AP Government and Politics
Mr. Greg Hayes
Introduction of Course
The AP Government and Politics curriculum is designed to mirror that of an introductory United States government or political science course at the college level. This is a rigorous and demanding course intended to provide the scope and the level of academic accomplishment that will be expected of a student in their future college setting. The curriculum places a heavy emphasis on essential readings, independent writing assignments, and frequent exams to prepare students for the AP exam.Perhaps the most is central component to do doing well in this course is making the time to read, and digesting large amounts of content independently.Writing assignments, independent projects, and frequent tests are intended to prepare students for the AP Exam. The most important person in the classroom is you acting as a college student. You are expected to charge ahead on your own, and to seek, find, and internalize knowledge on your own. In short, you must be the agent in your educational process.
The AP US Government and Politics exam is scheduled for the middle of May. This is the opportunity for your students to demonstrate the knowledge they have acquired throughout the year (not to mention, earn 3 college credits and save the cost of tuition. All students who enroll for the course are encouraged to take the AP exam.
Students in this course examine the principles and processes of government in general and of the United States in particular. Emphasis is on the study of the national government, with inclusion of state and local levels throughout the course. The American political system and the people and institutions that facilitate that system are the focus of the course.
The AP Psychology curriculum is designed to mirror that of an introductory psychology course at the college level. This is a rigorous and demanding course intended to provide the scope and the level of academic accomplishment that will be expected of your daughter/ son in their future college setting. Perhaps the most is central component to do doing well in this course is making the time to read, and digesting large amounts of content independently.Writing assignments, independent projects, and frequent tests are intended to prepare students for the AP Exam. The most important person in the classroom is you acting as a college student. You are expected to charge ahead on your own, to seek, to find, and to internalize knowledge on your own. In short, you must be the agent in your educational process.
Students need to read the book closely – page for page and word for word – as well as analyzing the graphs and charts in the textbook.
The AP Psychology exam is scheduled for Monday, May 6th. This is the opportunity for your daughter/son to demonstrate the knowledge they’ve acquired throughout the year (not to mention, earn 3 college credits and save the cost of tuition). If your daughter/son has attended class regularly and made a reasonable to strong effort in this course, she/he should feel extremely confident on AP Monday. All students who enroll for the course are encouraged to take the AP exam.
Students will use News Bank, primary sources, government/interest group/political party websites, currents events, ‘new media’, and other reliable internet and book resources, in completing assigned projects throughout the semester.
On-going semester current events project:
Campaign 2008 Journal:
1. Label the clip according to chapter of our textbook the clip applies to and why.
2. Watch the 2008 Campaign Weekly Clip on C-Span.
3. Each week summarize the campaign activity in one paragraph and in another paragraph offer an opinion on that activity.
Constitutional Principles
*** Winter Break
Ch 1: Constitutional Democracy
Read Federalist Papers 10, 58, 71 and complete written assignment
Week 1
Ch 2: The Living Constitution
Woll: John Locke “Second Treatise, Of Civil Government
Power Grab game
AP Central practice test
Critical Period
Federalists/Anti-Federalists
Ch 3: American Federalism
Woll: Alexis de Tocqueville, “Democracy in America: The Federal Constitution”
“Mini-Law school” – founding documents, Articles of Confederation, Constitution, Federalist Papers
Unit review, Free Response questions, and test
CONSTITUTIONAL SCAVENGER HUNT
Give both the correct answer and the source where the information is found. If it is in the Constitution list the exact amendment or article/section/clause where it is found.
1. Who is the “father of the Constitution”?
2. The essay urging ratification during the New York ratification debates were known as: ___________________________
3. Name two authors of “The Federalists Papers.”
4. How many states were required to ratify the Constitution before it could go into effect?
5. Which were the last two states to ratify (after the new government had already begun to function)?
6. How often is the number of congressional districts per state determined?
7. According to Article I, Section 2, of the Constitution, how were slaves to be counted when determining the number of congressional districts per state?
