A.P. United States Government and Politics

Ms. O. Busch

Fall Semester

2015

  1. Course Description

This course is an in depth study of the structure and organization of the American system of government designed to provide students with the analytical skills and factual knowledge necessary to deal critically with the problems and materials of the US Government. The course will examine the Constitutional underpinnings, the participation of the citizens in the political process, the organization and structure of government, the development of public policy, and civil liberties and civil rights. It is a college-level course being taught in high school. Therefore, the rigor is such that earning an “A” takes a consistently strong work ethic, good attendance, and highly developed critical thinking and writing skills.

  1. Textbook / Readers

Government in America; People, Politics, and Policy 2012 Election Edition by George Edwards, Martin Wattenberg, and Robert Lineberry

The Lanahan Readings in American Polity ed. Serow & Ladd

American Government Readings and Cases by Peter Woll

Current Events Supplemental

Wall Street Journal

Wall Street Journal Classroom Edition

Newsweek

Textbook Website

Class Website

This website offers up to date information on the class. Students are encouraged to check the site regularly for any information and assignments pertaining to the course.

AP Government & Politics Websites

  1. Students Evaluations

Tests

Quizzes

Assignments

Free Response Questions (FRQs) and Essays

Projects

  1. Class Procedures

All students are expected to follow the guidelines of the Murphy High School Handbook. Rules regarding uniforms, tardiness, absence, etc. will be enforced.

THE STUDENT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL WORK MISSED DUE TO AN EXCUSED ABSENCE. STUDENTS MAY NOT MAKE UP ANY WORK INCLUDING TESTS, WHICH IS MISSED DUE TO AN UNEXCUSED ABSENCE. MAKE-UP WORK IS NOT THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE TEACHER.

All written work submitted for a grade for a grade MUST be in standard BLUE or BLACK ink. Work that does not meet these criteria will be awarded half of the credit earned. Students will use a pencil for scantrons.

Class Preparation- Homework assignments will consist primarily of readings. It is extremely important that you arrive to class prepared each day in order to have meaningful discussions of the day’s topic. Reading assignments will be discussed in class and are subject to “pop” quizzes to illustrate mastery of content. Students are responsible for all materials contained in the reading assignments. Due to time constraints, discussion & lectures will expand on textbook information.

Assignments- Assignment due dates are non-negotiable. Assignments (homework) are turned in to the teacher when your name is called during roll. Late assignments will not be graded. Since you will be given advanced notice of assignments, computer, printer, internet problems are not acceptable reasons for late assignments.

Interpreting Data- Students will be able to interpret maps, data, charts, or other visual aids (i.e.: political cartoons, photographs, etc.) provided by the instructor and apply to materials currently under discussion. This may be in the form of an assignment, FRQ, or assessment. Additionally, students will locate and analyze current, unique examples of visual data (newspapers, magazines, internet) to supplement each unit, to be presented prior to each unit test.

Test / Quiz Format- Tests will follow each unit, be announced well in advance, and will follow a similar format of the AP US Government Exam.

50 Multiple Choice Questions (45 Minutes) 50% of Test Grade

2 Free Response Questions (45 Minutes) 50% of Test Grade

Actual AP Exam Format

60 Multiple Choice Questions (45 Minutes)

4 Free Response Questions (60 Minutes)

Any test missed due to an excused absence must be made up AFTER SCHOOL on the next assigned make-up day. Tests are CUMMULATIVE. Between 15-25% of the test will consist of material that has been previously covered. Make-up test will consist of the following;

50 Multiple Choice Questions (45 Minutes) 50% of test grade

3 Free Response Questions (45 Minutes) 50% of test grade

Quizzes may be short answer, fill in the blank, or multiple choice. Quizzes may be either scheduled or unscheduled.

FRQs are taken from examples of previous AP Exam FRQ Questions. You will have no less than one FRQ, either as an in class or homework assignment, for each unit. These will be distinct from FRQs on your assessment.

*The AP experience may place greater demands on students than those to which they are accustomed. It is likely that you will need to meet with the instructor from time to time to overcome problems you are having. I welcome those opportunities to help you one-on-one, and I encourage you to make arrangements to see me if you are experiencing difficulty. Mandatory conferences will be scheduled with those students experiencing significant difficulty.

Notebooks- There will not be a notebook check grade in this class. However, it is to your advantage to keep an organized notebook by topic. Notes and other materials will need to be referenced in completing assignments. Since this is a first semester class, your notebook will be critical to your success in reviewing for the AP exam. Only use loose-leaf white paper, never tablet paper. All work must be headed with your complete name (first and last), date, block (odd or even), and assignment on the upper right side of your paper (above the first line).

