Advanced Placement Course Themes

Advanced Placement Course Themes

Political Beliefs and Behaviors

• 5-15% of AP Test

Constitutional Underpinnings

• 10-20% of AP Test

Political Parties, Elections, Interest Groups, and the Media

• 10-20% of AP Test

The Institutions of National Government

-The Congress, Presidency, Bureaucracy, and Courts

• 35-45% of AP Test

Public Policy

• 5-15% of AP Test

Civil Rights and Civil Liberties

• 5-15% of AP Test

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AP Government and Politics Course Outline

Unit One: Political Beliefs and Behaviors

Overview-What is Government? Basic Structure of American Government; Democratic roots

Unit Two: Constitutional Underpinnings

Overview- The United States Constitution; What is Federalism? Basic Political Philosophy

Unit Three: Linking Institutions Part 1

Overview- Political Participation, Public Opinion, Mass Media

Unit Four: Linking Institutions Part 2

Overview- Political Parties, Elections, and Interest Groups

Unit Five: The Legislative Branch
Overview- Congressional responsibilities, checks and balances, leadership, committees, politics, and the everyday workings of the Senate and the House

Unit Six: The Executive Branch

Overview: The powers of the presidency; the imperial presidency, checks and balances, the cabinet and presidential appointments;

Unit Seven: The Bureaucracy

Overview: The size and scope of the American bureaucracy; bureaucratic red tape; the Peter Principle; who really runs the country?

Unit Eight: The Judicial Branch

Overview: The Federal Court system; appointments and confirmation; judicial activism vs. judicial restrain

Unit Nine: Civil Rights and Civil Liberties

Overview: What are your rights? The Bill of Rights; due process; equal protection

Unit Ten: Public Policy

Overview: Economic policy, military policy, government services and entitlement

Unit 1 Political Beliefs and Behaviors

Answer each. Use a separate sheet of paper if necessary.

Be as detailed and thorough as possible.

1. List the main values shared by most Americans.

1. List four sources where young people learn about American political culture and rank them in order of importance. (political socialization)

3. Distinguish between liberal and conservative ideologies. Describe three issues on which liberals and conservatives clearly disagree.

4. Explain how geography is a part of our diversity. Consider regional geography and urban, suburban and rural geography.

5. Explain the differences in political culture of the four major ethnic groups.

6. Show how has the political power of women changed in the past two decades.

7. Explain which policy issues divide men and women?

8.Explain the role religion plays in the United States.

9. Demonstrate the effects of education on political ideology.

10.Demonstrate the effect of wealth and income on political ideology

11. Explain how polls are used to measure public opinion.

12.List at least three ways in addition to voting that Americans participate in the political process.

13.Explain how voter registration is an important factor in political participation.

14.List three ways voting eligibility has been expanded by legislation and constitutional amendments.

15.List several causes for low voter turnout.

16. Describe connections between political culture and political participation

Important Unit 1 Terms and Concepts

1. Conservative

1. Direct democracy

1. Indirect democracy

1. Liberal

1. Libertarian

1. Majority rule

1. Moderate

1. Natural law

1. Personal liberty

1. Political culture

1. Political elite

1. Political equality

1. Political efficacy

1. Political ideology

1. Popular consent

1. Popular sovereignty

1. Representative democracy

Unit 2-Constitutional Underpinnings of United States Government

Answer each. Use a separate sheet of paper if necessary.

Be as detailed and thorough as possible.

1. List three weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation and explain how the U.S. Constitution provided solutions to problems created by those weaknesses.

1. List three compromises entered in to by the writers in order to construct the U.S. Constitution.

1. List three arguments in favor of ratification of the Constitution.

1. List three arguments used against ratification of the Constitution.

1. Explain why James Madison feared the “mischief of factions” and how he argued the Constitution would alleviate the danger of factions.

1. Define the pluralist theory of government.

7.Explain how federalism keeps the government closer to the people.

8.Distinguish between inherent, implied and expressed powers.

1. Give examples of how our government is becoming more centralized. Then give examples of how our government is becoming decentralized. Use several examples from various presidential administrations. Is there a devolution revolution?

10. Distinguish between categorical grants, project grants, block grants, and revenue sharing.

11.Give examples of funded and unfunded mandates.

12. Explain how each of the following policy issues is related to federalism: welfare reform, health care, transportation, taxation, unemployment.

