AP Government & Politics with Honors Civics/Economics



AP Government & Politics with Honors Civics/Economics

Unit 3: Political Behaviors and Beliefs

OVERVIEW

Our third unit focuses on political beliefs and behaviors and will incorporate political culture, public opinion, political participation, voting and elections. Given that we are in the midst of an election year, we will also have plenty of current events to discuss as well. As you will see from the unit plan below, this is a rather large and comprehensive unit. It covers some information from Chapter 2 (American Citizens and Political Culture), Chapter 11 (Public Opinion) and Chapter 14 (Voting, Campaigns, and Elections). Please pay special attention to the reading assignments.

PRESIDENTIAL DEBATES

An important part of this unit is an understanding of the current presidential race. There will be a corresponding assignment for each of the upcoming debates. At this point you have already completed the first debate assignment. The Vice Presidential Debate is not required, but encouraged viewing. For the second presidential debate, students should take notes from the debate (question and response) and complete the questions from the Observation and Analysis Journal Assignment. Answers should be typed and questions should appear in bold (see class website for the link). This assignment will be worth two Civics Quiz Grades and is due at the beginning of class on Wed, October 12th

• September 26, 2016 (Monday) – First Presidential Debate

• October 4, 2016 (Tuesday) – Vice Presidential Debate

• October 9, 2016 (Sunday) – Second Presidential Debate

• October 19, 2016 (Wednesday) – Third Presidential Debate

1st QUARTER PROJECT

Your final project will be assessed on content and creativity; expectations and details are below.  Projects are due Monday, October 24th (note: the Unit 3 test is the very next day).

Option #1 – Game Project

• The project for this unit will have you create a comprehensive board game that reflects Constitution and/or Federalism.  Material covered should come from the chapters on the Constitution, Federalism, and Civil Liberties. In groups of no more than four, your game should include a minimum of 75 concepts from the course material.  Your final project should include

o directions/rules

o the game board itself (must be original)

o any necessary pieces

o any additional resources necessary to play the game. 

• No more than “4 players” should be able to play.  Depending on time, we may present and play these games as part of our review for this unit test!  It must be colorful, creative, and reflect the expectations of a class of this caliber. 

Option #2 – Children’s Book

• With a new baby, a children’s book is only appropriate. Thus, your mission if you choose to accept it (and you must) is to create a children’s book about the US Constitution. Your task is to “translate” the Constitution so that a child could read it. In other words, your job is to simplifying the text. Though the words should be different, its basic meaning should not change.

• Each page must also have at least one visual representation of the concept on each page (remember, it is for a child to understand)

• In addition to the 6 principles discussed in class (6), your 40-page masterpiece must include information on the following aspects of the Constitution, with one page representing each aspect of the document, including: Preamble (1), Article: 1 Sections 1-10 (10), Article 2: Sections 1-4 (4), Article 3: Sections 1-3 (3), Article 4: Sections 1-4 (4), Article 5 (1), Article 6 (1), Article 7 (1), and the Bill of Rights (10).

UNIT OBJECTIVES

1. Define what scholars mean by political culture, and list some of the dominant aspects of political culture in the U.S.

2. Discuss how U.S. citizens compare with those of other countries in their political attitudes.

3. Explain the apparent absence of class consciousness in this country.

4. Explain why some observers are quite concerned about the growth of mistrust in government and why others regard this mistrust as normal and healthy.

5. Define internal and external feelings of political efficacy, and explain how the level of each of these has varied over the past generation.

6. List the sources of our political attitudes, and indicate which are the most important sources. Assess the influence of various religious traditions on political attitudes.

7. Explain why there is no single cleavage between liberals and conservatives in this country and why there are crosscutting cleavages. Explain the significance of these facts. Assess the significance of race in explaining political attitudes.

8. Define political ideology and state why most Americans do not think ideologically. Summarize the liberal positions on the economy, civil rights, and political conduct. Describe what the Democrats and the Republicans, respectively, must do to put together a successful national coalition to achieve political power in any election.