AP Exam Review- There will be review sessions in the spring before the exam. Students who regularly attend review sessions and complete suggested assignments during that time have shown improved AP Exam scores over students who choose not to do these things.

Cheating, plagiarism, and any other form of academic deception will not be tolerated and will be dealt with in the most serious manner. Any receiving, giving, transmitting, sharing, photocopying, etc. of materials from this class with any other student will be considered cheating and will be dealt with accordingly. The minimum punishment is a “0” on the assignment for all involved parties and parental notification.

  1. Summer Reading

Students are provided with a summer reading assignment prior to the end of the previous school year. An in class assessment will be given during the first week of school. Hardball by Chris Matthews

Tentative Schedule: Test dates and assigned readings are subject to change. Advance notice will be given if any changes are made.

  1. Constitutional Underpinnings of the United States Government (5-15%)

Approximately 5 Class Periods

Textbook Chapters 1, 2, & 3

Declaration of Independence

Federalist #10 & #51

The United States Constitution

McCulloch vs. Maryland

Marbury vs. Madison

Gibbons v. Ogden

Washington’s Farewell Address

  1. Considerations that influence the formulation and adoption of the Constitution
  2. Separation of Powers
  3. Federalism
  4. Theories of democratic government
  1. Institutions of National Government: The Congress, the Presidency, the Bureaucracy, and the Federal Courts (35-45%)

Approximately 16 Class Periods

Textbook Chapters 11, 12, 13, 14, & 15

Mayhew, Congress: The Electoral Connection

Fiorina, The Rise of the Washington Establishment

Federalist #78

  1. The major formal and informal institutional arrangements of powers
  2. Relationships among these four institutions, and varying balances of power
  3. Linkages between institutions and the following:
  4. Public Opinion and Voters
  5. Interest Groups
  6. Political Parties
  7. The Media
  8. Sub National Government
  1. Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (5-15%) Approximately 5 Class periods

Textbook Chapters 4 &5

Gideon v. Wainwright

Miranda v. Arizona

Cohen, Wink, Nods, Disguises-and Racial Preference

  1. The development of civil liberties and civil rights by judicial interpretation
  2. Knowledge of substantive rights and liberties
  3. The impact of the Fourteenth Amendment on the constitutional development of rights and liberties
  1. Public Policy (5-15%) Approximately 5 Class Period

Textbook Chapters 16, 17, & 18

  1. Policy making in a federal system
  2. The formation of policy agendas
  3. The role of institutions in the enactment of policy
  4. The role of the bureaucracy and the courts in policy implementation and interpretation
  5. Linkages between institutions and the following:
  6. Political Institutions and federalism
  7. Political parties
  8. Interest groups
  9. Elections
  10. Policy networks
  1. Political Parties, Interest Groups, and Mass Media (10-20%)

Approximately 6 Class Periods

Textbook Chapters 7, 8, & 10

Buckley v. Valeo

Moyers, Journalism and Democracy

  1. Political parties and elections
  1. Functions
  2. Organizations
  3. Development
  4. Effects on the political process
  5. Electoral laws and systems
  1. Interest groups, including political action committees (PACs)
  1. The range of interests represented
  2. The activities of interest groups
  3. The effects of interest groups on the political process
  4. The unique characteristics and roles of PACs in the political process
  1. The mass media
  1. The functions and structures of the media
  2. The impacts of media on politics
  1. Political Beliefs and Behaviors (10-20%)

Approximately 5 Class Periods

Textbook Chapters 6 & 9

Cronin, Direct Democracy

Key, The Responsible Electorate

Robinson, Party on Dudes! Ignorance is the Curse of the Information Age

  1. Beliefs that citizens hold about their government and its leaders
  2. Process by which citizens learn about politics
  3. The nature, sources, and consequences of public opinion
  4. The ways in which citizens vote and otherwise participate in political life
  5. Factors that influence citizens to differ from one another in terms of political beliefs and behaviors

Additional Vocabulary

Students will be expected to identify the following additional vocabulary terms in addition to the terms presented in the text. Some terms may overlap.

