Syllabus: AP U.S. Government
COURSE
LENGTH: 4 terms (meets daily, 50 minutes) NUMBER OF UNITS: 6
GENERAL
COURSE DESCRIPTION: AP Government is a
college level introductory course on United States Government and
Politics. While the content of general
US government courses varies from college to college, this course will focus on
the Constitution; political beliefs and behaviors; political parties, interest
groups, and mass media; the Congress, presidency, bureaucracy, and the federal
courts; public policy; and civil rights and liberties. Course material will be taught through a
variety of means including: lecture and note taking, class discussion,
intensive reading, group and individual projects, and current events.
COURSE
REQUIREMENTS/OUTCOMES: These are the general goals:
- Prepare students for the responsibilities of
citizenship including voting and positive participation in the local
community
- Prepare students for the AP Government exam
- Analyze the history and interpretations of the
Constitution and the Bill of Rights
- Examine the roles, powers, and relationships
between formal and informal institutions in the United States
- Recognize typical patterns of political processes
and behavior and their consequences
- Know important facts, concepts, and theories
pertaining to U.S. government and politics
TEXTBOOK:
·
Wilson, James Q. American
Government: Institutions and Policies 11th edition, 2008.
OTHER
LEARNING RESOURCES:
·
Barons 5 Steps to
a 5 on the Government AP Exam
·
Classroom
investigations.
·
Internet
activities and research.
·Woll, Peter, ed. American Government: Readings and
Cases. 19th edition, 2011.
·Loose leaf paper
·Folder or section of a binder
·Composition Book
·Note cards
· Highlighter
· Writing utensils
COURSE OUTLINE
I. Constitutional Underpinnings of the US Government Constitutional
Underpinnings of the US Government
·
Formulation and
Adoption of Constitution
·
Separation of Powers
·
Federalism
·
Theories of democratic
government
II. Political Beliefs
and Behaviors (chapters 4,7,8)
·
Beliefs that citizens hold about their
government and leaders
·
Processes by which citizens learn about politics
·
The nature, sources and consequences of public
opinion
·
The ways in which citizens vote and otherwise
participate in political life
·
Factors that influence citizens vote and
otherwise participate in political life
·
Factors that influence citizens to differ from
one another in terms of Political Beliefs
III. Political Parties, Interest Groups and Mass Media (chapters
9-12)
·
Political Parties and
elections (Functions, Organization, Development, Effects on the political
process, Electoral laws and systems)
·
Interests groups,
including political action committees (Range of interests represented,
activities of interest groups, effects of interest groups on the political
process, unique characteristics and roles of PAC’s in the political process)
·
Mass Media (Functions
and Structures of the media, Impacts of media on politics
IV. Institutions of National Government: The Congress, the
Presidency, the Bureaucracy and the Federal Courts (chapters 13-16)
·
The major formal and
informal institutional arrangements of power
·
Relationships among
these four institutions and varying balances of power
·
Linkages between
institutions and the following: Public opinion and voters, interest groups,
political parties, the media, sub-national governments
V. Public Policy (chapters 17-22)
·
Policymaking in a
federal system
·
Formation of policy
agendas
·
The role of
institutions in the enactment of policy
·
The role of
bureaucracy and the courts in policy implementation and interpretation
·
Linkage between policy
processes and the following: Political institutions and federalism, political
parties, interest groups, public opinion, elections, policy networks.
VI. Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (chapters 5-6)
·
The development of
civil liberties and civil rights by judicial interpretation
·
Knowledge of
substantive rights and liberties
·
The impact of the 14th
Amendment on the constitutional development of rights and liberties
GRADING:
Grades are determined according to
Dorchester County Public Schools grading policy.
|
90-100% A
|
|
80-89% B
|
|
70-79% C
|
|
60-69% D
|
|
Below 60%
E
|
Term Grades
Classwork: 2 0%
Homework: 10%
Tests/Quizzes/Projects: 70%
Final grade for the course
will consist of all four term grades (90%) and a final exam (10%).
GUIDELINES FOR
SUCCESS: You will be
issued a textbook to take home as well as required to purchase an additional
textbook. In order for students to be successful in a college level course, it
is essential that they maximize their time and complete all assigned readings
prior to class discussions. The readings, lectures and discussions will figure
prominently in the content of the quizzes and examinations. The students are
expected to learn the basic material in their assigned readings. In class they
are expected to apply their knowledge in analyzing and evaluating political
issues based on their readings. All
assigned reading must be completed before attending class Expect about 2-3
hours of homework every week. Readings of fifty pages or more per week
will be the norm. In addition, essays, projects, presentations, and vocabulary
will be assigned on a regular basis. It is essential that you master Government
vocabulary in order to be successful on the AP Exam. With that said you will be given a vocabulary
test EVERY week. On the first day of the
week you will be given that week’s list and several homework assignments to
complete in preparation for that week’s test.
The point of assigning vocabulary homework is that upon completion, very
little actual studying for that week’s test should be necessary and the
vocabulary will become a part of your personal vocabulary. Participation and attendance are extremely
important. Students are responsible for turning in all work on
time. No late work will be accepted unless work is missed due
to an excused absence or prior arrangements are made with the
instructor. Students are encouraged to read and
watch the news daily. At least one major newspaper and news magazine is to be
read every week. These will include but not be limited to the “Washington
Post”, “Atlanta Constitution”, “The New York Times”, “TIME”, “NEWSWEEK”, US
NEWS and World Report”. Students are evaluated on their understanding of
quantitative and visually presented information, i.e. maps, charts, and graphs as
they pertain to a given unit. Data will be used in teaching political
party coalitions, electoral results (popular vote & electoral count),
voting patterns, campaign contributions, & confidence in our elected
officials. Students will be asked to examine and discuss polling data on
voting rates from previous elections, compare statistics on members of
Congress, and compare Presidential approval rates throughout history.
Suggested web sites include, but are not limited to, USATODAY.com, PollingReport.com,
Census.gov, and Galluppoll.com. * Handouts, transparencies,
videos/films, etc. are determined by the teacher for each unit.
OTHER
INFORMATION OR CLASS PROCEDURES OR POLICIES:
Cheating: Plagiarism or dishonesty of any kind will not be
tolerated! This includes turning in information from the Internet as your own
work. Consequences of plagiarism include
earning a score of “0” on the assignment, involvement of the principal and your
parents, possible suspension and/or failure of the course.
Unauthorized Electronic
Devices: Cell phones, IPods, CD
players, handheld games, etc. are to be kept off and out of sight at all
times. A repeated violation of this expectation will result in a written
referral.
WHILE
YOU WERE OUT
If you are absent from class for any reason, excused or unexcused,
it is your responsibility to get your missed assignments. Go to the “Make Up” box and fill out a form
for the day(s) you were absent and place it in the bin at my desk. It now becomes my responsibility to gather
your assignments and give them to you. If
you miss a test, it must be made up promptly. You need to schedule the make-up test with me
in person.
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