AP US Government and Politics Syllabus

AP US Government and Politics Syllabus

Gayle Platt

“C” Track

Syllabus

US Government and Politics

Course Description

This course is a two semester course that serves as an introduction to the US national government. It is taught as if the student is sitting in a college classroom participating in a college level course. The course attempts to demonstrate how our national government functions and how policy-making is affected by internal and external forces.

Examining politics and policies is not enough. To impress upon students what a distinctive system we have, it is necessary to define our national government in the context of history, current issues, and the underlying political culture. Comparison with other nations’ governments will be made and studied.

Grading Policy

The course grade will be determined by performance on chapter examinations, essays, study guides, research project, and other assigned tasks. The examinations will consist of half multiple choice and half essay. There sill be no true and false questions. Each examination is worth 200 points. All other assignments with the exception of the research project are worth 100 points each. The report will be worth 500 points for the first draft, 500 points for the final draft. The project will then be reused as the basis of a second semester student presentation to the class.

A=90%-100%

B=80.0%-89.9%

C=70.0%-79.9%

D=60.0%-69.9%

FAIL=0%-59.9%

Students will be expected to watch broadcast news and read local newspapers to keep abreast of the current happenings of government. This will augment class discussions and research projects.

Works Cited

“A More Perfect Union: Congress.” Knowledge Unlimited.

“A More Perfect Union: Presidency.” Knowledge Unlimited.

“A More Perfect Union: Supreme Court.” Knowledge Unlimited.

Benedict, James A. and Daniel Lundlum. Advanced Placement United States Government and Politics: Institutions, Policy, and Politics. The Center for Learning. 1993.

Caliguire, Augustine, Howard M. Jacobs and Roberta Leach. US Government: Book 1, We the People. The Center for Learning. 1992.

“Dangerous Songs.” NY Times. AmericanSchool Publishers.

“The Declaration of Independence.” Schlessinger Media.

Edwards III, George C., Martin Wattenberg, and Robert Lineberry. Government in America. Pearson Longman. San Francisco. 2006

“Gideon’s Trumpet.” HBO Films.

“How a Bill Becomes a Law.” Cambridge Educational.

“Ken Burns’ Congress.” A & E Video.

Lasser, William. Perspectives on American Government: A Comprehensive Reader. D.C. Heath. Lexington, Massachusetts. 1996.

“The Missiles of October.” MPI Home Viddeo.

“The Road to Brown.” California Newsreel.

“Supreme Court Decisions: Marbury v. Madison.” Guidance Associates Video.

“Supreme Court Decisions: McCulloch v. Maryland.” Guidance Associates Video.

“Supreme Court Decisions: Roe v. Wade.” Guidance Associates Video.

“Supreme Court Decisions: US, v. Nixon.” Guidance Associates Video.

“Television and the Presidency.” Zenger Media.

“US Government in Action: Regulatory Agencies.” Random House.

Calendar:

Week1-2

Edwards. “Introducing Government in America.” Ch. 1

Lasser. Jefferson, Thomas. “The Declaration of Independence.” P.7-10.

Benedict. “Origins of Constitutional Principles and Rights.”

“The Declaration of Independence.”

Week 3-4

Edwards. “The Constitution.” Ch. 2

Lasser. Madison, James. “Federalist No. 10.” P. 19-22.

Lasser. Madison, James. “Federalist No. 51.” P. 28-30.

Benedict. “Ratification: Federalist/Anti-Federalist Debate.”

“Supreme Court Decisions: Marbury v. Madison.”

Week 5

Edwards. “Federalism.” Ch. 3

Lasser. Marshall, John. “McCulloch v. Maryland.” P. 74-76.

Caliguire. “Federalism: Separated and Overlapping Powers.”

“Supreme Court Decions: McCulloch v. Maryland.”

Week 6-8

Edwards. “Civil liberties and Public Policy.” Ch. 4

Lasser. “Roe v. Wade.” P. 512-517.

