Advanced Placement US Government and Politics
Course Goals
The AP Government and Politics class is taught during the first and third trimesters. The purpose of the
course is to prepare students for the AP exam for US Government and Politics, and will explore the basics
of political theory, operations of government, and political dynamics of the United States. The course will
be taught like a college class, requiring reading of the text and supplemental materials in order to be
prepared for class lecture and discussions. Students will also be expected to keep up with current events
relating to course materials, maintain a portfolio of those events, and complete a research project in the
final trimester of the course.
Course Textbook
O’Connor, Karen and Sabato, Larry American Government: Roots and Reform Tenth Edition, New York,
Longman, 2009
Supplemental Readings
Woll, Peter, American Government: Readings and Cases, 17th Edition, New York, Longman, 2007
Fineman, Howard, The Thirteen American Arguments, New York, Random House, 2008
Additional articles may be used from Time magazine, Newsweek magazine, local and national newspapers,
and video clips featuring political discussions from PBS, CNN and other news programs.
Grading
Tests
35%
Quizzes
25%
Portfolio (Part A) or Government Research Project (Part B)
10%
Thirteen American Arguments Response Writings
15%
Government and Politics News Portfolio
15%
AP US Government &Politics News Portfolio
AP US Government & Politics
Welcome to AP Government! This year as you study the structure and workings of our
government and its relationship with the people, you will be connecting your classroom learning
to current events/issues. One way you will do this is to create a scrapbook of current events/issues
and your written thoughts on them as you go through your study. One of the most important
things you can take away from this class is its application to your real life; as a citizen of the
United States, YOU are part of the government and it is your duty to accept all the responsibilities
of that citizenship. Becoming an informed citizen, understanding current events/issues and how
they relate to our government’s structure and our nation’s history is an indubitable part of that
responsibility. Try to avoid the temptation to just “get this done.” Enjoy reading the newspaper
and becoming an informed citizen.
Directions
1. Read the newspaper throughout this course (& hopefully, for the rest of your life).
2. Select articles that relate to what you are learning in class, at least 2 per chapter.
3. Write a thoughtful response to each article connecting it to your classroom learning
and incorporating your own opinions and ideas into how you feel about the
article/classroom subject and how it relates to our government and/or your life.
4. Keep articles together in a nice binder or portfolio in the order of the text chapters to
be turned in at the end of the course.
5. Finally, before handing it in, write a one to two page conclusion synthesizing
classroom learning with portfolio entries, your final opinions, and other ideas you
have. It is a conclusion to your portfolio and what you have learned this year. Be
thoughtful and creative. Place it in a sleeve as the last page(s) or back cover.
Grading/Requirements
* Articles are WHOLE.
* Articles are NOT ads, news briefs, letters to the editor, or other “peripheral” items.
*Articles are applicable to the chapter heading under which they are placed.
* At least eight of the minimum required 38 articles must come from nationally
reputable newspapers such as the New York Times, Washington Post,
Wall Street Journal, Christian Science Monitor, Los Angeles Times, or
Chicago Tribune. (No more than 4 articles may come from USA Today.)
* Extra credit is earned for articles with responses beyond the minimum required.
*Responses connect articles to classroom studies.
*Responses demonstrate learning of classroom concepts.
*Responses demonstrate individual thought and opinion; you are NOT just
summarizing the article and the related section of the chapter.
*Responses are typed, 1-2 pgs., double spaced, 12 pt. Arial font or smaller.
*Final portfolio is neat, has a cover page, table of contents, chapter dividers.
Articles may also come from news magazines such as Time, Newsweek, US News and World
Report, professional and scholarly political science journals, and regional papers like the
Louisville Courier-Journal, Lexington Herald Leader, Nashville Tennessean, Elizabethtown
News-Enterprise, etc. Yahoo! is not a news source. When in doubt-ASK.
Portfolio Hints and Tips
for written responses
Include some of these to Strengthen your Responses!

Classroom Vocabulary (circle these)

Quotes from the article (underline in red or highlight in pink)

Quotes from the chapter (underline or highlight in green)

Personal Opinions (underline or highlight in blue)

Personal Observations/Experiences (highlight in yellow)

Analogies (underline or highlight in orange)

Questions

Interesting Introductions/Conclusions
Still Having Trouble?
Ask yourself these questions and answer some in your response:

How do you feel about what you are learning in class related to this article?

How do you feel about or respond to the article you chose?

Was an injustice committed? How so? What do you think about it?

