Honors Civics/Free Enterprise-2005/2006 - Zachary High School



Zachary High School

Advanced Placement –United States Government and Politics (APGOPO)

Summer Reading Assignment—2014/2015

Welcome to AP Government and Politics at Zachary High School for 2014-2015. AP Government and Politics is a year-long college level course in political science which is designed to provide a comprehensive understanding of American government, politics, and the American economic system. Government and economics are serious and often complex issues which tend to be far removed from the thoughts of most sophomores; in reality, you are affected by the American political and economic systems every day in ways that you probably take for granted. APGOPO will be challenging and will require hard work and concentration from each of you on a consistent basis. A careful study of government and economics will help you better understand the country and state in which you live. As an APGOPO student you will be in a college level course and will be expected to approach issues of government, politics, public policy, and economics from a serious and intellectually mature standpoint.

More information about the class will be discussed in depth when school begins in August. For now, you will be asked to begin to think politically by completing a summer assignment for the course. The APGOPO summer assignment has two parts: a case brief and a current events activity.

If you have any questions about the assignment, please feel free to contact me at any time (chris.staggs@). Don’t wait until the end of the summer to complete your assignments just in case you run into questions! Enjoy your summer-in between all of the assignments that your crazy teachers have lined up for you!

C. Staggs

AP Government and Politics

Social Studies Department Chair

AP Government and Politics 2014-2015

Summer Assignments

Part I. Supreme Court Case Briefs

Supreme Court cases and changing constitutional interpretations make up a key element of the AP Government and Politics course. The course will require you to read a wide number of cases and to summarize and discuss them with classmates. A wide range of cases also appear on course tests and the AP exam in United States Government and Politics. Students will not be expected to brief cases in proper law school format, rather a short form summarizing the important elements will be required. The following example sets out the format to be used in your briefs. Please note the spacing and indentions and follow suit.

Case Name: Three Bears v Goldilocks

Court Name: Supreme Court of the United States

Date of Decision: 1962

Facts/History: Goldilocks, an agent of the Sheriff of Nottingham, entered the

residence of the Three Bears to execute a search warrant in

pursuit of the fugitive Big Bad Wolf. During the course of her

search she discovered illegal contraband porridge. Goldilocks

confiscated said illegal porridge. The trial court found the

Three Bears guilty of possession of porridge. Defendants

appealed; appeals court upheld lower court ruling. Defendants

appealed to the Supreme Court of the United States.

Certiorari was granted by the Supreme Court.

Issue: Whether or not the confiscation and subsequent prosecution

based on the confiscation was a violation of the Fourth

Amendment protection against unreasonable search and

seizure.

Holding: Goldilocks, although acting with a warrant, violated the

defendants’ constitutional protection against unreasonable

search and seizure. The warrant was specific to the pursuit of

a fugitive. Since the warrant provided no other authority to

search and seize illegal goods, these goods were

unconstitutionally taken and may therefore not be used

against the defendants in a criminal procedure.

Decision: Reversed and remanded.

Assignment: Prepare a case brief of three of the landmark SCOTUS (Supreme Court of the United States) cases using the format provided in the Goldilocks example and write a short summary of your opinion of the Supreme Court’s decision in the case.

• Must be typed

• 12 or 14 font

• Detailed Instructions:

o Go to and choose a case from the listing of cases on the bottom right-hand side of the page. Research and prepare a brief for that case using the format provided in the example. Each case listed has a link that accesses information about the case on this site. You may also need to do some other research beyond the information provided on the site in order to complete the brief. You may find the links below helpful in addition to :

▪

▪ EducationalResources/ConstitutionResources/LegalLandmarks/LandmarkSupremeCourtCases

▪ EducationalResources/ConstitutionResources/LegalLandmarks/LandmarkSupremeCourtCasesAboutStudents

o There are many other sites available for information on various cases but the ones listed above should be more than enough to provide the information that you need. List on your assignment which sources you used. (Stay away from Wikipedia)

o Prepare your case brief using the same format as the Goldilocks example.

o After completing your brief, add a section at the end in which you write a short paragraph that details whether you agree or disagree with the ruling. Be sure that you explain your opinion using logic and information from the case-don’t just say “I agree” or “I disagree”. You must support your opinion with reasoning and facts. There is no word count requirement-I don’t want a novel but make sure that your work is quality and that your explanation is clearly and concisely explained.

Due on August 13th. 60 points. Late assignments will be accepted until August 18th but will have 10 points deducted per day. No briefs will be accepted after August 18th.

Part III. Current Events

Calm down-you don’t actually have to turn anything in for this assignment! The AP Government and Politics course will require that students keep up with and think critically about current political and economic happenings. Current events are a vitally important part of the course as they provide examples of the course content in action. In order to be successful in APGOPO students will need to stay informed on major political and economic events on the world, national, state and local levels and to give serious, critical thought to the events taking place.

Over the course of the summer you should develop the habit of becoming an informed citizen. Make a habit of reading a daily newspaper (the news section not just the comics, horoscopes, sports section, and love lines) and reading news magazines as well as watching national news broadcasts. You should also begin to watch political opinion programs in addition to news broadcasts. Pay particular attention to items that relate Congress, the presidency, Supreme Court rulings, etc.

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