A.P. GOVERNMENT VOCABULARY
DIRECTIONS: In order for your vocabulary to count, please observe the following criteria. 1. vocabulary must be handwritten. 2. Definitions must come from the course textbook. 3. Terms must be numbered.
UNIT I- Constitutional Underpinnings of Democracy- democracy, hyperpluralism, conservatism. liberalism, majority rule vs. minority rights, pluralist theory, public policy, direct democracy, representative democracy, political socialization, political culture, politics, legitimacy, consent of the people, plurality, limited government, social contract, Anti-Federalists, factions, Federalist Papers, Federalists, judicial review, Marbury v. Madison*, Virginia Plan, bicameral, checks and balances, electoral college, Great Compromise, separation of powers, writ of habeas corpus, block grants, categorical grants, cooperative grants, dual federalism, enumerated powers, Federalism, fiscal federalism, “full faith and credit”, implied powers, McCulloch v. Maryland*, supremacy clause, commerce clause, Gibbons v. Ogden, US v. Lopez*, necessary and proper (elastic) clause, supremacy doctrine, Tenth Amendment, new federalism
UNIT II. Political Beliefs and Behaviors-- political efficacy; public opinion; poll; random sample; sampling error; exit polls; political socialization; gender gap; political ideology; motor-voter act; linkage institutions; mandate; soft money; hard money; bias; sound bite; spin; retrospective voting; closed primary; open primary; caucus; public agenda; opinion poll, public agenda; opinion leader; sampling error; peer groups; front runner, incumbent, trial balloons
UNIT III. Political Parties, Interest Groups, and Mass –political efficacy; public opinion; poll; random sample; sampling error; exit polls; political socialization; gender gap; political ideology; motor-voter act; linkage institutions; mandate; soft money; hard money; bias; sound bite; spin; retrospective voting; closed primary; open primary; caucus; public agenda; opinion poll, public agenda; opinion leader; sampling error; peer groups; front runner, incumbent, trial balloons; Citizens United case; patronage, dealignment, primary- open & closed, caucus, party realignment, PAC, national committee, national convention, platform, electoral college, initiative, interest group, liberalism, lobbyist, referendum, Federal Election Commission, recall, front loading, coattails, Buckley v. Valeo, mid-term elections, McGovern-Frasier Commission, soft money, iron triangles, issue networks, New Deal Coalition, independent expenditures, types of interest groups—public, membership & institutional, Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (McCain-Feingold Bill)
Unit IV. Institutions of National Government: The Congress, the Presidency, the Bureaucracy and the Federal Courts
Congress Key Terms: gerrymander; constituency; trustee; partisan; oversight function; franking privilege; apportion; strict constructionist; liberal constructionist; public debt; impeach; Speaker of the House; president of the Senate; president pro tempore; whip; standing committee; select committee; joint committee; conference committee; bill; rider; resolution; subcommittee; quorum; filibuster; cloture; veto; pocket veto; logrolling; federal budget; fiscal year Congress Concepts: functions & powers they do and do not have, Congress vs. Parliament, original intent of Framers—powers, evolution of Congress, elections & the incumbency effect of BOTH the House & Senate, McCulloch vs Maryland, Gibbons v. Ogden, House vs. Senate- organization, powers, leadership; Committee System & process by which a bill becomes a law; role of the Pres, interest groups, the media; effects of divided government, types of committees; Congress's role in the policy making process. Executive & Bureaucracy Key Terms: 22nd & 25th Amendments, OMB, cabinet, veto powers--including line-item, impeachment process, impoundment, executive privilege, executive agreements, pardon, State of the Union address, appropriations bills, entitlements- definition & examples & effects, budget resolution, continuing resolution, CBO, Federal Reserve Board, Pendleton Act, patronage, Freedom of Information Act, types & functions/powers of gov't agencies & controls on those agencies, chief of state; chief executive; chief administrator; chief diplomat; commander in chief; chief legislator; Presidential Succession Act of 1947; imperial presidency; executive order; treaty; reprieve; bureaucracy; Executive Office of the President; federal budget; fiscal year; executive departments; attorney general; independent agencies; independent executive agencies; spoils system; patronage; National Security Council; signing statement; Weberian model of bureaucracy Executive & Bureaucracy Concepts: Functions and powers the pres & bur. do & do not have; Elections- process, changes, trends, role of the media, changes in the "electronic age"; role of the party, winner-take-all system & its effects, alternatives to electoral college; Formal & informal powers of the Pres- domestic vs. foreign, War Powers Resolution; Budget & Impoundment Control Act; White House staff- selection, rule of propinquity, circular vs. pyramidal organization; U.S. v. Nixon; Role of the president and the bureaucracy in the policy making process; Budget Process- parties involved, monetary vs. fiscal policy; Problems of the pres. in controlling the bureaucracy & affecting policy; How the pres uses the media. Judiciary Key Terms: Solicitor General, judicial review, majority opinion, dissenting opinion, stare decisis, amicus curiae brief, judicial activism, jurisdiction-original and appellate, writ of certiorari, docket, Rule of Four, plea bargain, judicial restraint, Senate Judiciary Committee, standing, litigation, original intent, unintended consequences, indictment, senatorial courtesy. Judiciary Concepts: selection process- role of pres, Congress, interest groups, media; functions & powers the Courts do & do not have; Congress's & the president's power over the courts; effects of public opinion on the Court; Warren Court, Burger Court, Rehnquist Court; operations of the Court
Unit V. Civil Rights and Civil Liberties--libel, slander, Establishment Clause, Due Process Clauses -5th & 14th Amend., probable cause, prior restraint, Affirmative Action, exclusionary rule, eminent domain, writ of habeas corpus, Free Exercise Clause, de jure & de facto segregation, ex post facto law, Civil War Amendments- 13, 14 & 15, Equal Protection Clause- 14th Amendment. Basic Concepts: Role of Congress, the pres & the courts in establishing & protecting civil rights & liberties; strengths & weaknesses of the Court in determining and protecting rights; selective incorporation of the Bill of Rights- 14th Amendment; Due Process Clause & Barron v. Baltimore; 1st Amendment court cases--Gitlow v. NY, Schenck v. U.S., Engel v. Vital, Lemon v. Kurtzman, Reynolds v. US, Oregon v. Smith, Texas v. Johnson. 4th Amendment--Mapp v. Ohio. 5th Amendment--Miranda v. Arizona. 6th Amendment--Gideon v. Wainwright. 9th Amendment--Griswold v. Conn. , Roe v. Wade, Planned Parenthood v. Casey. 14th Amendment--Plessy v. Ferguson, Brown v. Board
Additional cases--Baker v. Carr, Univ. of Calif. v. Bakke
Unit VI. Public Policy –action-reaction syndrome, domestic policy, earned-income tax credit, fiscal policy, income transfer, in-kind subsidy, Keynesian economics, loophole, monetary policy, policy trade-offs, regressive tax, Supplemental Security Income, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, public debt, attentive public, foreign policy, foreign policy process, iron curtain, Monroe Doctrine, national security policy, negative constituents, political realism