8. Who has the sole power of impeachment?
9. Who has the sole power to try officials who have been impeached?
10. When the president of the U.S. is tried for impeachment, who presides at the trial?
11. According to the Constitution, a writ of habeas corpus may not be suspended except under what condition?
12. The first article of the Constitution places limits on the states. Name one.
13. Name two congressional limits on the President according to the Constitution.
14. Which article of the constitution defines the powers of the President?
15. For what office mentioned in the Constitution must a person be a natural-born citizen?
16. Name three powers of the President as stated in the Constitution.
17. Which branch (es) of the federal government is responsible for establishing lower federal courts?
18. What is the Vice-President’s only constitutional responsibility?
19. What is the only condition specified by the constitution concerning the nature of state government?
20. What is the only crime defined by the Constitution?
21. What does the Constitution require to convict a person for treason?
22. How does Article VI of the Constitution resolve possible conflicts between state laws and federal laws?
23. What does Article VI say about administrating religious tests to candidates for public offices?
24. How is it possible for a constitutional convention of 1789 to occur?
25. Can the president introduce, ratify, or veto a constitutional amendment?
26. What are the first ten amendments to the Constitution called?
27. There are five basic rights mentioned in the First Amendment. Name three?
28. Name five of the rights guaranteed to all citizens in the Bill of Rights.
29. What does the tenth amendment say about the delegation of powers to the states?
30. Which amendment established the federal income tax?
31. The Nineteenth Amendment, which gave women the right to vote, passed in what year?
32. People who fought for the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment were called_________________.
33. According to the Twentieth Amendment, if the President-elect dies before the beginning of his/her term, who becomes president?
34. Name the only amendment that specifically repeals another amendment?
35. What was the purpose of the most recent amendment to the Constitution?
36. The argument that “anyone old enough to fight for his country, is old enough to vote” secured passage of what amendment?
37. What is the term (number of years) served by a member of the House of Representatives?
38. What is the term served by members of the Senate?
39. What is the minimum age for a Representative?
40. What is the minimum age for a Senator?
41. What is the minimum age for a President?
42. Name the amendments that banned slavery, declared all persons born or naturalized in the U.S. to be protection under the law, and established suffrage for Black Americans?
43. What is the exception to the Thirteenth Amendment’s abolition of involuntary servitude?
44. The 20th Amendment says a president unable to discharge the powers of his/her office must declare this in writing to two people. Who are they?
45. Which branch of government is given constitutional responsibility for regulation of trade?
The Political Process
Week 2
Ch 4: Political Culture and Ideology
Ch 5: The American Political Landscape
Political Philosophies – website quizzes
State of the Union assignment
Week 3
Ch 6: Interest Groups
Woll: Rozell and Wilcox, “Interest Groups and the American Political System”
Woll: Larry J. Sabato, The Misplaced Obsession With PAC’s
Interest group - PACS
Soft Money, 527’s, McCain – Feingold, PAC’s
INTEREST GROUP PROJECT: ______________________________________
1. a. Describe your group.
b. What is your group’s primary purpose for being in existence? ___/10
2. What does your group want from the government? ___/10
3. a. Money from: ___ b. Money goes to: ___ /10
4. Public Opinion:
a. How do you inform the public?
b. What propaganda techniques are used to influence public opinion? ___/10
5. Politics:
a. What strategies/techniques (including lobbying/PAC’s) are used to influence the government/politicians?
b. What legislation/issues are you currently supporting/lobbying for? ___/10
6. How does your group rate the 3 SCV U.S. representatives? ___/5
7. Who opposes you and why? ___/10
8. Commercial: ___/15
9. Creativity/Organization/Teamwork - Presentation: ___/10
10. Notes ___/10
Ch 7: Political Parties
Progressive’s legacy
History of Parties
Third Party Poster Project
1. Choose an existing third party
2. Describe/explain each of these for your third party and also the Democratic and Republican Parties:
a. party philosophy
b. history
c. supporters
d. propaganda techniques used
e. stand on 5 current public policy issues … must choose both domestic and foreign
3. Include the following on your poster:
a. party logo
b. an original political cartoon regarding one of the issues listed above.
c. an acronym using the words of your party that helps explain the philosophy and public policy positions of your party
d. a continuum showing where your party and the two major parties stand in terms of philosophy.
