AP Government Schweitzer
AP US Government & Politics – Topics You Need to Know About
US Government & Politics
I. Constitutional Underpinnings of United States Government
Theoretical and Practical features of: Federalism, Separation of powers, Checks and balances
Historical situation at time of Constitutional Convention
Ideological and philosophical traditions on which the framers drew
Why did Madison fear factions?
What were the reasons for the swift adoption of the Bill of Rights?
USSC’s interpretation of key provisions in the Constitution
Theoretical perspectives on Constitution: democratic theory, theories of republican government, pluralism, and elitism
II. Political Beliefs and Behaviors
How political beliefs are formed, how they evolve, and the processes by which they are transmitted
Know why citizens hold certain beliefs about politics, how families, schools, and the media act to perpetuate or change these beliefs
Understand how political culture affects and informs political participation
Individuals engage in multiple forms of political participation:
Voting
Protest
Mass movements
Understand why individuals engage in various forms of political participation and how that participation may affect the political system
What leads citizens to differ from one another in their political beliefs and behaviors
Consequences of these differences
Focus on demographic features of the American population; awareness of group differences in political beliefs and behaviors
Different views that people hold of the political process
Understand how changes in political participation affect the political system
III. Political Parties, Interest Groups, and Mass Media
Understand mechanisms that allow citizens to organize and communicate their interests and concerns: (linkage institutions)
Political parties
Elections
Political action committees (PACs)
Interest groups – what they do, how they do it, and how this affects political process and public opinion
Mass media
Historical evolution of the US party system
Functions and structure of political parties and effects of parties on political process
Issues of party reform/historical party demographic shifts (realignment)
Campaign strategies and financing in the electronic age
Election laws and election systems
Development and role of PACs in elections
Party and individual voting behavior
Ideological and demographic differences between two major parties and third parties
Lobbying
Why some interests are represented by organized groups while others are not – and the consequences of this difference in representation/ who is and is not represented?
Why are certain segments of the population able to exert pressure on political institutions and actors in order to obtain favorable policies?
Role of the media in the political system
Impact of the media on:
Public opinion
Voter perceptions
Campaign strategies
Electoral outcomes
Agenda development
Images of officials and candidates
Symbiotic and conflictual relationship among candidates, elected officials, and the media
Goals and incentives of media as an industry and how those goals influence the nature of news coverage
Consequences of increasing concentration of major media outlets in fewer hands
IV. Institutions of National Government
Organization and powers – formal and informal – of major political institutions in US – Congress
Presidency
Bureaucracy
Federal courts
Understand that these are separate institutions sharing powers and the implications of that arrangement (separation of powers)
Understand the power balances and relationships between these institutions may evolve gradually or change dramatically as a result of crises; List examples of this:
Understand ties between various branches of national government and political parties, interest groups, the media, and state and local governments (i.e.: a study of the conflicting interests and powers of the President and Congress may help explain repeated struggles to adopt a national budget)
V. Civil Rights and Civil Liberties & Public Policy
Development of individual rights and liberties and their impact on citizens
Judicial interpretations of various civil rights and liberties such as:
Civil Rights:
Rights of minority groups and women
Civil Liberties:
Freedom of speech
Freedom of expression
The rights of the accused
Analysis of the workings of the USSC and familiarity with its most significant decisions
Do you know your court cases?
Legal, social, and political evolution following the USSC’s decisions regarding racial desegregation
Fourteenth Amendment and the doctrine of selective incorporation – used to extend protection of rights and liberties
Assess the strengths and weaknesses of USSC decisions as tools of social change
V. Public Policy
The result of interactions and dynamics among actors, interests, institutions, and processes (policy making process)
Formation of policy agendas, enactment of public policies by Congress, President, and implementation and interpretation of policies by the bureaucracy and the courts
Investigate policy networks and issue networks in domestic and foreign policy areas
Impact of federalism, interest groups, parties, and elections on policy processes and policymaking in the federal context
Familiarity with major public policies