inequality we examine social inequality along several dimensions, including racial and ethnic inequality. We analyze emerging inequalities in political access and influence. This course helps to prepare Ph.D. students in Politics for the American Politics field exam. It is open to M.A. and Ph.D. students in Politics and to M.A. and Ph.D. students in other New School programs.