AP U.S. Government and Politics

AP U.S. Government and Politics

The national government provides important services and programs to its citizens, and this course offers a framework to help students understand how the process evolves. “Dry” subjects will hopefully become interesting when they are tied to outcomes that directly affect all of us. Concepts and theories will be analyzed not only for definition and content, but for practical application in the daily practices of our elected officials and public institutions as well.

The specifics of policy issues will change over the years, but questions about whether the government is responsive to the people or whether it should expand or contract its scope will always be with us. Without taking a liberal or conservative stance, this course will examine the amount of power and control our government should have, and how we should respond as U.S. citizens and as human beings in an ever changing world.

Text

Edwards, George C. III, Martin P. Wattenberg, and Robert L. Lineberry. Government in America: People, Politics, and Policy, 12th Edition. New York: Pearson Education, Inc., 2006

Supplemental Texts and Materials

Cigler, Allan J., and Burdett A. Loomis. American Politics: Classic and Contemporary Readings, 5th Edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 2002.

Current Issues- An annual journal published by Close Up Publishing, Close Up Foundation, Alexandria, VA

The Student Forum – a monthly newsletter on government affairs from the Student Governmental Affairs Program, Richardson, TX

Bill of Rights in Action- a quarterly publication from the Constitutional Rights Foundation, Los Angeles, CA

Units and topics covered in this course include:

Unit 1

Content Goals: Students should understand the doctrines and historical background to the Constitution; key principles, such as federalism and separation of powers; the ideological and philosophical underpinnings of American government; and theories explaining interpretations of the Constitution including democratic theory, republicanism, pluralism, and elitism.

Text: Chapters 1 and 2

An Introduction to American Government

· American Political System

Political System Model Presentation

Laswell and Schattschneider Models

· Contending Theories of American Democracy

Classical, Traditional, Pluralism, Elitism, Hyperpluralism

Constitutional Underpinnings

· Origins of the Constitution

· Political Theory- Locke and Jefferson

· Failures of the Articles of Confederation

· The Constitutional Convention

· Major Principles of the U.S. Constitution

· Ratification Struggle and Anti-Federalist Objections

· Federalist Papers #10 and #51

· Constitutional Context of Federalism

· Formal Amendment Process

· Fiscal Federalism and Devolution

Supplemental Instructional Materials

“Profound Quotations” reading, Democratic Practice and Democratic Theory from Woll reader, Locke’s Second Treatise, Of Civil Government, power point presentations on constitutional convention and Federalists/Anti-Federalists, Federalist 10, Federalist 51, “Empire of Reason” video

Unit 2

Content Goals: Students should understand the mechanisms of transmitting interests to government action, including interest groups, political action committees, and mass media; the different historical and ideological beliefs of political parties; demographic groups in the U.S. and their political beliefs; and ways of understanding political beliefs and behavior.

Text: Chapters 6, 8 and 11

Political Socialization and Public Opinion

· Political Spectrum and Ideology

Political Survey

· Agents of Political Socialization

· Political Participation

Political Efficacy

· Public Opinion Model

· Public Opinion Polls

Political Parties and Interest Groups

· History of Political Parties

· Roles and Functions of Political Parties

· Political Party Model

Party Organization, Party-In-Government, Party-In-The-Electorate

· Types and Functions of Minor Political Parties

Single-Issue, Splinter, Economic, Ideological

· Interest Group Types, Roles and Functions

· “Iron Triangles” (Subgovernments or Issue Networks)

Federal Agency, Congressional Committee, Interest Group

Supplemental Instructional Materials

-Political Spectrum Survey with political ideology graph (plot points to determine and interpret personal ideology in terms of Freedom v. Order and Freedom v. Equality)

-Power point presentation on agents of political socialization

-Political Participation Model- interpret effect of various factors on political efficacy

- “You Might Be A Republican/Democrat If…” reading

-various web sites on major parties, minor parties and interest groups

-current readings from The Student Forum newsletter when applicable

Unit 3

Content Goals: Students should understand the workings of the legislative process; the

functions and powers of Congress; the relationship to other branches of government under the Constitution; and the change and evolution of congressional powers as a result of specific events in American history.

Text: Chapter 12

Congress: The Legislative Branch

· Profile of House and Senate

· Formal and Informal Requirements

· Elections

House- single-member districts; gerrymandering, incumbency

Senate- at-large elections, staggered terms, incumbency

· Powers of Congress

Elastic Clause, checks and balances, congressional oversight

· Leadership

Speaker of the House, President Pro-Tempore, party leaders, whips

· Committees

Types, membership, chairpersons, seniority system

· Caucuses

· Criticisms

Status quo, incumbency, seniority system, term limits debate

Gridlock, logrolling, pork barrel legislation, partisanship

· How A Bill Becomes A Law

Supplemental Instructional Materials

-Congress Scavenger Hunt

-Gerrymander Political Cartoon

-“Pork Barrel Spending” reading and others from The Student Forum newsletter

-“Broken Congress” video from CNN

-Chart- Incumbency rates in House/Senate- identify patterns and interpret differences

Unit 4

Content Goals: Students should become familiar with the workings of the electoral process;

the role of money, the media and interest groups on campaigns; the laws governing elections; and the way individual campaigns operate on the local, state, and national level.

