• Course Description:  AP® U.S. Government and Politics is a college-level half year-long course that not only seeks to prepare students for success on the AP Exam in May, but also provide students with the political knowledge and reasoning processes to participate meaningfully and thoughtfully in discussions and debates that are currently shaping American politics and society. It is important to note that this course is not a history course; it is a political science course that studies the interconnectedness of the different parts of the American political system as well as the behaviors and attitudes that shape this system and are the byproduct of this system.

     

    AP U.S. Government and Politics accomplishes these goals by framing the acquisition of political knowledge around enduring understandings and big ideas about American government and politics that can be applied to a set of disciplinary practices by using a set of reasoning processes. Through the development of this set of political knowledge, disciplinary practices, and reasoning processes, students will be able to analyze current and historical political events like a political scientist and develop factually accurate, well-reasoned, thoughtful arguments and opinions that acknowledge and grapple with alternative political perspectives.

     

    Instructional Schedule [CR3]

    This AP U.S. Government and Politics class is taught in one semester using a traditional school day schedule. Each class period is 50 minutes long. There are approximately 65 instructional days in each semester. 

    Unit 1: Foundations of American Democracy (19 days)

    Unit 2: Interactions Among Branches of Government (31 days)

    Unit 3: Civil Liberties and Civil Rights (15 days)

    Unit 4: American Political Ideologies and Beliefs (16 days)

    Unit 5: Political Participation (19 days)

     

    Additional instructional days are available for work on the Civil Participation Project as well as review prior to the AP Exam in May.

    Big Ideas (from AP U.S. Government and Politics Course and Exam Description): [CR3]

    1. Constitutionalism (CON) The U.S. Constitution establishes a system of checks and balances among branches of government and allocates power between federal and state governments. This system is based on the rule of law and the balance majority rule and minority rights.
    2. Liberty and Order (LOR) Governmental laws and policies balancing order and liberty are based on the U.S. Constitution and have been interpreted differently over time.
    3. Civic Participation in a Representative Democracy (PRD) Popular sovereignty, individualism, and republicanism are important considerations of U.S. laws and policy making and assume citizens will engage and participate.
    4. Competing Policy-Making Interests (PMI) Multiple actors and institutions interact to produce and implement possible policies.
    5. Methods of Political Analysis (MPA) Using various types of analyses, political scientists measure how U.S. political behavior, attitudes, ideologies, and institutions are shaped by a number of factors over time.

    The Disciplinary Practices and Reasoning Processes

    Questions on the AP U.S. Government and Politics Exam ask students to apply the course content through the disciplinary practices and reasoning skills. 

    Throughout the course, students will have the opportunity to develop these five disciplinary practices:

    • Practice 1: Concept Application
    • Practice 2: Supreme Court Case Law Application
    • Practice 3: Data Analysis
    • Practice 4: Source Analysis
    • Practice 5: Argumentation

    While engaging in the disciplinary practices, students will also apply the following reasoning skills:

    • Reasoning Process 1: Definition/Classification
    • Reasoning Process 2: Process
    • Reasoning Process 3: Causation
    • Reasoning Process 4: Comparison

    • Text and Readings [CR1]: 

       

      Edwards, G., Martin Wattenberg, and Robert Lineberry. Government in America: People Politics and Policy,

      17th ed.  New York: Pearson Education, 2018.  (classroom copy available upon request)

       

       

      Additionally, throughout the course, articles from major periodicals and newspapers (such as Time, The New Yorker, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, New York Times, and Wall Street Journal) will be assigned. 

       

      Required Foundational Documents [CR 2, CR7]

      This course, especially Unit 1, will incorporate the analysis and discussion of nine required foundational documents to help understand the context and beliefs of the founders and their critics and the debates surrounding the writing and ratification of the U.S. Constitution:

      • The Declaration of Independence
      • The Articles of Confederation
      • Federalist No. 10
      • Brutus No. 1
      • Federalist No. 51
      • The Constitution of the United States
      • Federalist No. 70
      • Federalist No. 78
      • “Letter from Birmingham Jail”

      • Required Supreme Court Cases [CR 2, CR5]

        This course, especially Unit 3, will incorporate the analysis of the following 15 required Supreme Court cases as well provide opportunities to connect them to other non-required landmark cases:

        • Marbury v. Madison (1803)
        • McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)
        • Schenck v. United States (1919)
        • Brown v. Board of Education (1954)
        • Baker v. Carr (1961)
        • Engel v. Vitale (1962)
        • Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)
        • Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District (1969)
        • New York Times Company v. United States (1971)
        • Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972)
        • Roe v. Wade (1973)
        • Shaw v. Reno (1993)
        • United States v. Lopez (1995)
        • McDonald v. Chicago (2010)
        • Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (FEC) (2010)

         

        Learning Strategies:

        • The primary learning strategy is a lecture/discussion format, which will take place about two to three days per week.  Students will be presented with the 5 Big Ideas throughout the 5 Units while incorporating the 5 Disciplinary Practices and 4 Reasoning Processes.   [CR3 – CR9]
        • A pair of students will create a current events presentation each week in which they find news items tied to each of the 5 Big Ideas (yearlong course only). [CR3, CR4, CR7] Included in the current events presentation will be an analysis of one Political Cartoon.  [CR8]
        • Students will learn to analyze charts and graphs including demographic data throughout the course, but especially in Units 4 & 5. [CR6] 
        • Students will also read articles and prepare analytical question in advance of a student-led discussion.  This discussion will focus on working together to interpret foundational documents and other text-based and visual sources. [CR7] 
        • Students will have the opportunity to practice developing an argument in an essay with each Unit Exam. [CR9]
        • Students will be responsible to engage in a political science research project or an applied civics project that ties to the AP Government framework. [CR10]

        • Course Assessments and Grading:  Grades for this course will be determined by performance on a 2-part exam including 28-Multiple Choice Questions (40 minutes) as well as 2-Free Response Questions – (40 minute) following each unit.  Each multiple-choice question will have four possible responses, in the College Board format.  The Free Response Questions will be graded according to the rubric.  Students will also be graded on their participation in the required political science research / applied civics project.  Students in the year long course will also be graded on their contribution to a panel discussion, which will be prepared with a partner.  Miscellaneous assignments including Socratic Seminars as well as Current Events presentations will be given on a regular basis.  The last component of the grade will be a cumulative final. 

           

          The following weighting for each of the assignment categories will be distributed as follows:

           

          Unit Exams – 40% [CR2 – CR9]

          Political Science Research / Applied Civics Project – 20% [CR10]

          Panel Discussion Project – 10% [CR3, CR4, CR7]

          Miscellaneous (Current Events, Socratic Seminar, etc.) – 10% [CR3, CR4, CR7, CR8]

          Final Exam – 20% [CR2 – CR9]

           

          Make-up Exams:  (This does not mean Re-takes but taking the test if you are absent on test day).  Should a student be absent on one of the exam days that have already been determined, they must make arrangements to make up the exam at one of the scheduled times.  Please schedule this time as soon as possible.  The available time for students to make up exams is on Thursday during zero hour, 5th hour or 6th hour.  Students will not be excused from any class to make up and exam.  Should a student not make up the exam at the scheduled time, the student will earn a “0” for the exam.  If a student has an unexcused absence on test day, they will not be able to make up the test. 

           

          Office Hours:  Students are encouraged to take advantage of office hours, noted on the first page of the syllabus.  This is an opportunity to discuss issues relating to the course, to review exams or papers, or just to talk politics.  In addition, appointments can be made to meet at other times.

           

          Academic Honesty:  All students are expected to conduct themselves in the most honest fashion in the class and this school.  Should a student fail to do so, the student will earn a “0” for the assignment that was not completed honestly. 

           

          Final Note:  This class is meant to be a learning experience for you.  The goal is to not only teach you about the essentials of American Government, but also to give you exposure to the college lecture experience.  This process may be frustrating for you at times.  If you are having a particularly difficult time or just need some extra guidance in maneuvering through this course, please don’t hesitate to discuss the matter with me.  It is my hope that you enjoy this experience and that you become lifelong participants in our democratic system.  Be sure you use every resource I have made available to you.  These resources include the class website, the assigned readings, Power Point notes and web links. 

           

          It is imperative that students complete these reading assignments in a timely manner, prior to the associated lecture.  A common rule of thumb at the college level is that for every one hour spent in class, the student should study for two hours outside of class.  This time should be spent in completing the assigned reading, taking notes on that reading, reviewing notes taken from prior discussions and studying for each of the unit tests.  Failure to complete reading assignments will result in lower test scores as a selection of test questions will come directly from the assigned reading.    Additionally, these readings are meant to enhance the learning experience in this class.  If a student fails to read an assignment, further grasp of the topic will not be achieved.