The Essentials of AP US Government and Politics
- Theory of Modern Government
-Meaning and basic functions of government
-Meaning of politics
-Philosophical theories of government (Locke, Montesquieu, etc).
- Constitutional Foundations and Principles
-Declaration of Independence
-Articles of Confederation
-Writing the Constitution of 1787 (Plans & Compromises)
-Birth of political parties (Feds & Anti-Feds)
-Powers of Gov’t (Leg, Exec, and Judicial)
-Federalism vs. Confederacy vs. Unitary
-Provision for Formal Change (Amendment process)
-Informal provisions for change (Supreme court, elastic clause)
- Federalism
-Federal- State Relationship (Conflict and Compromise)
-Federalism and Courts
-Dual, layer and Marble, Fiscal Federalism
-Funding Policies (Categorical grants, project grants, block grants, funded vs. unfunded mandates, conditions of aid)
- Congress
-Powers of Congress (formal vs. informal)
-Organization of Congress
-Characteristics of Members of Congress
-House and Senate Leadership
-The Committee System
-A Bill’s Passage into Law
-Voting Influences
-Congressional spending, reforms, ethics legislation
-Congress vs. Prez (relationship and struggle)
-Congress and the Federal Budget
- Presidency
-Election process
-Powers of the President
-Functions of the President (CIC, chief of state, diplomat, executive, legislator, head of party, moral leader)
-Organization of the executive department (E.O.C., Cabinet)
-Prez and domestic policy, foreign policy
-Prez succession
- The Bureaucracy
-Nature and size of Federal bureaucracy
-Organization of Executive Bureaucracy (cabinet, independent executive agencies, independent regulatory commissions, gov’t corporations)
-Bureaucratic interactions with prez, Congress, judicial branch and public
-A policymaking institution
-Bureaucratic problems and reforms
- The Judicial Branch
-Organization of the Federal Court system
-Selection of Federal Judges
-Supreme Court- term, selection of justices, how docket is determined, how decisions are reached, implementation of decisions
-Historic evolution of the US Supreme Court and Decisions
-Checks on judicial power
-Judicial activism vs. Judicial Restraint
- Civil Rights and Civil Liberties
-Civil Liberties: Individual Rights and the Constitution (the Bill of Rights)
-Key Supreme Court Cases
-Civil Rights- Equal protection under the law (14th amendment)
- Public Opinion and Socialization
-Using polls to measure Public opinion (polling history and using polls)
-How the public forms it opinions (political socialization- family, school, peer groups, mass media, race and ethnicity, religion, region, income and education)
- Mass Media and Politics
-Evolution of Media Print and Broadcast
-Rise of radio and TV
-Media’s political role (alerting public to breaking stories, shaping political agenda, molding public opinion, link bw leaders and public, watchdog, scorekeeper, gatekeeper)
-Modern Presidency based on media
-Media coverage of elections and governmental institutions
-Benefits and negatives of Media
- Political Parties
-History of Political Parties (Feds, Anti-feds, Dem, Rep, Third parties, minor parties)
-Political Party Organization (local, state, national)
- Voting and Elections
-History of voting expansion vs historical obstacles to voting
-Voter turnout- who votes and who doesn’t? Why?
-Voting behavior- Psychological and sociological factors
-Getting nominated and campaigning for office
-Primary elections, Prez campaigns, Congressional campaigns
-Election reforms
-Campaign finance reform
- Interest Groups
-Types of groups (economic, civil rights, public, ideological, government, single issue)
-Function of interest groups
-Tactics of interest groups (lobbying, litigation, grass roots campaigns, PACs)
-Regulation of interest groups- ethics reform
- Policymaking
-Policymaking process
-Agenda building and implementation
-Politics and policymaking (iron triangles and issue networks)
-Regulation and deregulation
-Social Welfare policy (AFDC and TANF – Block grant)
-Social security
-Medicare and Medicaid
-Economic Policy ** The Federal Budget, Taxes and Tax reform