Benedict. “Freedom of Speech: PC on Campus.” “Freedom of Religion: Challenges to Separation.” “Fourth Amendment Search and Seizure.” & “Due Process of Law: The Exclusionary Rule.”

“Dangerous Songs.”

“Supreme Court Decisions: Roe v. Wade.”

“Gideon’s Trumpet.”

Week 9-11

Edwards. “Civil Rights and Public Policy. Ch. 5

Lasser. “Plessy v. Ferguson.” P.532-534.

Lasser. “Brown v. Board of Education.” P. 535-537.

Lasser. Fish, Stanley. “No” Affirmative Action Is Still Necessary.” P. 554-558.

Lasser. Sowell, Thomas. “Yes: Affirmative Action is Unfair.” P. 559-563.

Benedict. “Applied Affrimative Action.”

“The Road to Brown.”

Week 12

Edwards. “Public Opinion and Political Action.” Ch. 6

Lasser. Barone, Michael. “The Power of Pollsters.” P. 142-143.

Benedict. “Sampling Political Opinion.”

Benedict. “What Are You, Conservative or Liberal?”

Week 13

Edwards. “Mass Media and the Political Agenda

Lasser. Adatto, Kiku. “The Incredible Shrinking Sound Bite.” P. 284-288.

Benedict. “Is the Media Biased?” & “Newspaper Scavenger Hunt.”

Edwards. “Politcal Parties.” Ch. 8

Benedict. Political parties.”

“Television and the Presidency.”

Week 14

Edwards. “Nominations and Campaigns.” Ch. 9

Lasser. Jamieson, Kathleen Hall. “Packaging the President.” P.226-229.

Benedict. “Campaign Financing.” & “Pac’s Out of Control.”

Week 15

Edwards. “Elections and Voting Behavior.” Ch. 10

Tiexeira, Ruy. “Why Is American Voter Turnout Going Down?” p. 151- 157.

Benedict. “Political Socialization.” & “What We Know About Political Socialization.”

Week 16

Edwards. “Interest Groups.” Ch. 11

Week17-19

Edwards. “Congress.” Ch. 12.

Benedict. “Mock Senate.” & “Reapportionment.”

“A More Perfect Union: Congress.”

“Ken Burns Congress.”

“How a Bill Becomes a Law.”

Week 20-21

Edwards. “Presidency.” Ch. 13.

Lasser. Bryce James. Why Are Great Men Not Chosen Presidents.” P.350.

Benedict. “Why Great Individuals Do Not Always Become President.” “Factors That Influence Presidential Decision Making.” & ?”The White House Office.”

“A More Perfect Union: Prsidency.”

“The Missiles of October.”

“Supreme Court Decisions: US v. Nixon.”

Week 22

Edwards. “The Congress, the President, and the Budget.” Ch. 14

Week 23

Edwards. “The Federal Bureaucracy.” Ch. 15.

Lasser. Weber, Max. “Bureaucracy.” P. 383-385.

Benedict. “Bureaucratic Pathology.”

Caliguire. “Bureaucracy: The Fourth Branch of Government.”

Week 24-25

Edwards. “The Federal Courts.” Ch. 16.

Lasser. Meese III, Edwin. “Yes: End Judicial Activism. P 443-447.

Lasser. Brennan, William. “No: A Defense of Judicial Activism.” P. 448-449.

Benedict. “Analyzing a Supreme Court Case.” “Who Said This, and Why?: Judicial Activism.”

“A More Perfect Union: Supreme Court.”

Edwards. “Economic Policy Making.” Ch. 17

Week 27

Edwards. “Social Welfare Policy Making.” Ch. 18

Week 28

Edwards. “Policy Making for Health Care and the Environment. “ Ch.

19

Caliguire. “Legislative Obstacle: The Endangered Species Act.”

Week 29

Edwards. “National Security Policy making.” Ch. 20

Caliguire. “Defining the national Interest: American Foreign Policy.” & “Defining the National Interest: Helping the Victims of Society.”

Weeks 30-31

Student presentations of Governmental Issues Projects.

Weeks 32

Review for AP Examination and Final Exam.