AP US GOVERNMENT COURSE SYLLABUS



AP U.S Government and Politics Syllabus

COURSE DESCRIPTION: AP U.S. Government and Politics is a college-level course designed to provide students with an analytical perspective on government and politics in the United States. This rigorous course is a one-semester study of general concepts and theories pertaining to U.S. government, typical patterns of political processes and behavior, and the institutions, groups and beliefs that comprise the American political system. One of the aspects that separate the AP Program in U.S. Government from other American government courses is the focus on politics and throughout the course students will be required to analyze various political statistical data, including political cartoons. The course will involve challenging reading and writing assignments, data analysis, and in-class discussion and debate. It is designed to provide a college-level experience and preparation for the AP U.S. Government and Politics Examination on Tuesday, May 15, 2012. This exam evaluates students in both multiple choice and essay formats. Students who score well on the national examination may receive college credit for this course. It is expected that students of AP U.S. Government and Politics will become effective decision makers and better informed citizens capable of analyzing the important political issues that confront the nation.

COURSE TEXT AND READERS: The primary text for students in this course is Government in America, People, Politics, and Policy, Edwards, Wattenberg, and Lineberry, 15th ed. (New York, Pearson Longman, 2011).

OBJECTIVES:

Students should gain a greater understanding of:

• the constitutional foundation of the United State’s government and the

general themes of the government.

• the political beliefs, opinions, ideologies and their influence and origin

• how mass media, interest groups and political parties influence the daily

functioning of government.

• the institutions that make up US Government and how the bureaucracy

functions on a daily basis

• how public policy is created and the factors that influence the policy

agenda

• the development of civil rights and civil liberties and Supreme Court

Decisions that have impacted citizens rights.

• how to analyze and interpret data that from various forms of literature.

i.e., textbook, supplemental reader, handouts and Internet activities.

• how to analyze primary resources i.e., Federalist Papers, New York

Times articles, and OP/ED’s

• the proper style and thought process that is recommended by the AP

Board for U.S. Government and Politics.

CURRENT EVENTS: The study of current events will be an integral part of this course and will be included in discussions, debates, and quizzes on a regular basis. A current event assignment will be due each week and is described in detail below. Students are expected to enhance their political awareness by regularly watching at least one national news-oriented program, reading a national newspaper, and reading a weekly news magazine. Suggestions of sources include:

• Newspapers: Washington Post, NY Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Christian Science Monitor

• Magazines: Newsweek, Time, U.S. News & World Report, The Nation, etc.

• TV: NBC, CBS or ABC evening news, Fox News, CNN, MSMNBC, Meet the Press, Face the Nation, Crossfire, C-Span, Nightline, etc.

CURRENT EVENTS CLIPPINGS/CARTOONS: Current events assignments will include both news articles and political cartoons. In general, a current event assignment will be due each week and students are to place current events assignments in a paper, three-pronged folder with the most current assignment on top. A current event news analysis sheet or political cartoon analysis sheet, depending upon the assignment, must be completed for each article or cartoon and the analysis should be placed in the folder first with the news article or cartoon behind it. The article or cartoon must be neatly pasted or taped on a blank sheet of paper or printed in a legible size if acquired from the internet. The folders will be collected sporadically but should be kept up to date at all times.

COURSE PROCEDURES:

• Reading: Students will be required to read 1-2 chapters per week of the text as well as a variety of additional readings of political documents and articles provided by the instructor.

• Chapter Study Guides: Students will not do chapter outlines but, instead, will complete study guides for each assigned chapter of the text. These study guides will be kept in a loose-leaf notebook.

• Readings: Students will learn to analyze and interpret a variety of political documents and statistical data. Students will often be asked to prepare brief summaries of the major ideas and significance of various primary and secondary source documents. Student analysis of these readings will be kept in a separate paper, three-pronged folder.

• Notes & Notebook: Students are expected to take notes during classroom discussions and lectures. Taking notes increases concentration, retention and understanding and helps make students active rather than passive participants. Notes will be added to the loose-leaf notebook and organized by unit of study. The notebook will contain chapter study guides, notes, summaries of political readings and handouts.

• Writing: Students will be writing essays throughout the year and essays will always be written by hand, in blue or black ink only – no pencil allowed. As the course progresses, these essays will be timed. The point value of essays will vary and, while they will be scored in accordance with national AP scoring guidelines, those scores may be scaled for classroom grades.

• Chapter Quizzes: Students will take a quiz on each chapter on the date it is due. All quizzes will be timed and worth approximately 20-40 pts. Chapter Quizzes may also include information from additional assignments that are due at the same time as the chapter. For the most part, students may use their chapter study questions to assist on these quizzes.

