Advanced Placement
Comparative Government & Politics
Instructor: Philip Hernon, M.Ed
Longmont High School
Course Planner
The course is taught for one full academic semester. Only about 18 weeks of instruction are available for the Comparative portion of the course. Comparative government and politics is a critical field of study for understanding foreign and domestic policy in an increasingly globalized world. Happenings around the globe now directly impact our lives as American and social studies teachers and students around the country face the challenge of interpreting many puzzling international events. The AP® Comparative Government and Politics course focuses on government and politics in other countries and provides a theoretical framework to compare political systems around the world. Students will grasp the political complexities of our global environment, and gain some understanding of both commonalities and differences among modern political systems.
Course Readings
Powell, G.B., Dalton, R. and Strom, K. Comparative Politics Today: A World View AP Edition. Upper Saddle River; Longman, 2012.
O’Neill, Patrick. Essential of Comparative Politics, 3rd Ed. New York; Norton. 2010
Teaching Strategies
The course is evenly divided between lecture, interactive Socratic seminar and experiential learning projects. Students are responsible for keeping up with events in the news. Each class begins with a discussion of current events (public policy, international relations, etc.). The current events provide concrete connections for each lesson.
Grading and Course Requirements
Grades are figured on a cumulative point basis, and weighted according to the quality and level of completion of the work. At the end of a marking period, a cumulative grade average is determined by adding the total points of the percentage category so that the grade equals one hundred percent, and is comparative to the points possible for the course.
Assignment Points Possible Points Earned
Assignments Including…Seminar Discussion
Reading assignments
In-class worksheets
Free Response Questions Interpretive Essays
Position Papers
Participation
Group Presentation
Small/Large team research / 30%
10% / Quizzes including…
Vocabulary
Individual Chapter
Governmental Structure &/or culture
Post-Assessments including…
Chapter
Unit Tests / 20%
40%
Total Percentage / 100%
Current Events
Students are responsible for keeping up with the daily events in the nation and the world. Students will need to skim the front page of the MSN.com, FoxNews.com, BBC World, Washington Post or Washington Times, or listen to NPR or another radio news program, or watch a TV news station.
Course Calendar: Short Summation
Unit / Week(s) / Content of Investigation / Countries of StudyI / 1-3 / Conceptual Introduction to Comparative Government &Politics / --
II / 4-7 / Advanced Democracies / Mexico & Great Britain
III / 8-12 / Communist and Post-Communist Countries / Russia & China
IV / 13-18 / Developing Countries / Iran & Nigeria
V / 18 / Intergovernmental Organizations (IGO’s) / European Union
Classroom Rules, Materials and Expectations
Required Materials
All students will have a text book checked out to them for use at both home and in the classroom. As this class will have a variety of handouts and assignments students will need a good organization system to maintain accurate materials for study. The following materials are recommended to for this course.
____ Minimum 2" 3-Ring Binder Specifically
____ 7 Partitions (One of each unit studied, vocabulary and miscellaneous)
____ Color pencils (suggest Crayola for durability)
____ Color Pencil sharpener
____ One box #2 pencils
____ Daily writing utensils are required. One will not be provided if lost or not available.
Late Policy: Students will have an opportunity to redo any assignments for full credit if the assignment is turned in on time. Assignments must be at least 75% complete to be considered “on time”. Students will have one week to complete the revisions for resubmission. Students may only resubmit the assignment once. Students may turn in late work for 50% of the assignment within seven (7) linear days of the due date. After seven (7) linear days, the assignment will not accept. All late work will be turned in “As is” without the resubmission option. Extenuating circumstances will be taken into consideration on an individual basis and at the discretion of the instructor.
Plagiarism: Students are expected to give credit to any sources cited in any assignment utilizing correct APA or MLA format. Students who do not correctly cite their sources may lose up to 50% of the total assignment grade. If a student is found to have copied an assignment, either in part or in full, they will forfeit all credit for that assignment. If a student is found to have plagiarized two or more assignments, they will be removed from the course.
General Classroom Behavior: Students are expected to be seating in class on time and ready for class to begin. Unexcused tardiness will result in loss of participation credit for the day and possible recommendation of removal from the course if tardies are in excess of five (5) tardies per semester. If a student presents an unexcused tardy on the day of a quiz, they will assume zero (0) credit for that quiz.
Learning Techniques and Media: A variety of media techniques will be used, including visual arts and pictures, period music, and various video media. Please be advised that some of the images presented will include nudity. These images were specifically chosen for their academic promotion and will not be used to prurient interests. In addition to various documentary series, segments of the following films may be used throughout this class.
The Queen (England)
Persepolis (Iran)
Summer in Tehran (Iran)
Globe Trekker: Nigeria & Iran
Discovery Atlas: Russia, China, Mexico
Compulsory Sex Education (Iran)
The Peacemaker(US Foreign Policy)
The Fast and Furious (Mexico)
Clear Present Danger (Foreign Policy)
The Saint(Russia)
I assure you that each of these film segments was chosen with your students’ age and needs in mind. If you have any questions regarding the historical or cultural relevance of these films, please contact me.
Communication:
Communication is essential for success of this class. Parents/guardians are always welcome to volunteer and/or observe in the classroom. Parents, guardians and students can also contact me before school, during lunch, and after school. Special meeting times can also be arranged by appointment during 2nd and 7th. I can be reached at:
Email: Phone: (303) 776-6014
Facebook: (www.facebook.com/groups/LongmontAPGov/)
Advanced Placement
Comparative Government
Instructor: Philip Hernon, M.Ed
Longmont High School
Confirmation of Syllabus Acceptance
By my signatures below, I, the parent/guardian of said student, have read, understand and agree with the policies, practices and expectations outlined in this syllabus. This also includes these aforementioned sections:
Late Policy: Students will have an opportunity to redo any assignments for full credit if the assignment is turned in on time. Assignments must be at least 75% complete to be considered “on time”. Students will have one week to complete the revisions for resubmission. Students may only resubmit the assignment once. Students may turn in late work for 50% of the assignment within seven (7) linear days of the due date. After seven (7) linear days, the assignment will not accept. All late work will be turned in “As is” without the resubmission option. Extenuating circumstances will be taken into consideration on an individual basis and at the discretion of the instructor.
Plagiarism: Students are expected to give credit to any sources cited in any assignment utilizing correct APA or MLA format. Students who do not correctly cite their sources may lose up to 50% of the total assignment grade. If a student is found to have copied an assignment, either in part or in full, they will forfeit all credit for that assignment. If a student is found to have plagiarized two or more assignments, they will be removed from the course.
General Classroom Behavior: Students are expected to be seating in class on time and ready for class to begin. Unexcused tardiness will result in loss of participation credit for the day and possible recommendation of removal from the course if tardies are in excess of five (5) tardies per semester. If a student presents an unexcused tardy on the day of a quiz, they will assume zero (0) credit for that quiz.
______
Student Name, (last name, first name) Printed Parent/Guardian Printed Date
______
Student Signature Date Parent/Guardian Signature Date