4. You will also be graded on how artistically appealing and creative your poster is.
Week 4
Ch 8: Public Opinion, Participation, and Voting
Electoral College pros/cons
Ch. 9: Campaigns and Elections
Woll: V.O. Key Jr., “A Theory of Critical Elections”
Caucus/nominating process
Week 5
Ch 10: The Media and American Politics
Unit review, Free Response questions, and test
Policy-Making Institutions
Week 6
Ch 11: Congress
Legislator/Committee assignment
Bill to a law process
“What Congress Does Everyday”
Budget Impoundment Act,
Pork
Legislative Branch Project
Legislator Assignment
Choose one of the legislators that represents you in Congress, either your representative or one of your senators. Write a 3 to 5 page paper in which you discuss this legislator and the district or state that he or she represents. Be sure to focus on representation; that is, on the relationship between the legislator and the constituency. In your paper you will probably wish to consider the following questions:
-What is the general political outlook of the legislator you had chosen? Can he or she be categorized broadly as a liberal? A conservative?
-Does the person represent the views of his or her constituency?
-Are there any issues in which he or she is especially interested? To which he or she is particularly sensitive? Are there any issues in which he or she is especially vulnerable in an electoral sense?
-What is the person’s electoral record?
-What seems to be his or her voting ambitions?
-What kind of legislative role has he or she chosen? How does the person seem to construe his or her responsibilities as representative? On what activities does he or she focus?
-What are the person’s committee assignments? How do they reflect the needs of his or her district? How do they reflect his or her background and interests?
-What are the economic and social characteristics of the constituency? How are these characteristics related to the political behavior of the constituents?
-Have there been any changes in the social and political behavior of the district in the past few years?
-Are there any issues on which the voters in the district are especially sensitive?
Committee Assignment
Title: Legislative Oversight for (Committee Name)
Introduction
Provide a brief description of your committee:
a. Purpose
b. The proportion of Democrats to Republicans on the committee
c. States represented on the committee
Profile- Committee Chair
Profile the chair. What is his/her background? (include education, occupations, and political experience.)
Profile- Ranking Member
Same as Committee Chair
Jurisdiction
Explain the scope of the jurisdiction of your committee. What specific types of legislation would your committee investigate?
Subcommittee
Select one subcommittee of your standing committee and provide the following:
a. A profile of the subcommittee chair and of the ranking member.
b. The specific jurisdiction for which this subcommittee is responsible.
Interest Groups
a. Which special interests does the committee affect?
b. Which interest groups have contributed financially to the election of committee members?
c. Determine if there are interest groups that have conflicting goals affected by the committee.
Legislation
Research and describe a key piece of legislation that came from your standing committee within the past five years.
Cabinet or Federal Agency responsible for implementing the legislation mentioned above.
In regards to your cabinet or federal agency, provide the following:
a. The overall responsibility or mission of your department or agency.
b. Profile of the Department head (Cabinet member or Agency Chief)
Iron Triangles
a. Define them
b. Construct an iron triangle based on the information contained in this report.
Oversight
Your committee is responsible for the oversight of legislation that is sponsored and successfully shepherded through the legislative process. Describe that process as it applies to the executive department or agency that now has control over the implementation of that legislation.
Week 7
Ch 12: The Presidency
Imperial presidency article
Executive Branch Project
Research a post World War II All information with an asterisk (*), can be completed in an outline through phrases. You will be graded on how clearly and accurately the information is written.
A) THE ELECTION(S): The following must be answered for every election which he competed.
List all of the candidates running in the general election.*
List the years of the election and the years the president was in office.*
Describe the campaign strategy of the president and his opponents.
Describe the main issues during the campaign and how each candidate addressed the issues.
Describe the ideology of each candidate in the election.
Describe why he won or lost.
CONGRESS:
Identify the majority party of each chamber of Congress during the president’s years in office.*
Describe the relationship the President had with Congress during the president’s years in office.