Did our government’s structure work effectively to resolve a societal problem? Did it fail? Was
the government responsive or unresponsive to the needs of the situation?

How did politics influence the outcome of an issue?

What role did the public play?

How does what is going on in the article affect your life?

How could you affect the issue that is discussed in the article?
Supplemental Readings: The Thirteen American Arguments
AP US Gov’t & Politics
This is an opportunity to engage beyond the text; to add to the mix of your understanding, the ideas of other
learned, experienced, and thoughtful persons. By reading the excerpts from “The Thirteen American
Arguments,” discussing them with your classmates, and then engaging your classmates in an examination
of them; you should broaden your knowledge and further shape your own beliefs relevant to your role as
citizen. This should encourage you to use interpretive and analytical skills commonly used in political
science and expected for the AP test.
After each discussion, there will be a 1-2 page writing assignment discussing your opinion on that topic,
with at least 2 examples from other readings or the text that relate to the topic to validate your opinion.
Reading Topics and Discussion Dates are:
1st Trimester:
Introduction:
Pg. 3-20
Who is a Person? :
Pg. 21-27
Who is an American? :
Pg. 38-55
Local vs. National Authority:
Pg. 141-151
The Role of Faith:
Pg. 56-74
What Can We Know and Say? : Pg. 75-91
Limits of Individualism:
Pg. 92-107
Presidential Power:
Pg. 159-177
Who Judges the Law? :
Pg. 108-124
Unit 1, Day 1
Unit 1, Day 6
Unit 1, Day 13
Unit 2, Day 5
Unit 2, Day 8
Unit 2, Day 9
Unit 2, Day 19
Unit 3, Day 7
Unit 3, Day 18
2nd Trimester:
A Fair, More Perfect Union:
The Environment:
Debt and the Dollar:
War and Diplomacy:
The Terms of Trade:
What is the 14th Argument?
Pg. 227-241
Pg. 212-226
Pg. 125-140
Pg. 194-211
Pg. 178-193
In Class Writing
Unit 4, Day 17
Unit 5, Day 4
Unit 5, Day 8
Unit 5, Day 13
Unit 5, Day 15
Unit 6, Day 11
American Government Research Project
AP Government & Politics
A student of government is actually a student of the political sciences, pursuing a better
understanding of how humans organize themselves into groups for mutual success and safety. In
the United States, we have established a democratic form of government within a federal
structure. As a student of American Government, through this activity you will examine more
closely the working relationship of the three branches of government and the way that the media
and special interest groups affect the government that the U.S. relies on to shape our nation daily
and to secure our nation now and in the future.
Ultimately, you will design, execute, and evaluate your quest for a valid, substantial answer to
your chosen question and present the details of this in a 5 page paper with a 5-10 minute
presentation of your findings.
FIRST, IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM, i.e the problem posed by the question you focused upon:
 How can the relationship among the branches since 1980 best be described: as
consistently cooperative and effective with each other or more in a state of
continuous conflict and ineffective?
 Which branch of the federal government has had the greatest impact on
Americans since 1950?
 How balanced are the powers among the three branches? i.e. are checks and
balances working or is it a pyramid of power or is there a hierarchy of power or
are they three friends holding hands?
 How has the media changed the role of each branch and how the members of
those branches interact and conduct the business of governing?
 What has been the effect of media on political parties, campaigning and interest
groups in the way they try to influence the way the different branches govern the
country?
SECOND: DEVISE YOUR HYPOTHESIS: You must decide what you believe the answer to be
from what you already know or believe to be true. Write it down and explain it.
THIRD: GATHER DATA: This will prove the validity or invalidity of your hypothesis with a
substantial amount of persuasive, credible evidence. Document it!
THIS IS THE MOST CRUCIAL PART!!!
 Your data must address all three branches, regardless of which problem you are
solving, even if you are discussing the media or special interest groups.
 Your data must be specific and meaningful to your pursuit.
 Your data must come from at least 6 different reliable sources.
 You must take notes, and make them available for review if requested.
 You must record all bibliographical information from all sources.
 You are seeking the truth, not attempting to prove only your hypothesis.

FOURTH: DRAW CONCLUSIONS: you need to evaluate your data in relation to the problem
you are trying to solve. Write it down!
 Describe what answer your data points to, noting carefully how and why.
 Describe to what degree your original hypothesis was correct.