13. What effect did McCulloch v. Maryland have on the relationship between the federal government and the states?

14.Explain the controversy created between Article I, Section 8 No. 18 and Amendment #10.

15.Describe the system of checks and balances created by the Constitution.

16. Show how Marbury v. Madison established the principle of judicial review and how this precedent affected the constitutional process of separation of powers.

17.List four informal ways the original Constitution has been modified.

18. Describe two methods of formally amending the Constitution.

19.Explain how democratic theory was implemented by the adoption of the U.S. Constitution.

20.Describe the impeachment process established by the Constitution. How many Presidents have been impeached using this process? How many have been removed from office?

21. Describe how the separation of powers provided by the Constitution can lead to divided government and what effect this has on the formulation of public policy.

IMPORTANT UNIT 2 DEFINITIONS AND IDENTIFICATIONS

1. Block Grant

1. Categorical Grant

1. Checks and Balances

1. Concurrent Powers

1. Confederation

1. Cooperative Federalism

1. Enumerated Powers

1. Federalism

1. Full Faith and Credit Clause

1. Implied Powers

1. Informal Amendment Process

1. Interstate Compact

1. Necessary and Proper Clause

1. New Federalism

1. Privileges and Immunities Clause

1. Republic

1. Separation of Powers

1. Supremacy Clause

1. Unfunded Mandates

Unit 3-4-5 Political Parties, Interest Groups and Mass Media

Answer each. Use a separate sheet of paper if necessary.

Be as detailed and thorough as possible.

1) List and describe major functions that political parties provide in our democratic system.

2) Describe the current party procedures for nominating candidates for Congress and the Presidency.

3) Explain why the two party system dominates American politics while other democracies have multiparty systems.

4) Explain what is meant by a realigning election and give four examples from American History.

5) Define divided government and explain its effect on policy making.

6) Assess the effect of political parties on each of the following component of the American political system: the legislative branch, the executive branch, the judicial branch, state and local governments

7) Explain why some political scientists support the existence of dealignment in American politics while others deny that dealignment exists.

8) Define soft money and its effect on political campaigns in America.

9) Explain the respective party platform positions of the two major parties on the following issues: campaign finance reform, school choice, gun control, status of gays, abortion rights, foreign policy, taxation.

10) Explain the difference between issue advocacy and candidate support as roles for interest groups.

11) Tell how Madison's concerns about the mischief of factions is played out in the influence of interest groups in the formulations of public policy.

12) Give an example of an interest group for each of the following areas: economic, labor, public interest, foreign policy, single interest (ideological), government, professional associations.

13) Describe techniques used by interest groups to affect public policy.

14) Explain what lobbyists do to affect public policy making.

15) List two purposes of PAC's and explain how PAC's are regulated by the FEC.

16) Evaluate the argument that PAC's have too much influence on elections and candidates.

17) Discuss attempts by the government to regulate PAC's beginning with the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 and including the recent court rulings on the McCain Feingold Act of 2001.

18) To understand the roles played by the media in our political system specifically

• the impact of the media on public opinion

• the impact of media on the perceptions of voters.

• the effect of the media on campaign strategies and electoral outcomes.

• the impact of the media on the development of the agenda, governance and the images of public officials. (gatekeepers)

19) Explain how candidates and elected officials use the media especially television to get their message out to the voters.

20) Discuss the effect of the media on each of the following policy making branches of the government: The Presidency, Congress, the Supreme Court, the Bureaucracy, and local politics.

Unit 3-4-5: Important Linking Institution Terms

1. Broadcast media

1. Content regulation

1. Equal time rule

1. Exit Polls

1. Fairness doctrine

1. Horserace journalism

1. Margin of Error

1. Narrowcasting

1. Prospective judgment

1. Push polls

1. Random Sampling

1. Stratified Sampling

1. Straw Polls

1. Ticket splitting

1. Tracking Polls

1. Candidate centered politics

1. Civil Service laws

1. Coalition

1. Dealignment

1. Earmark (political pork)

1. Free rider problem

1. Interest Group

1. Issue Oriented politics

1. Lobbying

1. Lobbyist
2. National Party Platform

1. PAC

1. Party in the Electorate

1. Party platform

1. Political Party

1. Proportional Representation

1. Public Interest Group

1. Secular Realignment

1. Think Tank

1. BCRA

1. Blanket primary

1. Closed Primary

1. Elector

1. Electoral College

1. Electorate

1. 527

1. Front Loading

1. General Election

1. Gerrymandering

1. Hard money

1. Incumbency

1. Initiative

1. Matching funds

1. Midterm Election

1. Open Primary

1. PACS

1. Primary Election

1. Proportional Representation

1. Reapportionment

1. Recall

1. Redistricting

1. Referendum

1. Soft money

1. Superdelegate

1. Winner takes all system

Unit 6-7-8 The Institutions of National Government

Answer each. Use a separate sheet of paper if necessary.