Unit 1

The Constitution and Federalism

  1. Majority Rule
  2. Checks and Balances
  3. Unitary System
  4. Federalism
  5. Expressed Powers
  6. Implied Powers
  7. Reserved Powers
  8. Cooperative Federalism
  9. Categorical Grant
  10. Block Grant
  11. Mandates
  12. Devolution

Unit 2

Institutions of National Government

  1. Congressional Redistricting
  2. Gerrymandering
  3. Incumbent
  4. Franking Privilege
  5. Standing Committees
  6. Conference Committees
  7. House Rules Committee
  8. House Ways and Means Committee
  9. Seniority
  10. Filibuster
  11. Cloture
  12. Logrolling
  13. Oversight
  14. Delegate Role of Representation
  15. Closed Primary
  16. Frontloading
  17. Soft Money
  18. 527 Group
  19. Veto
  20. Line-item Veto
  21. Executive Agreement
  22. Executive Privilege
  23. Lame-Duck Period
  24. Bureaucracy
  25. Executive Order
  26. Iron Triangle
  27. Issue Network
  28. Policy Agenda
  29. Appellate Jurisdiction
  30. Senatorial Courtesy
  31. Writ Certiorari
  32. Rule of Four
  33. Solicitor General
  34. Amicus Curiae Brief
  35. Stare Decisis
  36. Judicial Restraint
  37. Judicial Activism

Unit 3

Civil Rights and Civil Liberties

  1. Civil Liberties
  2. Civil Rights
  3. Selective Incorporation
  4. Establishment Clause
  5. Free Exercise Clause
  6. Clear and Present Danger Test
  7. Writ of Habeas Corpus
  8. Bill of Attainder
  9. Ex Post Facto Law
  10. Exclusionary Rule
  11. Miranda Warnings
  12. Strict Scrutiny
  13. Affirmative Action

Unit 4

Public Policy

  1. Monetary Policy
  2. Fiscal Policy
  3. Entitlement Program
  4. Office of Management and Budget

Unit 5

Political Parties, Interest Groups, and Mass Media

  1. Political Party
  2. Plurality Election
  3. Single-Member District
  4. Party Era
  5. Critical Election
  6. Party Realignment
  7. Divided Government
  8. Interest Group
  9. Political Action Committee
  10. Free Riders
  11. Power Elite Theory
  12. Pluralist Theory
  13. Hyperpluralist Theory
  14. Mass Media
  15. Linkage Institutions
  16. Horse-Race Journalism

Unit 6

Political Beliefs and Behaviors

  1. Political Culture
  2. Political Socialization
  3. Public Opinion
  4. Political Ideology
  5. Political Efficacy
  6. Split-Ticket Voting

Top Supreme Court Cases

The following Supreme Court Cases may be seen on a vocabulary quiz or unit test at any given time.

Classic Marshall Court Cases

  1. Marbury v. Madison (1803)
  2. McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)
  3. Gibbons v. Ogden (1824)

First Amendment: Establishment Clause Cases

  1. Engel v. Vitale (1962)
  2. Lemon v. Kurtzman (1971)

First Amendment: Free Speech Cases

  1. Schenck v. United States (1919)
  2. New York Times v. Sullivan (1964)
  3. Roth v. United States (1951)
  4. Tinker v. Des Moines (1969)
  5. Texas v. Johnson (1989)

First Amendment: Free Exercise Clause

  1. Reynolds v. United States (1879)
  2. Oregon v. Smith (1990)

The Fourteenth Amendment: Selective Incorporation Cases

  1. Barron v. Baltimore (1833)
  2. Gitlow v. New York (1925)

The Fourteenth Amendment: Due Process Clause Cases

  1. Weeks v. United States (1914)
  2. Mapp v. Ohio (1961)
  3. Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)
  4. Miranda v. Arizona (1966)

The Fourteenth Amendment: Equal Protection Cases

  1. Dred Scott v. Sanford (1857)
  2. Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)
  3. Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954)
  4. Regents of the University of California v. Bakke (1978)
  5. Grutter v. Bollinger (2003)

Right to Privacy

  1. Griswold v. Connecticut (1965)
  2. Roe v. Wade (1973)

Apportionment Cases

  1. Baker v. Carr (1962)
  2. Wesberry v. Sanders (1963)

Miscellaneous Cases

  1. Korematsu v. United States (1944)
  2. United States v. Nixon (1974)
  3. Buckley v. Valeo (1976)

The Top Ten Acts of Congress

The following Acts of Congress may appear at any time in the form of a test or quiz item or in an FRQ.

  1. The Civil Rights Act of 1964
  2. The Voting Rights Act of 1965
  3. The Clean Air Act (1970)
  4. The War Powers Resolution (1973)
  5. The Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974
  6. The Federal Election Campaign Act (1974)
  7. Americans with Disabilities Act (1990)
  8. Welfare Reform Act (1996)
  9. No Child Left Behind Act (2001)
  10. USA Patriot Act (2001)