9. Identify which elite groups have become liberal, and compare their current attitudes with the past political preferences of these groups. Discuss the "new class" theory as an explanation for changes in attitudes. Analyze why these changes are causing strain in the political party system.

10. Explain why the text believes that the description, the analysis, and the proposed remedy for low voter turnout rates in this country are off base.

11. Compare the way turnout statistics are tabulated for this country and for other countries, and explain the significance of these differences.

12. Describe how the control of elections has shifted from the states to the federal government, and explain what effects this shift has had on blacks, women, and youths.

13. State both sides of the debate over whether voter turnout has declined over the past century, and describe those factors that tend to hold down voter turnout in this country.

14. Discuss those factors that appear to be associated with high or low political participation.

15. Explain why elections in the United States are both more democratic and less democratic than those of other countries.

16. Demonstrate the differences between the party-oriented campaigns of the nineteenth century and the candidate-oriented ones of today, explaining the major elements of a successful campaign for office today.

17. Discuss how important campaign funding is to election outcomes, what the major sources of such funding are under current law, and how successful reform legislation has been in purifying U.S. elections of improper monetary influences.

18. Discuss the partisan effects of campaigns, or why the party with the most registered voters does not always win the election.

19. Define the term realigning election and discuss the major examples of such elections in the past, as well as recent debates over whether realignment is again underway.

20. Outline the major arguments on either side of the question of whether elections result in major changes in public policy in the United States.

Tuesday, October 4

TEST: CONSTITUTION & FEDERALISM

Homework: Read/take notes 50-57 (Chapter 2)

Wednesday, October 5

Discussion: Test Analysis and Unit Overview

Discuss Vice Presidential Debate

Homework: Read/take notes 58-66 (Chapter 2)

Thursday, October 6

Discussion: An Introduction to American Political Culture

Homework: 623-630 and print out article from

Friday, October 7

Discussion: Voting in a Democratic Society

Article: “Why Americans still don’t vote and why politicians want it that way.”

Homework: 630-637 (bring books next class!)

Monday, October 10

Discussion: Exercising the Right to Vote in America (Activity: Factors that Impact Public Opinion)

Article: “The Values Decide” (John White)

Homework: 637-642

Tuesday, October 11

Discussion: How the Voter Decides

Groups – Lanahan Reading Jigsaw: Voting and Elections

▪ Stormy Weather – Dante Scala, #66

▪ No Place for Amateurs – Dennis Johnson, #67

▪ Going Dirty – David Mark, #68

▪ Red Over Blue – James Ceaser/Andrew Busch, (handout)

Homework: 642-648

Wednesday, October 12

Discussion: 10 Steps to the American Presidency: Presidential Campaigns

Homework: 648-656 (skip profiles 654-655)

Thursday, October 13

Discussion: 10 Steps to the American Presidency: The General Election Campaign

Homework: 656-666 (skip 659, 662-663)

Friday, October 14

Discussion: 10 Steps to the American Presidency: Media and Money

Homework: 485-493 (read up to “The Quality of Opinion Polling Today”)

Monday, October 17

Discussion: Public Opinion, Part I: Role and Measurement

Article Public Opinion and American Democracy (V.O. Key)

Homework: 493-502 (skip 498)

Tuesday, October 18

Discussion Public Opinion, Part II: Quality and Types

Article: The Opinion Makers (David Moore)

Homework: 502-507

Wednesday, October 19

Discussion: Citizens Value – How Do We Measure Up?

Homework: Review 507-518 (from our activity earlier this unit) and study for your test

Thursday, October 20

Discussion: Film: Journeys with George

Homework: Study for test

Friday, October 21

Discussion: Discuss Film and Finish Material

Homework: Study for test

Monday, October 24

Discussion: Review for test

Homework: Study for test

Tuesday, October 25

EXAM #3: POLITICAL BELIEFS AND BEHAVIORS[pic]

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