Be as detailed and thorough as possible

1. Explain the process of reapportionment and redistricting and how it effect the composition of the legislative branch.

1. Explain the reasons why incumbents usually win elections.

1. Explain what the Supreme Court has said about attempts to create majority-minority districts in the House

1. Differentiate between the Senate and the House of Representatives in both structure and powers.

1. List and describe the enumerated powers of the legislative branch found in Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution. Explain how the elastic clause interpreted loosely adds significantly to these powers.

1. Describe the organizational structure of the House of Representatives including the role of the Speaker, Majority and Minority leaders, and committees.

1. Differentiate between an open rule and a closed rule in the House.

1. Describe the organizational structure of the Senate and how the filibuster creates a need for supermajorities in Senate deliberations over legislation and confirmations.

1. Differentiate between the role of trustee and the role of delegate for members of Congress.

1. Describe how the votes of members of Congress may be affected by each of the following: ideology, votes of constituents, colleagues, staff, party, interest groups, and the President.

1. Describe in detail the process by which a bill becomes a law.

1. Explain the function and importance of the committee system in Congress.

1. Explain the role of congressional oversight in the separation of powers.

1. Discuss the constitutionality of the, impoundment, term limits, and the line item veto.

1. List the major criticisms of Congress and explain how each can be justified in the interest of democracy

1. Explain the original intent of the founders in creating the Executive Branch in Article II of the U.S. Constitution.

1. List three factors that have strengthened the Presidency in recent years.

1. Differentiate between the formal powers of the President found in Article II of the U.S. Constitution and the informal powers created by the responsibilities placed upon the President as the chief executive.

1. Give examples of presidents in each of the following roles: crisis manager, morale builder, recruiter, priority and agenda setter, legislative and coalition builder, molder of public opinion, party leader, administrator.

1. Explain how each of the following holds the President accountable: reelection and legacy, Congress, the Supreme Court, the Media, public opinion.

1. Describe the structure and duties of the White House Staff (286), the Executive Office of the President and the cabinet.

1. Describe the conflicts created between the legislative and executive branches over each of the following: war powers, confirmation politics, executive privilege, executive orders, veto politics, budget and spending.

1. Distinguish between original and appellate jurisdictions of the federal courts.

1. Describe the process of judicial selection. List factors that may influence the choice of a federal judge.

1. Describe the debate between justices who believe in judicial restraint (original intent) and justices who favor judicial activism (contemporary ratification.

1. Explain the process by which a case reaches the Supreme Court and is decided.

1. Explain the relationship between the Supreme Court and public opinion.

1. Explain the evolution of the federal bureaucracy from the spoils system to the merit system to the Office of Personnel Management.

1. Give an example and explain the duties of the following bureaucratic organizations:

a cabinet department, a bureau, a government corporation, an independent agency, an independent regulatory board.

1. Explain the purpose of the Hatch Act and the restrictions it places on federal bureaucrats.

1. Explain how the President and the Congress hold the bureaucracy accountable. Explain what role he public plays in holding the bureaucracy accountable.

