Syllabus

AP U.S Government and Politics
Syllabus
Course Description
This is a one semester study of the various institutions, groups, beliefs and ideas that make up the
American political reality. Students prepare to take the College Board AP Government and
Politics Exam and possibly receive college course credit. The course is rigorous, fast paced and
requires extensive reading.
Grading
Six weeks grades will be determined as follows:
Tests: 70%
Daily Grades: 30%
The semester exam will constitute 20% of the semester average.
There will be a test at the end of each instructional unit. Reading quizzes will be given
periodically in order to evaluate the students’ knowledge of the material.
Texts
Government in America: People, Politics and Policy Tenth Edition by George C. Edwards III,
Martin P. Wattenberg and Robert Lineberry; Addison Wesley Longman, Inc.; New York; 2002.
American Government: Readings and Cases 16th Edition by Peter Woll; Addison Wesley
Longman, Inc.; New York; 2006.
Supplemental Readings and Data Analysis
Students will be expected to read and discuss relevant Op-Ed pieces written in the New York
Times, Washington Post and The Economist. In addition, student will analyze tables and data
about topics that include, voter turnout statistics, percentages of incumbents who get reelected,
numbers of federal laws that have been overturned by the Supreme Court, amount of federal
expenditures in the US budget, characteristics of Congressional members and Federal judges, and
amount of legislation vetoed by the President.
Assessment
Tests will consist of 50-60 multiple choice questions about the instructional unit. Students will be
given several free response questions to choose from dealing with the topics during each
instructional unit. Some free response essays will be take home quiz grades, while others will
require timed responses during the class period.
Woll Reading
1. Students should prepare at least a 3 min. summary of the assigned reading and
present to class (can use visual aids)
2. Students should prepare to answer questions from peers and from the
instructor.
3. Presentation will count as one daily grade.
Curriculum Outline and Course Readings
January 6 – February 6
I. Constitutional Underpinnings of United States Government
A. Considerations that influenced the formulation and adoption of the Constitution
B. Separation of powers
C. Federalism
D. Theories of Democratic Government
II. Civil Rights and Civil Liberties
A. The development of civil liberties and civil rights by judicial interpretation
B. Knowledge of substantive rights and liberties
C. The impact of the 14th Amendment on the constitutional development of rights and liberties
Government in America, Chapters 1-5, US Constitution
Woll Reader,
Part 1
1. Locke, Second Treatise, Of Civil Government
2. Beard, Framing the Constitution
3. Madison, Federalist 47, 48, 51
4. Hamilton, Federalist 16, 17
5. Bryce, The Merits of the Federal System
6. McCulloch v Maryland
7. Grodzins, The Federal System
8. National Power over the States, United States v Morrison
Part 2
1. Anti-Federalist Paper No.84
2. The Fourteenth Amendment, Gideon v Wainright
3. Holmes, The Need to Maintain a Free Marketplace of Ideas
4. Equal Protection, Plessy v Ferguson
5. Establishment Clause, Engel v Vitale
6. School Vouchers, Zelman v Simmons-Harris
7. Right to Abortion, Roe v Wade
8. Affirmative Action, Adarand Constructors, Inc. v Pena
February 9 – March 13
III. Political Beliefs and Behaviors
A. Beliefs that citizens hold about their government and its leaders
B. Processes by which citizens learn about politics
C. The nature, sources, and consequences of public opinion
D. The ways in which citizens vote and otherwise participate in political life
E. Factors that influence citizens to differ from one another in terms of political beliefs and behaviors
IV. Political Parties, Interest Groups and Mass Media
A. Political Parties and Elections
1. Functions
2. Organization
3. Development
4. Effects on the Political Process
5. Electoral laws and systems
B. Interest Groups, including political action committees (PAC’s)
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 PAC’s in the political process
C. The Mass Media
1. The functions and structures of the media
2. The impacts of media on politics
Government in America, Chapters 6-11
Woll Reader,
Part 1
1. Madison, Federalist 10
2. Schattschneider, Party Government
3. Wattenberg, Perspectives on American Political Parties
4. Mayhew, Divided We Govern
5. Key, Theory of Critical Elections
6. Berelson, Lazarsfield and McPhee, Democratic Practice and Democratic Theory
7. Key, The Responsible Electorate
8. Buckley v Valeo
Part 2
1. Truman, The Governmental Process
2. Mark J. Rozell and Clyde Wilcox, Interest Groups and the American Political System
3. Larry J. Sabato, The Misplaced Obsession with PACs
March 23 – May 1
V. Institutions of National Government: The Congress, the Presidency, the Bureaucracy, and the
Federal Courts
A. The major formal and informal institutional arrangements of power
B. Relationships among these four institutions and varying balances of power
C. Linkages between institutions and the following:
1. Public opinion and voters
2. Interest groups
3. Political parties
4. The media
5. State governments
Government in America, Chapters 12-13, 15-16
Woll Reader
1. Morris P. Fiorina, The Rise of the Washington Establishment
2. Richard F. Fenno, Jr., If, As Ralph Nader Says, Congress Is “The Broken Branch,” How Come We
Love Our Congressmen So Much?
3. David R. Mayhew, Congress: The Electoral Connection
4. Richard F. Fenno, Jr., Home Style and Washington Career
5. Clinton Rossiter, The Presidency-Focus of Leadership
6. Richard E. Neustadt, Presidential Power
7. Thomas Cronin and Michael Genovese, Presidential Paradoxes
8. James David Barber, The Presidential Character
9. David Brooks, How to Run for President
10. William Brennan, How the Supreme Court Arrives at Decisions
11. James Q. Wilson, The Rise of the Bureaucratic State
VI. Public Policy
A. Policymaking in a Federal System
B. The formation of policy agendas
C. The role of institutions in the enactment of policy
D. The role of the bureaucracy and the courts in policy implementation and interpretation
E. Linkages between policy processes and the following:
a. Political institutions and federalism
b. Political parties
c. Interest groups
d. Public opinion
e. Elections
f. Policy networks
Government in America, Chapters 14, 17-20
Review meetings 4:00 p.m. each Tuesday in April.
Exam practice.
AP Government and Politics Exam: Monday, May 4, 2009