Welcome to Advanced Placement U.S. Government and Politics. This course will be
designed as a college level course giving you the opportunity to earn college credits. You will
take the AP exam in May, which may give you College credits. You are on your own to find out
what score you will need on this exam to give you those credits at the college of your choice.
We will talk a lot more about this exam later.
Because you are taking this course in high school, you will earn high school credits as well.
Your grade will be based on my evaluations of your work and participation throughout the year.
This will be a very rigorous course requiring a lot of outside work on your part to be successful.
You are expected to complete all assignments and readings outside of class. Class time will
mostly be spent on discussions and lecture style learning. You will find it difficult to participate
if you do not do the work outside of class.
All assignments will be turned in on a specified date and no late work will be accepted. There
will be no exceptions to this rule unless I approve a circumstance before hand. All out of class
assignments must be typed. No hand written work will be accepted. If you are absent, you will
have my e-mail address so that you will be able to send me your work as an attachment.
Advanced Placement U.S. Government and Politics is separated into six areas:
I.
Constitutional Underpinnings of United States Government
II.
Political Beliefs and Behaviors
III.
Political Parties, Interest groups, and Mass Media
IV.
Institutions of National Government
V.
Public Policy
VI.
Civil Rights and Civil Liberties
Your grade in this course will be determined by:
Exams: 50%
Projects: 15%
Assignments: 25% In class assignments can not be made up. They will be omitted
Participation: 10%
- All Exams will be in the format of the AP exam. They will consist of Multiple Choice
questions and a Free Response section. Each section will be timed and no extra time will be
given.
- Each nine weeks will have at least one major project. Some of the projects will be individual
and some will be group projects. There will be very little class time devoted to projects, which
means you must fit these into your own personal schedule.
- An essay or in class quiz relevant to the reading will accompany all supplemental readings.
Other assignments will be given at my discretion.
- Participation in this class is critical. At the end of each class period you are to turn in an index
card showing your verbal participation for that period. I will evaluate the cards and issue a
number of points based on your comments. I will keep track of the points and your total number
will be your participation grade for the nine weeks. You can earn a maximum of forty points but
you may not accumulate more than two points in one day.
Class Materials: You will need the following materials in this course.
1. Textbook: American Government 10th ed.
2. Classic Readings in American Government reader.
3. Index Cards
4. Three ring binder notebook
5. Paper
6. Pens and Pencils
Deadlines:
Deadlines will be set by the instructor and may only be changed by the instructor. All
assignments are due by the deadline regardless of your attendance. No late work will be
accepted. If you are absent when an exam is given, you must schedule to make-up the exam on
your next day back. All make-up exams will be given before or after school. You will have no
more than three days upon return to make up the exam. I would suggest you make sure that you
are in class for exams if at all possible.
Communication:
You will need to provide the instructor an e-mail address. You are expected to look for
messages from the instructor each day. From time to time I may find something on television
relevant to this course that I would like to discuss. This information will be sent to you by e-mail
before 18:00. If it is sent before 18:00 you will be responsible for it. If I do not get the message
out before that time, it is my fault. I will provide you with my e-mail address so that you can
stay in contact with me and for assignments in case you are not in class.
Discipline:
You have chosen to participate in a college level course so I do not anticipate dealing with
discipline problems. In my eyes you are all college freshmen.
The common method of punishment will be ASD. If problems are more severe, it may call for a
discipline notice.
Respect:
This course will deal with very controversial issues. We will all work together to create an
environment where everyone is comfortable sharing their ideas. I will need your help with this.
Disrespect will not be tolerated.
Important Web Sites:
US Senate
senate.gov
US House of Reps.
house.gov
US Supreme Court
supremecourtus.gov
White House
whitehouse.gov
Supreme court opinions
OYEZ.com
New York Times
nytimes.com
Washington Post
washingtonpost.com
USA Today
usatoday.com
C-Span
c-span.org
CNN
cnn.com
MSNBC
msnbc.com
Fox News
foxnews.com
Vote Smart
vote-smart.org
FiveThirtyEight
http://fivethirtyeight.com/
Real Clear Politics
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/
E-Mail:
Every student must provide the instructor with an e-mail address. My e-mail address is
fhobby@iss.k12.nc.us It is important that you communicate with me if an emergency should
arise. Assignments are to be turned in by 9:00 on the due date. If you are not in school, I will
expect an e-mail with your attached assignment by 9:00. I will check the time.
AP US Government and Politics Unit Summary
Unit I: Democracy and the Constitution
Text Reading: Chapter 1 and chapter 2
Supplemental reading: Federalist # 51.
Summary: This unit will begin the foundations of our system of government with specific focus
on why the republican form of government was the chosen type. Students will understand the
Constitution and how the document has been able to withstand the test of time. The primary
source reading of the federalist papers will help students understand the thought that was
involved with the choice of government and how the Constitution would strengthen the national
government while leaving states free to carry on their own sovereignty.
Unit II: Federalism
Text Reading: Chapter 3 and the Constitution
Supplemental Reading: Federalist #10
Summary: In this unit, students will focus on the powers of the different levels of government.
We will study various Supreme Court cases that began and strengthened the idea of national
supremacy. We will discuss contemporary issues that have put national supremacy and the
principle of federalism to the ultimate constitutional test. We will also focus on the constitution
itself. Students will learn the structure and specific ideas of this important document.
Unit III: Interest Groups and Political Parties
Text Reading: Chapter 9 and Chapter 11
Project: Interest group research project.