1. Define and explain what an iron triangle is and how it interferes with normal policy making procedures.

Unit 6-7-8 Terms: The Institutions of Government

1. Cloture

1. Conference Committee

1. Congressional caucus

1. Delegate

1. Discharge Petition

1. Earmark

1. Filibuster

1. Gerrymandering

1. Hold

1. Impeachment

1. Joint committee

1. Legislative veto

1. Logrolling

1. Malapportionment

1. Markup bill

1. Open/closed rule

1. Oversight

1. Party caucus

1. Pork barrel legislature

1. Quorum call

1. Select committee

1. Senatorial Courtesy

1. Seniority

1. Single member district

1. Standing Committee

1. Trustee

1. Administrative direction

1. Bureaucracy

1. Cabinet

1. Executive Agreement

1. Executive Order

1. Executive Privilege

1. Inherent Powers

1. Impeachment

1. Imperial presidency

1. Lame duck

1. Line Item Veto

1. Line of succession

1. Merit System

1. Pardon

1. Pocket Veto

1. Veto Power

1. OMB

1. Peter Principle

1. Rule Making

1. Spoils System/Patronage

1. Government corporation

1. Independent Executive Agency

1. Independent Regulatory Agency

1. Iron triangle/Issue network

1. Merit System

1. Amicus curiae

1. Appellate Courts

1. Appellate Jurisdiction

1. Brief

1. Civil Law

1. Class-action suit

1. Concurring opinion

1. Constitutional Courts

1. Court of Appeals

1. Criminal law

1. Dissenting opinion

1. In forma pauperis

1. Judicial Activism

1. Judicial Implementation

1. Judicial Restraint

1. Judicial Review

1. Jurisdiction

1. Litmus test

1. Original Jurisdiction

1. Plaintiff

1. Precedent

1. Rule of Four

1. Solicitor General

1. Standing

1. Stare Decisis

1. Strict Constructionist

1. Writ of certiorari

Unit 9: Civil Rights and Civil Liberties

Your best review for this chapter is to review these terms, ideas, concepts, and cases.

habeas corpus

ex post facto

bill of attainder

incorporation

free exercise clause

establishment clause

wall of separation

excessive government entanglement (lemon test)

Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993

free speech

non-protected speech

libel

obscenity

fighting words

clear and present danger

prior restraint

civil disobedience

sedition

naturalization

green card

procedural due process

substantive due process

eminent domain/takings

search warrant

probable cause

exclusionary rule

immunity

self-incrimination

double jeopardy

indictment

writ of habeas corpus

plea bargaining

racial profiling

natural rights

Plessy v Ferguson

Brown v Board of Education

Jim Crow laws

de jure segregation

de facto segregation

poll tax

Civil Rights Act of 1964

Voting Rights Act of 1965

majority-minority district

affirmative action

Bakke case

Sexual harassment

Unit 10: PUBLIC POLICY MAKING

This review is in outline form and you should be able to relate the policy making activities of government institutions to those individuals and groups that attempt to influence the policy making process

Can you connect each to the Linking Institutions?

1. ECONOMIC POLICY
2. FISCAL POLICY- TAXING

Progressive

Regressive

Tax expenditures

1. SPENDING- Budget

President-OMB

Congress-CBO

Bureaucracy-GAO

Entitlements

Discretionary

Graham-Rudman-Hollings Act (1995) (end of deficit by 1990)

Continuing resolutions

1. BORROWING

Deficit

Debt

Interest on the Debt

1. MONETARY POLICY-national government manages the economy by controlling the money supply. Goal: Growth without inflation.
2. MONEY SUPPLY

Role of the Federal Reserve Board (The Fed)

Interest rates

Reserve requirements

Laissez-faire economics

Supply side economics

Keynesian economics.

1. TRADE POLICY

Trade deficit

WTO

GATT

NAFTA

Protectionism

1. REGULATORY POLICY-government intervenes in the natural workings of the markets. Means: Congress creates Independent Regulatory Agencies
2. Economic Regulations-ICC, FCC, FTC, FDA, FAA,
3. Social Regulations-EPA, OSHA, ATF, CPSC, EEOC

Deregulation: Airlines, Telecommunication

Bureaucracies are often “captured” by industries they regulate

1. SOCIAL POLICY-Public or Private. National or states or local
2. New Deal
3. Social Security
4. Great Society

6. ENTITLEMENTS

1. Social Security
2. Welfare: AFCD, 1996 Reform=Workfare

1. HEALTH CARE
2. Rising Costs
3. Insurance
4. Delivery: HMO, PPO,
5. Paperwork
6. Litigation
7. Reforms: Single payer

Prepaid Plans

Employer mandated

Spending caps

Medical savings accounts

1. EDUCATION-Federal/State/Local
2. Vouchers
3. Charter Schools
4. Standardized Tests
5. Teacher Unions
6. No Child Left Behind

1. CRIME-security or liberty, federal or state or local. Prevention or punishment
2. Gun control-Brady Bill
3. Profiling
4. Community Policing
5. Drug Enforcement
6. Three strikes
7. Death penalty

1. FOREIGN POLICY AND DEFENSE POLICY-Provide for the COMMON DEFENSE

VITAL INTERESTS