AP Government & Politics
The Advanced Placement Program (AP) offers two
courses and exams in government and politics. Each is
intended for qualified students who wish to complete
studies in secondary school equivalent to a one-semester
college introductory course in United States government
and politics or in comparative government and politics.
Each exam presumes at least one semester of collegelevel preparation.
AP U.S. Government
A well-designed AP course in United States Government and
Politics will give students an analytical perspective on government
and politics in the United States.
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.
While there is no single approach that an AP United States
Government and Politics course must follow, students should
become acquainted with the variety of theoretical perspectives
and explanations for various behaviors and outcomes.
The AP United States Government and Politics Exam
is 2 hours and 25 minutes long. It includes a 45minute multiple-choice section consisting of 60
questions and a 100-minute free-response section
consisting of 4 questions.
Units of Study
1. Foundations of American Government
2. Political Voices in America
3. Parties & Elections
4. Congress, President, Bureaucracy
5. Judiciary & Civil Liberties
6. Domestic & Foreign Policy
Foundations of American Government
Introduction to Government in America
The Constitution
Federalism
Political Voices in America
Public Opinion & Political Action
Mass Media and the Political Agenda
Interest Groups
Parties & Elections
Political Parties
Nominations & Campaigns
Elections & Voting Behavior
Congress, President,
Bureaucracy
Congress
Presidency
Budget: Taxing & Spending
Federal Bureaucracy
Judiciary & Civil Liberties
The Federal Courts
Civil Liberties & Public Policy
Civil Rights & Public Policy
Domestic & Foreign Policy
Economic Policymaking
Social Welfare Policymaking
Health Care & the Environment
National Security
LO 1.1
Age & Political Knowledge Today:
Can you identify three domestic issues and where the
President stands on them?
Which political party controls the Senate? The House of
Reps?
Who are the: Secretary of State, Secretary of the Treasury,
Attorney General?
Can you identify three international issues that involve the
U.S.?
Who are the nine members of the Supreme Court?
Any recent decisions by the Supremes?
Government
Definition:
Government is the institutions and
processes through which public policies are made for
society.
This
definition leads to two basic questions:
How should we govern?
What should government do?
Politics
Definition:
Politics is the process by which we select our
governmental leaders and what policies they
produce—politics produces authoritative decisions
about public issues.
Also
consider Harold Lasswell’s definition:
Who gets what, when and how.
The Policymaking System
Democracy
Definition:
Democracy is a system of selecting
policymakers and of organizing government so that
policy represents and responds to the public’s
preferences.
Components
of Traditional Democratic Theory:
Equality in voting
Effective participation
Enlightened understanding
Citizen control of the agenda
Inclusion
Theories of U.S. Democracy
Pluralist
Elite
Theory
and Class Theory
Hyperpluralism
American Political Culture
and Democracy
Political
Culture: An overall set of values widely
shared within a society.
American
culture is diverse and comprised of:
Liberty
Egalitarianism
Individualism
Laissez-faire
Populism
How Active is American
Government?
It
spends about $3.8 trillion annually
It
employs nearly 2.8 million civilians and 1.4 million in
the military
It
owns one-third of the land
It
occupies 2.6 billion square feet of office space
Questions about the Scope
of Government
Constitution
and Federalism
What role does the Constitution’s authors foresee
for the federal government?
Does the Constitution favor government with a
broad scope?
Why did functions of federal government increase?
Has a more active government constrained or
protected civil rights and liberties?
Questions about the Scope
of Government
Public
and Linkage Institutions
Does the public favor a large, active government?
Do competing political parties force government to
provide more public services?
Do elections control the scope of government?
Does pressure from interest groups create a
bigger government?
Has the media helped control the size of
government and its policies?
Questions about the Scope
of Government
Elected
Institutions
Has the president been a driving force behind
increasing the scope and power of government?
Can the president control a large government?
Is Congress predisposed to support big
government?
Is Congress too responsive to the public and interest
groups?
Questions about the
Scope of Government
Nonelected
Institutions
Are the federal courts too active in policy
making, intruding on the authority of other
branches of government?
Is the bureaucracy constantly try to expand
its budget or is it simply reflecting the
desires of elected officials?
Is the federal bureaucracy too large and
thus wasteful and inefficient in the
implementation of policy?
Homework:
1. Print Syllabus for Unit 1 from website
2. Bring Summer Assignment to class