Text: Chapters 7, 9 and 10

Elections, Campaigns and the Media

· Congressional vs. Presidential campaigns and elections

Incumbency, coattail effect, plurality

· Nominating Process

Primaries- closed, open, blanket

Caucuses

· Campaigning

Reform Act of 1974, FEC, PACs, matching funds, soft money

· Party Nominating Conventions

· General Election

· Electoral College

· Inauguration- 20th Amendment

· Role of the Media

Debates, commercials, mud-slinging, trial balloons, time-zone fallout

Supplemental Instructional Materials

-nomination and election timeline

-primary/caucus schedules (to interpret frontloading)

-2000 presidential election popular vote vs. electoral college results (to interpret effect of winner-take-all system)

-electoral college activity, political ad activity

-presidential campaign commercials from livingroomcandidate.org website

Unit 5

Content Goals: Students should understand the functions and powers of the executive

branch; its relationship to other branches of government under the Constitution; the change and evolution of the executive branch and the bureaucracy as a result of specific events in American history.

Text: Chapter 13

Presidency and Bureaucracy

· Formal and Informal Qualifications

· Presidential Terms, Disability and Succession

Presidential Succession Act of 1947, 22nd Amendment, 25th Amendment

· Powers and Duties

· Powers and Duties of the Vice President

· The White House Office

· The Executive Office of the President

· The Cabinet

· Independent Agencies and Commissions

· Impeachment

Supplemental Instructional Materials

-“The Power to Persuade” reading from supp. Reader

-“Paradoxes of the American Presidency” reading

-J.D. Barber’s chart on presidential character

-readings and updates from Current Issues journal

Unit 6

Content Goals: Students should understand the workings of the judicial process; the functions and powers of the federal court system; the relationship of the Supreme Court to other branches of government under the Constitution; and the change and evolution of the judiciary as a result of specific events in American History.

Text: Chapter 16

The Federal Court System

· Our Dual Court Structure and Jurisdiction

· Judicial Review- Marbury v. Madison

· Civil Law and Courts

· Criminal Law and Courts

· Supreme Court Process

Writ of Certiorari, rule of four, briefs, oral arguments, opinions

· Judicial Restraint vs. Judicial Activism

Supplemental Instructional Materials

-Overheads and charts on dual court system

-Supreme Court video from CNN

-“Gideon’s Trumpet” movie

-readings from Bill of Rights in Action publication and Current Issues journal

Unit 7

Content Goals: Students should understand the institutional guarantees to political and civil

rights granted under the Constitution; the rights conferred by the American government system; key Supreme Court cases and arguments regarding constitutional protections; the impact of the Fourteenth Amendment on civil rights at the state level; and the impact of judicial decisions on American society.

Text: Chapters 4 and 5

Civil Rights and Civil Liberties

· Denied Powers

· 14th Amendment- Incorporation Doctrine

· Speech

Pure, symbolic, libel, slander, obscenity, commercial, clear and present danger

· Press

Prior restraint, Near v. Minnesota, New York Times Co. v. United States

· Religion

Establishment clause, free exercise, Lemon Test, application in public schools

· Assembly

· Petition

· Right to Bear Arms

· No Quartering Troops

· Search and Seizure

Exclusionary rule, reasonable suspicion, probable cause, search warrant exceptions, emerging problems (computers, cell phones)

· Self-incrimination, due process, grand jury indictment, double jeopardy, eminent domain

· “Speedy” trial, impartial jury (petit jury), right to confront witnesses, right to attorney

· Civil Trials

· Cruel and Unusual Punishment

Death penalty, discrimination, Supreme Court moratorium, minors, DNA evidence

· Unenumerated Rights

Penumbras, abortion, homosexuality, right to die, personal privacy, marital privacy, workplace privacy

· Powers Reserved to the States

· Voting Rights

15th, 19th, 23rd, 24th, and 26th Amendments, Voting Rights Act of 1965

Supplemental Instructional Materials

-Power point overview of bill of rights

-Three-prong Lemon Test handout

-power point presentation on fourth amendment guidelines

-numerous court cases from Oyez.org and other web sites

-readings from Bill of Rights in Action and Current Issues for project (contemporary updates on landmark cases such as abortion, death penalty, right to die, etc.)

Unit 8

Content Goals: Students should understand the major policy areas and debates in American

government today.

Text: Chapters 17, 18, 19, 20

Public Policy

· Economic

Fiscal, monetary

· Foreign

· Military

· Social

Health care, welfare, education

· Policy Types

Distributive, regulatory, redistributive

Supplemental Instructional Materials

-Power point presentation on “The Politics of Policy Making”

-chart on policy types

-charts on federal revenues/federal expenditures- to interpret costs and suggest possible cuts

-various articles on current policy debates (New York Times articles from textbook, Current Issues journal, The Student Forum newsletter, and internet)

Assessment

At the conclusion of each unit of study, a test is administered that consists of 40-60 multiple choice questions and 1-3 analytical and interpretive free-response questions.