AP United States Government
Course Syllabus
David Limbaugh
http://www.rhs.rcs.k12.tn.us/teachers/limbaughd/index.htm
http://student.collegeboard.org/
General Education Goals for AP U.S. Government
We will study the purposes, principles, and practices of American government as established by
the Constitution. We will identify and comprehend our rights and responsibilities as citizens and
how to exercise these rights and responsibilities in local, state, and national government. We will
read primary sources documents such as personal records, vital records, institutional records,
mass media and political writings.
From the AP Course Description:
Students successfully completing this course will:
• know important facts, concepts, and theories pertaining to U.S. government
and politics
• understand typical patterns of political processes and behavior and their
consequences (including the components of political behavior, the principles
used to explain or justify various government structures and procedures, and the
political effects of these structures and procedures)
• be able to analyze and interpret basic data relevant to U.S. government and
politics (including data presented in charts, tables, and other formats)
• be able to critically analyze relevant theories and concepts, apply them
appropriately, and develop their connections across the curriculum
“The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically.
Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education.” Martin Luther King, Jr.
(1929-1968, American clergyman, activist, and leader in the African-American Civil Rights
Movement) (http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1964/king-bio.html)
The US Government AP Exam consists of two parts. Part one is 60 multiple choice questions.
Our unit tests will have multiple choice questions. Part two is 4 Free Responses. Our unit tests
will have Free Response prompts. Our goal is a simple one: Score a 5 on the AP Exam. A
score of 5 will earn you a place you in our classroom's AP Exam Hall-Of-Fame.
“A goal is a dream with a deadline.” - Napoleon Hill (1883-1970, American author in the area
of the new thought movement ) (http://www.naphill.org)
We will cover the six areas of the AP Exam:
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
Constitutional Underpinnings
Political Beliefs and Procedures
Political Parties, Interest Groups, and Mass Media
Institutions: Congress, Presidency, Bureaucracy, Courts
Public Policy
Civil Rights and Civil Liberties
“Enthusiasm is one of the most powerful engines of success. When you do a thing, do it
with all your might. Put your whole soul into it. Stamp it with your own personality. Be
active, be energetic, be enthusiastic and faithful, and you will accomplish your object.
Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson (18031882, American essayist, lecturer, and poet) (http://www.rwe.org)
Course Policies
Our classroom is a professional space where we will treat each other with dignity, respect and
courtesy. Our class rules are simple. Be kind, courteous and respectful. We will act with
integrity. Please share your knowledge, ideas, questions, and concerns about course topics and
the class. Remember, this is OUR classroom. Listen to and read carefully what others share with
us in class. Do not use abusive or disrespectful language or profanity in speech or writing. Please
do not disrupt other students' or your own learning. Silence and put away cell phones, iPods, etc.
before class begins. Use of any device will cause deductions from your class participation score
that day. Be on time and be prepared to go to work. Please refer to your student handbook for the
rules on being tardy and absent. Please do not leave and return to the room during class unless
absolutely necessary. If you must pack up and leave before class is over, let the instructor know
in advance.
Academic Integrity
Your handbook has the school's policy on disciplinary offenses, including academic misconduct.
Any actions that violate school and class policies regarding academic integrity will result in a
referral for academic misconduct and the grade of 0 (zero) on the assignment.
Disability Statement
If you have a disability that may require assistance or accommodation, or you have any questions
related to any accommodations for testing, note-taking, readers, etc., please speak with me as
soon as possible.
Daily Schedule
* Enter the Classroom quietly and go to your seat and sit down.
* Begin working on the Bellwork.
* Continue working on the Bellwork until I begin class.
* Bellwork will be taken up weekly.
* There will be an inbox on the worktable to turn in assignments.
* If you finish your work early, work on another assignment for the class or the
outside reading.
* When we are working in groups, form the groups in an orderly manner.
Please keep group discussion volume to a level that only your group can hear.
Our Textbook: American Government and Politics Today
Additional Reading Source: The Lanahan Readings in the American Polity
We will also use current events, various news outlets, television stations, videos and web sources
throughout the class.
Course Assessments
1. Bellwork, 5 percent of course grade – Grading Rubric is same as Free Responses
2. Class participation, 25 percent of course grade.
Active, informed participation in class discussions and activities demonstrates your
comprehension of and critical thinking about the information and ideas we are studying in this
course. Your participation grade will be based on the instructor’s daily observation and the
assessment of the quality of your engagement in class discussions as well as written work
completed in class activities.
Class Participation includes involvement in activities such as:






