AP GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS- COURSE REQUIREMENTS
2016-17
AP U.S. Government and Politics
TEXT: Wilson, James Q., Dilulio, John J., Bose, Meena. American Government: Institutions & Policies, 14th edition. Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning. 2015.
READER: Woll, Peter, ed. Readings and Cases in American Government, 17th Edition. New York, NY: Longman Publishers, 2008. Provided to every student by the school.
Canon, David, T., Coleman, John J., Mayer, Kenneth R., ed. The Enduring Debate: Classic and Contemporary Readings in American Politics, 3rd Edition. New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2003.
These readings will be supplemented with class handouts from various news sources such as The Economist, USA Today, and Time. Students are also responsible for keeping up with daily events by reading local or national NBC, or Fox news.
***NOTE: This course is the equivalent of a college course. College-level textbook and readings are essential. However, a textbook is not enough. For students to do well on the AP National Exam, students must be prepared to use current examples and applications that may not be in the textbook.
GENERAL COURSE DESCRIPTION & EXPECTATIONS: This course is designed to give students a critical perspective on politics and government in the United States. The class involves both the study of general concepts used to interpret American politics and the analysis of specific case studies. It also requires a familiarity with the various institutions, groups, beliefs, and ideas that make up the American political reality.
This course serves as an introduction to the U.S. national government. It is taught with the convictions that students want to know not only who governs but what difference it makes who governs. In short, the course attempts to demonstrate how our government institutions and political processes help explain why some policies and not others are adopted.
Students must meet the high expectations for the course and share the responsibility for mastery of the course objectives. This will involve the careful “reading for understanding” of the text and reader, class participation, and cooperation and collaboration with peers throughout the semester. In order to be successful in a course of this type, students must be able to utilize proper organization and time management skills. The specific lessons and activities that will be used as tools to build mastery will involve individual and collaborative effort.
READING: Understanding the required reading and the ability to analyze and discuss articles will figure prominently in formal evaluation (tests and quizzes). Students will also be tested on their ability to analyze and understand various charts, maps and graphs concerning politics, political behavior and elections.
DAILY WORK: The following will constitute 40% of a formal grading evaluation. It is the student’s responsibility to keep up with the reading assignments for the various units. Students are formally assessed on the following:
· Timed, online textbook chapter reading quizzes
· Current Events and Political cartoon assignments (instructions are online and due dates are announced)
· Other assignments as given
EXAMINATIONS: Exams and projects will constitute 60% of the formal grade. Examinations will include multiple choice questions along with free-response questions. The examinations are modeled after the AP National Exam. The dates for tests will be given well ahead time for you to prepare, therefore being absent the day before is not a valid excuse to not take an exam on test day. If you miss a test, you will be given an opportunity to make it up, if the absence was excused. If you are going to be absent the day a test is given, it is your responsibility to make it up according to school policy and at teacher discretion. If you fail a test you will have an opportunity to retake a different version of the test, on a day selected by the instructor. Curves and bonus points added to the original test will not be added to the makeup test. The highest grade you can receive on a makeup test is a 70%. Remember that making up a missed examination is a privilege and NOT a right!
SUPREME COURT NOTEBOOK: Students need a 4x6 spiral notebook to document landmark Supreme Court decisions. There are 34 cases that you will keep in this notebook, and it will count as a test grade. A good website to use is www.oyez.org. The format of the cards will be as follows: (5 points per card)
Due:
Title of the case Year
Petitioner
Respondent
Background of the case:
Arguments of the Petitioner:
Arguments of the Respondent:
Decision of the Court and important quote (I do not want vote count of the Court)
BOOK REVIEW: Each student must read one book on modern politics and the author should be someone who is the opposite of your political thinking. Your book review should be approximately 3-4 pages in length and include:
A. A brief summary of the book including specific examples taken from the book with page numbers.
B. A short biography about the author and an analysis of the author’s purpose in writing the book, including evidence used by the author to support his or her position. This part should only comprise 1 paragraph of the overall paper. Anything longer will cause points to be deducted from the overall grade.
C. Evaluation of the validity of the arguments (are they logical? are they convincing?)
D. Answer the question, “To whom would you recommend this book and why?”
E. The paper will need to be 12 point, Times New Roman font, double-spaced, with 1” margins, failure to follow these rules will cause points to be deducted from your overall grade.
