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Course
Syllabus
Course
Name: U.S. Government and Politics
I Course Information
Course Number: 1348
Level: Advanced Placement
Department: Social Science
II Course Description
Prerequisite: None
Open to: Freshmen and Sophomores
Length: 1 Year
Credit: 1
Summary: This course is designed to be the equivalent of a college-level
survey. It offers students the opportunity to examine deeply the Constitution,
civil liberties, civil rights, political ideologies, political parties, interest
groups, the news media, political campaigns, Congress, the presidency, the
federal courts, and the federal bureaucracy. Students will come to understand
how the American political system operates today and how that system has changed
over time. This course prepares students for the College Board A.P. exam in
U.S. Government and Politics.
III Course Goals
As a result of a course
in U.S. Government and Politics, students will:
1) have a clearer understanding of the political process so that they are more
likely to become engaged citizens.
2) understand both their rights and their responsibilities as U.S. citizens.
3) think critically about American political institution and practices so that
they can appreciate both the strengths and problems of the system and avoid
falling into simplistic cynicism.
4) develop writing skills, particularly their ability to organize ideas, create
theses, and support arguments with evidence.
5) develop their reading skills, particularly their ability to identify main
ideas and supporting evidence and to ask questions of the text.
6) articulate and defend their political views in a civil way while respecting
the opinions expressed by others.
IV
Textbooks and Materials
O’Connor, Karen and Larry J.
Sabato, American Government: Continuity and Change (2006 Edition). New
York: Pearson Education, Inc., 2006. (please bring to class every day)
Lanahan Readings in the American
Polity. Baltimore:
Lanahan Publishers, 2006.
notebook (for keeping all class notes)
folder (for keeping all handouts)
index cards (size 4x6)
pen – (Please use pencil only for Scantron portion of test.)
V Course Outline
First Semester
Part I:
The Context of American Politics
Unit
1: Introduction to Government and Politics
Unit 2: The Constitution
Unit 3: Federalism
Unit 4: Civil Liberties
Unit 5: Civil Rights
Part II: The People in the Political Process
Unit 6: Public Opinion and Political Socialization
Unit 7: Parties and Interest Groups
Unit 8: The News Media
Major Assessments:
Assignment each unit based on Lanahan Reader
Unit tests
Research assignment quarterly
Second Semester
Unit
9: Elections, Campaigns, and Participation
Part III: Institutions of American Government
Unit 10: Congress
Unit 11: The Presidency
Unit 12: The Budget and the Bureaucracy
Unit 13: The Federal Court System
Part IV: Tying It All Together
Unit 14: Public Policymaking
Major Assessments:
Assignment each unit based on Lanahan Reader
Unit tests
Research assignment quarterly
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