AP Government Unit 3 Schedule

Chapter 6 (Public Opinion & Participation)

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Overriding Questions for Unit

1. How does public opinion influence voting behaviors?

2. How do demographics influence political participation?

3. What are the siginificant demographic trends in political participation?

4. How does public opinion affect the three branches of government?

Name: ______Hour: ___ AP Government – Mr. W.B. Brooks

# / Assignment Title / Due Date / Points Possible
U3HW1 / Read Chapter 6 and take notes (complete by end of 3rd day of Unit) / N/A
U3HW2 / Article – “Why Tuesday?” Reflection Paragraph / 25
U3HW3 / Unit FRQ / 25
U3HW4 / Unit FRQ / 25
U3HW5 / Article – “The Myth of the Vanishing Voter” / 100
U3HW6 / Test Corrections (Only required for those that scored BELOW 80% on Unit Summative) / 25
U3CL1 / Reading Quiz (Only Over Textbook Chapters) / 50
U3CL2 / Unit Summative / Exam (MC, FRQ, DBQ – Possible Formats) / 120
RJ / Unit Reading Journal (Completed By 3rd Day of Unit) / 50
RG / Reading Groups (Done In Class On Day Before Unit Exam) / 50

(Note: HW means “Homework” and CL means “Classwork.”) Means Two HW Passes To Exempt

Unit 3 - Public Opinion and Participation / Readings: Edwards, George C.,et all. Government in America: Chapter s 6, and 10
Magleby, et. al., Chapters 4, 5, 8
Relevant Washington Post, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Time, wire service articles
Excerpts: “Bowling Alone” by Putnam; “Democracy in America” by DeTocqueville
Areas of Study:
American Political Culture
Political Ideology
Demographic ideology trends
Gender gap
Public Opinion and Polling
Voting in a Federal System
Voter Turnout
Assignments:
See Schedule for Unit (Above)

After studying this Unit, students should be able to:

• Contrast the relative positions of African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans, and Native Americans in the American political and economic spheres.

• Identify the political implications of an increasingly elderly population.

• Describe the process of political socialization and identify the primary agents of socialization.

• Outline the components that are essential to obtain accuracy in public opinion polling.

• Evaluate the role of polls in American democracy.

• Identify the political beliefs that are likely to be preferred by liberals and conservatives.

• Identify the activities that encompass political participation in the United States.

• Distinguish between conventional and unconventional types of political participation.

• Show how nonviolent civil disobedience was one of the most effective techniques of the civil rights movement in the American South.

• Explain what political scientists mean when they conclude that Americans are ideological conservatives but operational liberals.

From Unit III – Public Opinion and Participation, (Chapter 6)

Name: ______Hour: ___ AP Gov’t & Politics – W.B. Brooks

Why Do We Vote On Tuesday?

In 1845, before Florida, California, and Texas were states or slavery had been abolished, Congress needed to pick a time for Americans to vote. We were an agrarian society. We traveled by horse and buggy. Farmers needed a day to get to the county seat, a day to vote, and a day to get back, without interfering with the three days of worship. So that left Tuesday and Wednesday, but Wednesday was market day. So, Tuesday it was. In 1875 Congress extended the Tuesday date for national House elections and in 1914 for federal Senate elections.

Today, we are an urban society, and we all know how hard it is to commute to our jobs, take care of the children, and get our work done, let alone stand on lines to vote. Indeed, Census data over the last decade clearly indicates that the inconvenience of voting is the primary reason Americans are not participating in our elections.

If we can move Columbus Day, Presidents’ Day, and Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Holiday for the convenience of shoppers, why not make Election Day more convenient for the sake of voters? First and foremost, it is time to end the deafening silence of good people on this vitally important issue. So we ask: Why Tuesday?

Source:

HW#2: After reading the brief article, write a paragraph on what you think about “Why Tuesday.” Also comment if you think that the reason for Tuesday voting is “out-dated” or still a great traditional idea. Support your reasoning.

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Name: ______AP Governement

HW#3: FRQ Test Prep

  1. One of the most consistent ways that American learn about public opinion is through polling.
  2. Describe the advantage of a random sample for public opinion polling over a non-random sample.
  3. Describe one advantage and one disadvantage of telephone surveys compared to person-to-person interviewing.
  4. Explain what public opinion polls tell us about levels of political information that Americans have.
  5. Explain what public opinion polls tell us about political attitudes held by Americans.

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Reviewed By: ______Score: ______/ 4

Name: ______AP Governement

HW#4: FRQ Test Prep

1. In the United States, people can participate in politic in many different ways.

  1. Describe how each of the following conventional forms of political participation might impact public policy in the United States.
  2. Voting in a presidential election
  3. Joining an interest group
  4. Running for political process
  5. Describe how participating in a mass demonstration of protest might impact public policy in the United States.
  6. Describe the relationship between social class and participation in the United States.
  7. Explain how the relationship between social class and participation impacts American’ perceptions regarding equality.

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Reviewed By: ______Score: ______/ 4

Name: ______AP Government

HW#5: “The Myth of the Vanishing Voter”Michael P. McDonald and Samuel L. Pompkin

1. Why do McDonald and Pompkin believe the decline in voter participation is a myth?

2. What problem do they see with voting-age population versus voting eligible population?

How does that affect turnout?

3. What are some corrections that McDonald and Pompkin utilize to create a more scientific research design?

4. What do McDonald and Pompkin believe contribute to the apparent decline in turnout rates since 1972?

5. In the appendix how do they account for noncitizens, ineligible felons, eligible overseas voters, persons aged 18-20, and regional analysis in their research design?

6. Do you agree with McDonald’s and Pompkin’s findings?