• Tests: Students will take a chapter test upon completion of the chapter. Each test will consist of 35 multiple choice questions, an essay question, and a free response question. Also, there will be a major test for each of the 8 units of study in this course. These tests will generally contain 60 multiple choice questions from the unit and an essay that will be timed in accordance with the timing of the national AP exam (.75 minutes per multiple choice question and 25 minutes per essay question). Moreover, unit tests will also be cumulative and will contain an additional 10-15 multiple choice questions from previously covered material in order to help students remain “fresh” for the AP Exam.

• Student Syllabi: A syllabus for each unit of study with due dates for all reading and written assignments will be posted for students on the AP Government web site. Students will be responsible for getting all handouts that are needed to complete their assignments.

• Make-up Assignments: Students will always know their assignments in advance and should continuously check the student syllabus on the web site for updates. Since students will always have a syllabus of work due, students who miss a class should come prepared for the next class regardless of an absence.

• Grading Policy: Grades will be continually updated on Progress Book and students and parents should refer to Progress Book for all questions on grades. Grades will be determined on a weighted category system as follows:

Tests/Projects 40%

Quizzes (includes chapter work) 20%

Essays 20%

Assignments 20%

o Assignment grades will be determined on a total point system and, generally, the more difficult and time-consuming the assignment, the more points it will be worth. However, inasmuch as this is a college level course, not all assignments will be collected or graded.

• Late Work/Test Retakes: Students may retest but no re-testing will be done during class time. Retesting will require a “ticket” – an assignment to help prepare for the retest. The retest will be a different test and must be taken within 2 weeks of the original test date. Late work will only be accepted one day past due only to be out of 80%. A student who is absent the day before a test will still be required to take the test on the assigned day.

• Academic Honesty: ALL academic work is expected to be the legitimate, truthful work of each student. Cheating and plagiarism will not be tolerated. Please note that students who allow others to copy their work are equally guilty of cheating. Cheating or plagiarism will result in a zero on the assignment, parent contact, a disciplinary referral and a loss of respect.

• The following is a list of reading requirements for each unit. The list is not absolute. Some readings may be omitted and others added during the semester. The days are also not absolute. We may adjust some units due to unexpected events.

THE AP EXAM: The AP Exam is 2 hours and 25 minutes long. It consists of a 45-minute multiple choice section of 60 questions (five possible answers for each) which account for 50% of the final exam score. Beginning with the 2011 AP Examination, there will no longer be deductions for incorrect answers. There is also a 100-minute free response (essay) section of 4 mandatory essays which collectively account for the remaining 50% of the final exam score. You must answer ALL the essay questions; you will have no choices. The exam is scheduled for Tuesday, May 15, 2012.

REVIEW SESSIONS: Review sessions for the national AP U.S. Government & Politics exam will be held during the 4th nine weeks in class.

ONLINE RESOURCES: The following links will be helpful to students throughout the year:

The Government in America Textbook Site: contains chapter summaries, practice tests, flashcards, web links, etc.

Course Plan

Unit 1: Constitutional Foundation of the United States Government

Edwards Chapters 1-3

I. Influences of the formation of the Constitution

II. The theory and practice of separation of power

III. Federalism and Intergovernmental relationships

IV. The theory and practice of democratic government

Unit 2: Political Culture, Attitudes, Ideology, Participation

Edwards Chapters 6-11

I. The American people and how they feel about their government.

II. The process of American Political Socialization

III. Public opinion shaping society

IV. Voting behavior and the ways citizens participate in government.

V. American Political Ideology

VI. Parties, Interest Groups, Media

.

Unit 3: Congress

Edwards Chapter 12

I. Powers

II. Organization and Structure

III. Influences

IV. Legislative Process

V. Problems and Criticisms

Unit 5: Executive Branch

Edward Chapter 13-14

I. Powers and Roles

II. Organization and Structure

III. Relationship w/ Other Branches

IV. Influences

Unit 6: Supreme Court

Edwards Chapter 16

I. Powers and Roles

II. Organization and Structure

III. Relationship w/ Other Branches

IV. Problems and Criticisms

V. Influence

Unit 7: Policy and Bureaucracy

Edwards Chapters 15, 17-20

I. Policy Agenda: Influences

II. How Policy is Made and Carried Out

III. Organization and Structure of Bureaucracy

IV. Major Policy Types

Unit 8: Civil Rights and Civil Liberties

Edwards Chapters 4-5

I. Bill of Rights

II. Incorporation

III. Major Court Cases

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