F. The paper will need a cover page and will not count toward the page count. Also, no heading is required and takes up space from your page count. All grammar rules will be followed or points will be dedcuted from your final grade.
“Charlie Wilson’s War” project: instructions to follow at a later date.
FINAL EXAM: The final exam will count 15% of your final grade and will be a released AP US Government multiple choice exam.
LATE WORK AND MAKE-UP WORK: Students will have 3 days to turn in assignments for a reduced grade, day 1-70%, day 2-50%, and day 3-0% per district policy. If you are going to be absent on the due date, turn it in before or make arrangements with instructor. Doctor’s appointments are not an acceptable excuse to not turn in an assignment. I do not allow students to make up failed or missed online quizzes. Long-term projects are due on the due date, no exception.
EXTRA CREDIT: I will add 5 points to your final semester grade if you attend a city council, school board, or any other public meeting approved by the instructor. You must turn in a signed meeting agenda and complete two of the following: write a reflection paper, an opinion paper, create a political cartoon, or write a letter to the editor. This being an election year, a student can also volunteer either as a poll worker on election day or volunteer for a campaign for at least 2 hours. Students will still need an official’s signature on a business card and will complete two of the following assignments above. Please see me about any activity you want to participate in to make sure it will count.
ACADEMIC HONOR CODE: In order to sustain a community of trust in which the students and teacher can work together to develop their educational potential and goals, ethical standards of honesty are expected. Everyone is expected to compete fairly in the classroom to earn their academic standing through their own efforts. Violations of the honor code include lying, cheating, or stealing. Students who violate the community of trust will receive no credit on the assignment on which the violation occurred.
PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS: You are expected to maintain professional standards in this course. This means you are expected to come to class prepared to take notes, discuss the material, and ask questions on topics you don't understand. You are expected to maintain a professional attitude in class. Talking excessively to your neighbors, texting, sleeping or doing assignments for this or any other class are not professional behaviors and will not be tolerated. (In other words, no cell phones.)
Professional standards are also expected in the work you submit for a grade. Homework assignments do not have to be typed (unless otherwise instructed), but I expect them to be completed in ink. Paper and articles must be typed and spell-checked and edited for grammar. Failure to maintain such standards may result in a lower grade on that assignment. (In short, if you want an A, you have to be willing to work for that A, they are not given out.)
Finally, this course is taught with the understanding that every student is planning to take the AP Exam in May. Each student is expected to do the assignments and study for the tests even if you are not planning on taking the exam.
Special note on Senioritis: a term used to describe the laziness displayed by students who are nearing the end of high school. Its symptoms can include slowness, procrastination, apathy regarding schoolwork, and a tendency toward truancy. This imagined affliction is a symptom of students' complacency once they have all but guaranteed their place in college. After college admission letters arrive in early spring, high school seniors feel even less pressure to push themselves academically. In an effort to combat senioritis, many colleges require that an updated transcript be sent from the high school after the end of the school year, and will revoke admission or scholarships if a student's grades drop. Senioritis is also not an excuse. Seniors are not entitled to graduate, they have to earn the privilege.
Please see my website for any other questions or for a copy of this syllabus at www.longovt.com
I look forward to a challenging and rewarding semester!
Jeff Long, MA History
817-744-2067
www.longovt.com
Tutorials are Monday-Thursday 8:00-8:30am, 3:45-4:00pm, or by appointment.
The following is a general outline of the AP Government and Politics test. I have also included the approximate amount of class time spent on each area.