FINALLY, you need to write your paper using the steps of the scientific method above as your
sections to organize it; in addition include a cover page and an annotated bibliography.
Course Outline and Schedule
Unit 1
Foundations of American Government
Day 1
Syllabus and Introduction
13 Arguments 3-20
Day 2
Roots of American Government
Philosophical Origins
John Locke, 2nd Treatise on Government
Text pg. 2-10
Woll, 4-9
Political Culture and basics of democracy
Political Ideology
Text pg. 11-16
Changing Characteristics
Changes in Population and attitudes
Text pg. 17-26
Chp 1 Quiz
Roots of a New Nation
Articles of Confederation
Text pg. 30-41
Day 6.
Who is a person?
Thirteen Arguments 21-37
Day 7
Writing the Constitution
Federalist 47,48,51
How not to read the Constitution
Text pg. 41-46
Day 8
Constitution – Basic Principles and Article 1
Text pg. 46-52 and 64-71
Day 9
Article I
Federalist 53,56,57,58,62,63
Text pg. 64-71
Woll, 322-328
Day 10
Article II
Federalist 70
Text Pg 52 and 72-74
256-258
Day 11
Constitution – Article II and II
Federalist 78
Text pg. 52 and 72-76
Woll, 386-390
Day 12
Constitution – Articles IV through VII
Text pg. 52 and 76-78
Day 13
Who is an American?
Thirteen Arguments 38-55
Day 14
Ratification and the Amendment Process
Text 53-61
Day 15
Review
Chp 1-2
Day 16
Exam 1
Unit 2
Federalism and Individual Rights
Day 1
Roots of Federalism
Marshall Court/Taney Court
Federalist 16,17
Anti-Federalist Papers 17
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Woll, 41-50
Text 94-105
Woll, 54-60
Day 2
New Deal
New Federalism
Text 106-120
Day 3
State Governments
United States v. Morrison
Gonzalez v. Raich
Text 126-137
Woll, 88-93
Woll, 94-97
Day 4
Local Governments
Text 138-151
Day 5
Chp 3-4 Quiz
Local vs. National Authority
Thirteen Arguments 141-158
Day 6
Bill of Rights
Anti-Federalist Paper 84
Madison’s speech proposing a Bill of Rights
Text 152-157
First Amendment
Abrams v. United States
New York Times v. Sullivan
Text 158-168
Day 8
The Role of Faith
Engle v. Vitale
Thirteen Arguments 56-74
Woll, 145-150
Day 9
What Can We Know and Say?
Thirteen Arguments 75-91
Day 10
Second Amendment
Rights of Defendants
Text 169-179
Right to Privacy
Griswold v. Connecticut
Combating Terrorism
Woll, 152-157
Text 180-190
Chapter 5 Quiz
Civil Rights Discussion
Plessy v. Ferguson
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, KS
Woll, 134-136
Woll, 137-142
Day 13
Roots of Suffrage
Push for Equality
Text 195-199
Text 200-204
Day 14
Civil Rights Movement
Documents – Letter from Birmingham Jail
Text 205-210
Day 15
Civil Rights Movement – Eyes on the Prize
Video and Discussion
Day 16
Women’s Rights Movement
Text 211-215
Day 17
Other Groups Mobilize
Univ. of California Board of Regents v. Bakke
Text 216-230
Woll, 168-170
Day 18
Practice Quiz and Review
Day 19
Limits of Individualism
Day 20
Exam 2
Day 7
Day 11
Day 12
Woll, 106-112
Woll, 123-132
Thirteen Arguments 92-107
Unit 3
The Federal Government
Day 1
Roots of Congressional Power
Organization of Congress
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7
Day 8
Members of Congress
Decision Making
Congress: The Electoral Connection
Home Style and Washington Career
Text 236-248
Text 249-256
Woll, 372-382
Lawmaking Function
Checks on other Branches
Text 256-269
Chp 7 Quiz
Roots of Presidency
Constitutional Powers of President
Text 272-287
Developing and Expanding Presidential Power
Presidential Establishment
Presidential Power
Text 288-295
Woll, 264-268
Presidential Leadership and Public Opinion
President as Policy Maker
Presidential Powers in Times of Emergency
Text 295-304
Woll, 303-308
Chp 8 Quiz
Presidential Power
Thirteen Arguments 159-177
Roots of Federal Bureaucracy
The Modern Bureaucracy
Text 306-321
