Final answer:
College-level social studies on American Government involves understanding the balance of national and state powers specified in the Constitution, including fiscal policies like federal grants and unfunded mandates that affect state policy decisions.
Step-by-step explanation:
American Government Policies and Their Impact
The study of American Government is a vital part of social studies education at the college level, focusing on the workings, issues, debates, and impacts of governmental policies in the United States. When tasked with identifying governmental policies that have impacted American society, one should consider the constitutional framework that grants power to the national government as well as the elements that support states' rights. Additionally, it's important to look at specific fiscal policies employed by the federal government to influence state policy decisions.
For example, parts of the Constitution that grant power to the national government include the Commerce Clause, which allows Congress to regulate trade between states and international trade and the Necessary and Proper Clause, which gives Congress the power to pass all laws deemed necessary and proper for carrying out its duties. As for states' rights, the Tenth Amendment reserves powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, to the States respectively, or to the people.
Regarding fiscal policies, two primary examples would be the use of federal grants - such as block grants and categorical grants - which can mandate state policies by providing conditional funding, and the use of unfunded mandates, where the federal government sets requirements that the states must follow without providing accompanying funds.