Advanced Placement U.S. Government
Syllabus
Mr. Joel Hughes
- Course Purpose
The Advanced Placement U.S. Government course is a college level survey course. This course provides an opportunity for students to pursue and receive credit for their high school U.S. Government requirement and a semester of college credit (3 hours). This course is taught at the college level. Assignments, reading, and tests are at the college level. The national Advanced Placement exam will determine a student’s eligibility to receive college credit.
- Course Description
The Advanced Placement course in American Government is designed to give students a critical perspective on politics and government in the U.S. This course involves both the study of general concepts used to interpret American politics and the analysis of specific case studies. It also requires familiarity with the various institutions, groups, beliefs, and ideas that make up the American political reality. The course will focus on national government and national politics, relying on the following text, supplemental reader, and readings provided by the teacher.
Wilson & DiIulio, American Government: Institutions and Policies
Cigler & Loomis, eds., American Politics: Classic and Contemporary Readings
Unit I: The American System
Text: Chapter 1: The Study of American Government
Chapter 2: The Constitution
Chapter 3: Federalism
Reader: Jack N. Rakove, A Tradition Born of Strife,
Charles A. Beard, An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution
John P. Roche, The Founding Fathers: A Reform Caucus in Action
Madison, Federalist 51
Madison, Federalist 39
McCulloch v. Maryland, 1819
John D. Donahue, The Devil in Devolution
Martha Derthick, American Federalism: Half-Full or Half-Empty?
Unit II: Political Culture
Text: Chapter 4: American Political Culture
Chapter 5: Public Opinion
Chapter 6: Political Participation
Chapter 10: The Media
Reader: Benjamin Ginsberg, Polling and the Transformation of Public Opinion
Dana Milbank, I Hear America Ringing
Micah L. Sifry, Finding the Lost Voters
Michael Schudson, Voting Rites: Why We Need a New Concept of Citizenship
Robert D. Putnam, Bowling Alone: America’s Declining Social Capital
Joshua Meyrowitz, Lowering the Political Hero to Our Level
Thomas E. Patterson, Bad News, Bad Governance
Unit III: Parties, Elections, and Interest Groups
Text: Chapter 7: Political Parties
Chapter 8: Elections and Campaigns
Chapter 9: Interest Groups
Reader:Kay Lawson, Why We Still Need Real Political Parties
Everett Carll Ladd, Of Political Parties Great and Strong
J.K. White & Daniel M. Shea, Creative Party Finances in the Information Age
Burt Solomon, Presidency – Disunity for All
Robert Dreyfuss, Rousing the Democratic Base
James Madison, Federalist 10
Jeffrey Birnbaum, Lobbyists: Why the Bad Rap?
Cigler and Loomis, From Big Bird to Bill Gates…
Unit IV: Congress
Text: Chapter 11: Congress
Chapter 15: The Policymaking Process
Reader:Lee Hamilton, Ten Things I Wish Political Scientists Would Teach About Congress
Kenneth A. Shepsle, The Changing Textbook Congress
Mark Murray, King of the Roads
Richard E. Cohen, Crackup of Committees
Deborah Stone, Stories
Nicholas Thompson, Finding the Civil Service’s Hidden Sex Appeal
Unit V: The Presidency and the Bureaucracy
Text: Chapter 12: The Presidency
Chapter 13: The Bureaucracy
Chapter 20: Foreign and Military Policy
Reader: Richard E. Neustadt, The Power to Persuade
Robert A. Dahl, Myth of the Presidential Mandate
Evan Thomas, Why Clinton Won
Carl M. Cannon, Promises, Promises
Charles Peters, From Ouagadougou to Cape Canaveral: Why Bad News Doesn’t Travel Up
Unit VI: The Judiciary, Civil Liberties, and Civil Rights
Text:Chapter 14: The Judiciary
Chapter 18: Civil Liberties
Chapter 19: Civil Rights
Reader: Marbury v. Madison, 1803
Hamilton, Federalist 78
Richard A. Posner, What Am I? A Potted Plant?
Stuart Taylor, Jr., The Tipping Point
Near v. Minnesota, 1931
Jeffrey Rosen, Why Privacy Matters
Unit VII: Who Governs? To What Ends?
Text: Chapter 22: Who Governs?
Chapter 23: To What Ends?
- Course Expectations and Evaluation
- Major grades will consist of multiple choice tests and free-response essays. NOTE: Bring ERASABLE PENS for the essays.
- Daily reading assignments are mandatory. Students will be evaluated periodically over reading assignments using 10-15 question quizzes. The bottom line is this: If you do not do the reading, you will not be successful in this class or on the AP Exam.
- Students are required to maintain a notebook in which lecture notes and reading notes are kept.
- This is a difficult course. I expect you to take the AP Exam, and you should strive for an A or a B in this class. Anything below that indicates a low probability of success on the national exam.
- Due to the vast number of Supreme Court cases that demand attention in this course, we will be studying cases all through the semester.
- Grades:
- Major grades70%
- Daily grades30% (20% quizzes and 10% homework)
There will be at least 3 major grades and at least 8 daily grades per six weeks.