Course DescriptionFrom the AP Web Site -- AP® United States Government and Politics is an intensive study of the formal and informal structures of government and the processes of the American political system, with an emphasis on policy-making and implementation. This course includes both the study of general concepts used to interpret U.S. government and politics and the analysis of specific examples. It also requires familiarity with the various institutions, groups, beliefs, and ideas that constitute U.S. government and politics. Students will become acquainted with the variety of theoretical perspectives and explanations for various behaviors and outcomes in government and politics. The concepts and specific topics examined in this course are those that may appear on the AP exam.
This course and the ap exam
The AP United States Government and Politics exam is given each May. All students enrolled in this course are encouraged to take the exam. While this course focuses on issues and concepts most likely to be seen on the AP exam, the class is not a test-prep course per se. In other words, while much of the in-class work and at-home assignments coalesce with the exam, it is incumbent upon the student to take the work seriously and place the matter of full test preparation more in her or his hands. Both the teacher and the student bear significant responsibility in this.
Student responsibilities and expectations
The work done in this course is college-level and it is expected that all students will treat it as such. A significant amount of coursework shall be done outside the classroom walls. Students are expected to participate fully, both in class and out, and to work diligently to get the most out of the course.
The following are the basic expectations and responsibilities for all students:
Grades
From the RCS Curriculum Office -- I will be following the Grading Standards Grades 6-12 for formative and summative assessment and grading. Please review these standards for your own knowledge.
Semester grades are calculated and given a letter assignment based on the RHS grading scale (A: 93-100%, A-: 90-92%, B+: 87-89%, B: 83-86%, B-: 80-82%, C+: 77-79%; C: 73-76%, C-: 70-72%, D+: 67-69%, D: 63-66%, D-: 60-62%, F: 59 and below). Your overall semester grade will be computed consisting of all formative and summative work, as well as a final exam. Your final semester grade is the one that is used to calculate your GPA. |
the textOur course is utilizing a new eBook for this school year. You will gain access to this book through Blackboard within the first weeks of school.
COurse OutlinePacing for this course is based upon the Course Description from AP Central. Each content area is represented by a percentage of questions that appear on the multiple-choice examination.
Unit 1: Constitutional Underpinnings Unit 2: Political Beliefs and Behaviors Unit 3: Linkage Institutions Unit 4: Institutions of National Government 4A--Legislative 4B--Executive 4C--Judiciary Unit 5: Public Policy Unit 6: Civil Liberties and Rights Classroom Wish
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Coursework & requirements
As stated above, all coursework for AP United States Government and Politics is college-level. Below are descriptions of the overall coursework students can expect to engage in:
- Textbook readings: Students will be assigned textbook chapters in conjunction with the course units of study. Often, students will be expected to complete an accompanying assignment.
- Supplemental readings: In addition to the textbook, students will frequently be assigned additional readings relating to the current unit of study. Students will be often be required to be prepared to discuss or apply the readings to other activities in the course.
- Vocabulary and Flash Cards: Vocabulary associated with American government and politics will be emphasized throughout the course. Students will be responsible through various assignments for incorporating and highlighting important vocabulary terms and applying them to real-world contexts. All students will create their own flashcards as we move through each unit. They must have their flashcards at all times for random checks.
- In-class discussions: Students will participate and contribute substantively to discussions carried out in class. Fundamentals of American government and politics and important and controversial issues will be among the discussion topics.
- Online discussions: The classroom will be extended to the virtual world through online discussions designed to enhance communication, collaboration, and the understanding of course concepts.
- Current events portfolio/blog: All students are required to keep an online current events portfolio using Blogger. Students will post a news story to their blog once a week, providing commentary and making connections to the course and current unit of study.
- Political data, graph, and cartoon analysis: A fundamental skill required in this course is the ability to read and interpret various charts, graphs, and data relevant to the political system and process. Understanding and interpreting political cartoons is also important. Both of these skills will be developed and exercised throughout the course.
- Free Response Questions: FRQ’s are a critical part of the AP examination and so they will be integrated into the summative assessments of the course. Students can expect to see FRQ’s throughout the year.
- Position papers: A strong student of politics should be able to express their positions in formal writing. Using factual evidence to support the position taken will be expected.
- Short essays: Students will be required to write short (1- to 2-page) pieces analyzing relevant concepts, issues, and events. Some will be done in class, others as outside work.
- Projects/simulations: Students will have the opportunity to engage in research projects, presentations, debates, and simulations on various topics related to the course. Some projects will be individual while others will involve significant group collaboration.
- Research project and presentations: Once the AP exam has concluded, students will work in pairs to research a timely topic or issue relevant to the course and create and deliver a presentation to the class. This is the culminating course project and will comprise the final exam grade, worth 10 percent of the overall course grade.
- End-of-unit exams: Each unit concludes with an exam that comprises multiple choice questions and at least one free response question. All questions are modeled on those asked on the AP exam.
Academic Integrity
Students are expected to abide by ethical standards in preparing and presenting material which demonstrates their level of understanding and which is used to determine success in this course. Such standards are founded on the basic concepts of honesty and integrity. (see the RHS student handbook’s policy about academic dishonesty)
Attendance & Tardies
This is pretty straightforward as well. All district and RHS policies apply, including the rules regarding make up work. More specifically:
- It's very important to attend class everyday. There's a high positive correlation between attendance and success in school. However, if you are absent, you are responsible for the completion of any class work missed. Do not come in and ask, "Did we do anything yesterday?," of course we did. It is not the teacher's responsibility to track you down to give you your assignments. You are expected to check the class webpage to see what you have missed (and begin working on it) before coming back to school! Or you can check the class calendar when you return; any handouts you may have missed will be available in the "extra copies" bin. If you missed a test or a quiz, you must schedule an appointment with me to make it up. A student has one day to make up the work for each day missed.
- Being late under normal circumstances is disrespectful to your classmates, your teachers, and yourself, and it makes it more difficult for you to successful in our class, so please don't be late. The school tardy policy will be applied.