Content Area
I. Constitutional Underpinnings of US Govt. (15 days): Influences on formulation and adoption of Constitution
· Separation of powers
· Federalism
· Theories of democratic government
II. Political Beliefs and Behaviors (3 days): Individual citizen beliefs about government , politicians, and politics
· Processes by which citizens learn about politics
· Nature, sources, and consequences of public opinion
· Analyze through charts and graphs ways in which citizens vote and participate
III. Political Parties, Interest Groups, and Media (7 days): Party & election functions
· Party & election organizations
· Party & election development
· Party & election effects on the political process
· Party & election laws and systems
· Range of interest groups
· Activities of interest groups
· Effects of interest groups on the political process
· Unique characteristics and roles of PACs
· Functions and structures of the media
· Impact of media on politics
IV. Institutions of National Government (10 days): Major formal and informal arrangements of power
· Relationships and balances of power between the four institutions
· Linkages between the four institutions and
o Public opinion and voting
o Interest groups
o Political parties
o The media
o Subnational governments
V. Public Policy (2 days):
· Formation of policy agendas
· Role of institutions in the enactment of policy
· Role of bureaucracy and courts in policy implementation and interpretation
· Linkages between policy processes and
o Political institutions and federalism
o Political parties
o Interest groups
o Public opinion
VI. Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (10 days):
o Development of civil liberties and civil rights by judicial interpretation
o Knowledge of substantive rights and liberties
o Impact of the 14th Amendment on the constitutional development of rights and liberties
Supreme Court Notebook Cases
Federalism/Judicial Power
McCulloch v. Maryland 1819
Gibbons v. Ogden 1824
United States v Lopez 1995
Marbury v. Madison 1803
First Amendment – Speech
Schenck v. United States 1919
Gitlow v NY 1925
Tinker v. Des Moines 1969
Brandenburg v. Ohio 1969
Buckley v. Valeo 1976
Texas v Johnson 1989
Citizens United v. FEC 2010
First Amendment – Press
Near v. Minnesota 1931
NY Times v. U.S. 1971
Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier 1988
First Amendment – Religion
West Virginia v. Barnette 1943
Engel v. Vitale 1962
Lemon v. Kurztman 1971
Wisconsin v. Yoder 1971
Oregon v. Smith 1990
Obscenity – Not protected by the First Amendment
Roth v. US 1957
Miller v. California 1973
Fourth Amendment
Mapp v. Ohio 1961
New Jersey v. T.L.O. 1985
Fifth/ Sixth Amendment
Gideon v. Wainwright 1963
Miranda v. Arizona 1966
Eight/Ninth Amendments
Gregg v. Georgia 1976
Griswold v. Connecticut 1965
Roe v. Wade 1973
Fourteenth Amendment
Dred Scott v. Sanford 1857
Plessy v. Ferguson 1896
Brown v. Board of Education 1954
Wesberry v. Sanders 1964
Baker v. Carr 1962
Regents of California v. Bakke 1970
Readings:
I. Constitutional Underpinnings of U.S. Government
Woll – “Second Treatise of Government”
Federalist Papers # 47,48,51
McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)
United States v. Morrison (2000)
Gonzales v. Raich (2005)
“It is Time to Repair the Constitution’s Flaws”
Text – Ch. 1 – 3
II. Political Beliefs and Behaviors
Political Participation and Efficacy Data Analysis
Buckley v. Valeo (1976)
Text - Ch. 7, 8, 10
III. Political Parties, Interest Groups, and Media
Woll - “Toward a More Responsible Two-Party System”
“Federalist #10”
“Sugar Daddies”
“First Among Thirds”
Text: - Ch. 9, 11, 12
IV. Institutions of National Government
Woll – “Speech to the Electors of Bristol”
“If, as Ralph Nader Says”….
“Presidential Power”
“The Two Presidencies”
Marbury v. Madison (1803)
“How the Supreme Court Arrives at Decision”
Canon – “Roll Out the Barrel” p. 128-137
“What Government Agencies Do and Why They Do It” p. 190-199
“Marking Time”
Text – Ch. 13-16
V. Public Policy
Canon – “The Age of Open Society”
“The Tax-Cut Con”
Text – Ch. 17-18
VI. Civil Rights and Civil Liberties
Woll – Anti-Federalist Paper No. 84
Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)
Griswold v. Connecticut (1965)
Engel v. Vitale (1962)
Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)
Brown v. Board of Education (1954)
University of California Board of Regents v. Bakke (1978)
“The Triumphs of Title IX”
Text – Ch. 5-6
Critical Book Review—Extra Credit
A critical book review is based on careful analysis and interpretation of a piece of literature. In the course of a book an author presents a variety of information and viewpoints, it is the critic’s job to evaluate both the basic text and its information and the author’s effectiveness as a writer. Because it is the critic’s job to both relate the author’s main ideas and overall effectiveness of the work, it is essential that the critical review be well organized, supported in its generalizations and interpretation of the piece with examples and quotations, and logically explain the critic’s final judgment about the general quality of the work being reviewed.