Day 9
How the Bureaucracy Works
Making Agencies Accountable
Text 322-332
Constitutional Democracy and Bureaucratic Power Woll, 308-311
Day 10
Chp 9 Quiz
Roots of the Federal Judiciary
Marbury v. Madison
Text 334-344
Woll, 391-394
The American Legal System
The Federal Court System
Text 345-350
Day 12
How Federal Judges are Selected
Text 350-357
Day 13
The Supreme Court Today
Judicial Self Restraint
Text 358-366
Woll, 395-400
Day 14
Judicial Philosophy and Decision Making
Power, Policy Making and the Court
How the Supreme Court arrives at Decisions
Text 367-374
Woll, 402-408
Day 11
Day 15
Practice Exam
Day 16
Founding Brothers and Response Writing
Day 17
Founding Brothers and Response Writing
Day 18
Who Judges the Law?
Day 19
Exam 3
Day 20
AP Practice Test
Thirteen Arguments 108-124
Unit 4 Political Behavior
Day 1
Roots of Political Values – Political Socialization
Text 376-388
Day 2
Public Opinion and Polling
Text 389-398
Day 3
Why We Form and Express Political Opinion
Text 398-403
Day 4
Chp 11 Quiz
Day 5
Roots of the American Party System
Text 404-414
Day 6
Functions of the Party System
The Party Organization
Text 416-428
The Party in Government
The Party in the Electorate
Text 429-443
Day 8
Roots of Voting Behavior - Patterns and Turnout
Text 444-457
Day 9
Improving Turnout and Voter Choice Patterns
Text 457-463
Day 10
Elections - Regular and Presidential
Text 464-477
Day 11
Congressional Elections
Strengthening Electoral Process
Text 478-491
Day 7
Day 12
Exam 4
Day 13
Modern Campaigns
Candidate and Staff
Media Role in Playing Field
Text 492-508
Day 14
CNN Presents: The Campaign Killers
Day 15
Campaign Finance
Text 508-515
Day 16
2008 Presidential Campaign
Text 515-526
Day 17
A Fair, More Perfect Union
Thirteen Arguments 227-241
Day 18
Roots of News Media
Current Media Trends
Text 530-546
Rules Governing Media
Covering Politics
Text 547-555
Media Bias
Text 555-564
Day 19
Day 20
Day 21
Chp 14-15 Quiz
Day 22
Roots of Interest Groups
Development of Interest Groups
Text 566-578
What Do Interest Groups Do
What Makes a Group Successful
Reforming Lobbyists
Text 578-594
Day 23
Day 24
Exam 5
Unit 5 Public Policy
Day 1
Policy Making Process
Text 596-608
Day 2
Income Security and Healthcare Policies
Text 609-625
Day 3
Energy and Environmental Policy
Text 626-634
Day 4
Chp 17 Quiz
The Environment
Thirteen Arguments 212-226
Day 5
Roots of Government and the Economy
Text 636-646
Day 6
Stabilizing the Economy
Text 648-657
Day 7
The Budget Process
Text 657-664
Day 8
Debt and the Dollar
Thirteen Arguments 125-140
Day 9
Military and Domestic Expenditures
Chp 18 Quiz
Text 665-668
Day 10
Roots of Foreign and Defense Policy
Text 670-678
Day 11
US as a World Power
Text 678-691
Day 12
Foreign and Defense Policy Decision Making
Text 691-700
Day 13
War and Diplomacy
Thirteen Arguments 194-211
Day 14
New Challenges in Diplomacy
Text 701-704
Day 15
The Terms of Trade
Thirteen Arguments 178-193
Day 16
Practice Exam
Day 17
Exam 6
Unit 6 Test Preparation and National Government Project
Day 1
Review Foundations of Government
Text Chp. 1-2
Day 2
Review Federalism and Individual Rights
Text Chp. 3-6
Day 3
Review Federal Government
Text Chp.7-10
Day 4
Review Political Behavior
Text Chp. 11-16
Day 5
AP EXAM
Day 6
Debrief Exam – Introduce Project
Day 7
National Government Project Research
Library
Day 8
Project Research
Computer Lab
Day 9
Project Research
Library
Day 10
Notebooks Due – Discuss
Day 11
What is the 14th American Argument?
Writing Assignment
Day 12
Project Research
Computer Lab
Day 13
Project Research
Library
Day 14
Project Workday
Day 15
Project Presentations 1
Day 16
Project Presentations 2
Day 17
Project Presentations 3
Day 18
Senior Finals
Day 19
Junior Finals
Day 20
Collect Books