Summary: This unit will begin the importance on civic participation by focusing on the various
interest groups found within the United States. Students will also research an interest group to
get an idea of how the group works for change within the scope of American government. We
will discuss Campaign Finance Reform with special attention being paid to disclosure and
campaign limitations. The focus will then shift to political parties with an emphasis on the twoparty system in the United States and the idea of winner-take-all. Students will learn about third
parties and begin to see how they can be somewhat successful in a system that is stacked against
them. Students will focus on the fundamental difference between interest groups and political
parties.
Unit IV: Campaigns and elections
Text Reading: Chapter 10
Supplemental reading: Reforming the Electoral College.
Summary: This unit will focus on the campaigning process as well as the election process.
Campaign strategies will be thoroughly discussed and students will get an idea of the importance
of television campaign ads and how they have changed over time. After discussing the election
process of the president, we will shift to Congress. Students will learn about the competition (or
lack of competition) in congressional races and learn about the role of fundraising. Students will
understand the election process beginning with the nomination phase and ending with the general
election.
Unit V: Political landscape and political ideology
Text Reading: Chapter 4 and Chapter 7
Summary: This unit will discuss the foundations of political socialization and political
ideology. Students will focus on controversial issues and learn the different ways that specific
ideological thought view them. Students will get a sense of their own ideologies by taking
various ideological tests that I have accumulated over the years. Students will learn about
demographics as a possible predictor of voting behavior. This unit will also include the
difference between majority rules and plurality.
Unit VI: Political Participation and the Media
Text reading: Chapter 8 and Chapter 12
Project: Public opinion poll and analysis.
Summary: In this unit we will focus on public opinion and its relevance to the political process.
We will try to decide if politicians should govern in the way the public thinks. We will analyze
the art of public opinion polls and students will be expected to conduct one on their own to
determine how relevant these polls actually are. They will also analyze the results while
breaking them down into several demographic categories. Our attention will turn next to the
media and focus on the different types of media and where Americans tend to get their news.
Students will be expected to watch multiple news programs and try to discover the answer to
whether or not there is a media bias.
Unit VII: Congress
Text reading: Chapter 13
Supplemental reading: Congress and the Quest for Power article.
Summary: In this unit we will focus on the men and women that make the laws for this country.
We will re-visit the campaigning aspect before focusing on their role as legislators. We will
learn about the importance of the committee structure of congress and debate the benefits of the
system compared to the delays that are imminent. We will study the leaders of congress
focusing on how they become leaders to what they do in those positions. We will end this unit
with the process of how a bill becomes a law.
Unit VIII: The President
Text reading: Chapter 14
Supplemental reading: The Two Presidencies.
Summary: This unit will focus on the President of the United States and the different roles
played by this important leader. We will discuss the men who have been elected to this powerful
office and debate the top five presidents of all time and the bottom five presidents of all time.
We will discuss the role of public opinion in making presidential decisions. We will discuss the
election process of the president from its beginnings to the changes brought about by the twelfth
amendment. We will discuss the importance of the people that surround the Chief Executive and
learn about their roles. This will be the first time we focus on the priorities of domestic policy
vs. foreign policy.
Unit IX: The Judiciary
Text Reading: Chapter 16
Supplemental reading: Various Supreme Court opinions, Federalist #78
Summary: This unit will focus on the role of the various levels of the federal courts. Students
will learn the different jurisdictions of the federal courts and focus on the important roles held by
the other branches of government when dealing with the federal courts. We will focus on the
appeals process and students will learn the impact of court rulings on the district, circuit, and
Supreme Court level. We will debate the judicial philosophies of activism vs. original intent.
Students will read various Supreme Court opinions and focus on majority, concurring, and
dissenting opinions.
Unit X: Civil Liberties and Civil Rights
Text Reading: Chapter 5 and Chapter 6
Project: Supreme Court Case video project on first amendment cases.
Summary: This unit will focus on the five freedoms of the first amendment. We will study the
concepts of the freedoms and debate how absolute the freedoms actually are. We will debate the
contradictory clauses of the first amendment when dealing with religion. Students will learn the
laws that govern these freedoms and will learn many Supreme Court cases that deal with these
freedoms. Students will present Supreme Court cases in the form of a video presentation. This
unit will focus on other amendments protecting Americans including the 4th, 5th, 6th, and 8th. We
will discuss privacy rights and the idea of selective incorporation with the use of the 14th
amendment. Students will learn the trial procedure and the rights guaranteed to all persons in
our justice system. We will debate the constitutionality of the death penalty while looking at
Supreme Court cases dealing with the issue as well as how various states approach the issue. We
will then focus on equality and how the Constitution has paved the way for more group access
while leaving the question of protection up to the courts. We will discuss segregation from its
beginning and focus on the way states attempted to deny access to certain groups. We will
discuss the remedies of segregation from affirmative action to congressional use of the
commerce clause.
Student Contract
I have read the requirements and expectations of Advanced Placement U.S. Government and
Politics. I realize the course will be very demanding and time consuming. I understand that
much of the learning will take place outside of class. I understand that the class discussions are
meant to reinforce the learning experience. I understand that this course will be taught as a
college level class and that I am responsible for all assignments.
_____________________
Name (Print)
____________________
Signature
_______________
Date
Parent Contract
I have read the requirements and expectations of Advanced Placement U.S. Government and
Politics. I am fully aware that my child has chosen to participate in a very demanding course. I
understand that my child will be responsible for learning a lot of the information on his/her own.
I understand that this course will be taught as a college level class and that my child is expected
to be responsible for all assignments.
______________________
Name (Print)
______________________
Signature
_______________
Date