Analysis of voter turnout
Specific voting results for various elections
Breaking down Charts, Graphs, Tables, Diagrams, Polling and Survey Research
Creation and Execution of a Public Opinion Poll
Analysis and discussion of a current Supreme Court case
Create and give a campaign speech
3. Unit Tests, 25 percent of course grade.
4. Free Responses: 20 percent of course grade
To develop the skills needed to score as well as possible on the AP Exam, students will given
prompts and will write responses, with an opening argument, a body defending the argument and
a conclusion.
The Rubric for the Free Responses is:
0
Writing is
Extremely
Limited In
Conveying
Knowledge
1
Writing is
Vague and
Leaves Doubt
of Writer's
Knowledge
2
Knowledge
Convincingly
Shared
Organization
Totally
Disorganized
Loosely
Organized
Well
Organized
Vocabulary
Little use of
pertinent
terms
Some use of
relevant
terms
Awesome use
of terms needed
to prove knowledge
Content Ideas
5. Final Exam, 25 percent of course grade.
Riverdale's Grading Scale
A 93-100
B 85-92
C 75-84
D 70-74
F 69 & below
“Democracy cannot succeed unless those who express their choice are prepared to choose
wisely. The real safeguard of democracy, therefore, is education.” ― Franklin D. Roosevelt
(1882-1945, 32nd President of the United States) (http://www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu)
Per CollegeBoard AP Central, the multiple-choice section of the AP Exam breaks down like
this:
Constitutional Underpinnings
Political Beliefs and Behaviors
Political Parties, Interest Groups, and Mass Media
Institutions: Congress, Presidency, Bureaucracy, Courts
Public Policy
Civil Rights and Civil Liberties
5-15%
10-20%
10-20%
35-45%
5-15%
5-15%
Class Schedule (The length of each unit corresponds with the weight of that unit on the AP
Exam)
Tuesday, August 13
Meet and Greet
Classroom Survey
Primary Sources Primer
Syllabus and Course Review
Thursday, August 15 – Friday, August 23
Unit 1 – Constitutional Underpinnings
“I confess that there are several parts of this Constitution which I do not at present
approve, but I am not sure I shall never approve them. For having lived long, I have
experienced many instances of being obliged by better information, or fuller consideration,
to change opinions even on important subjects, which I once thought right, but found to be
otherwise.” — Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790, author, printer, political theorist, politician,
postmaster, scientist, musician, inventor and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States)
(http://franklinpapers.org/franklin)
Among the Topics we will cover in Unit 1:

Federalism

Separation of Powers

Checks and Balances
Textbook, Chapters 1, 2 and 3
Alexis De Tocqueville Democracy in America (Lanahan 3)
James Madison The Federalist 10 (Lanahan 56)
Objectives for Unit 1
Define the institutions of government and the process of politics.
Identify the political philosophers associated with the “social contract,” and explain how
this theory shapes our understanding of the purpose of government and the role for
individuals and communities in the United States.
Describe the U.S. political culture, and identify the set of ideas, values, and ways of
thinking about government and politics shared by all.
Compare and contrast types of government systems, and identify the source of power in
each.
Define political ideology and locate socialism, liberalism, conservatism, and
libertarianism along the ideological spectrum.
Explain the theoretical and historical factors that influenced the writers of the U.S.
Constitution.
Describe the structure of the Articles of Confederation, and explain why the
confederation failed.
Identify and explain the compromises made by the delegates to come to agreement on the
U.S. Constitution.
Explain the rationale for, and give examples of the separation of powers and the checks
and balances in the U.S. Constitution.
Demonstrate understanding of the formal and informal processes for amending the U.S.
Constitution.
Define federalism and contrast the federal system of government with the unitary and
confederal systems in explaining where governmental power lies.
Identify two advantages and two disadvantages of the U.S. federal system.
Locate the sources of federalism in the U.S. Constitution; using the terms vertical control
and horizontal control, explain how the founders intended federalism and separation of
powers to limit the expansion of national power.
Explain the historical evolution of federalism as a result of the Marshall Court, the Civil
War, the New Deal, civil rights, and federal grant-making.
Evaluate immigration policy as a challenge to modern federalism.
Assignments/Assessments for Unit 1
Pretest – what do we already know?
Free Response of Democracy in America
Free Response of The Federalist 10
Unit Test
Tuesday, August 27 – Thursday, September 12
Unit 2 – Political Beliefs and Behaviors and Elections
“People never lie so much as after a hunt, during a war or before an election.” Otto von
Bismarck (1815-1898, Prince of Bismarck and conservative German statesman)
(http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/bismarck_otto_von.shtml)
Among the Topics we will cover in Unit 2:
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Beliefs and Behaviors
Political Culture
Political Participation
Voting
Textbook Chapter 6 & 9
James Davidson Hunter The Enduring Culture War (Lanahan, 18)
V.O. Key Public Opinion and American Democracy (Lanahan, 419)
Objectives for Unit 2
Define public opinion, and identify at least two ways public opinion impacts government
actions.
Evaluate how the political socialization process shapes political attitudes, opinions, and
behavior; explain the impact of demographic characteristics on political behavior.
Describe three forms of social media, and explain how social media can shape political
decisions or events.
Identify three factors that might distort public opinion results collected through opinion
polling.
Assess the impact that world opinion of the United States has on the government’s
domestic and foreign policy decisions.
Demonstrate an understanding of the electoral process in the United States, and explain
how it relates to democratic theory.
Discuss the factors that influence voting turnout in the United States, and compare
American voting turnout to that of other nations.
Describe the historical restrictions on the vote in the United States, and explain how these
restrictions have been ended.
Describe the types of elections held in the United States, and explain the constitutional
reasons for so many elections.
Discuss the impact of the mechanics and technology of voting on voting turnout, vote
fraud, and the ability of citizens to trust the process.
Assignments/Assessments for Unit 2
Free Response of The Enduring Culture War
Free Response of Public Opinion and American Democracy
Unit Test
Monday, September 16 – Monday, September 30
Unit 3 – Political Parties, Interest Groups, and Mass Media
“There is nothing which I dread so much as a division of the republic into two great parties,
each arranged under its leader, and concerting measures in opposition to each other. This,
in my humble apprehension, is to be dreaded as the greatest political evil under our
Constitution.” - John Adams, letter to Jonathan Jackson, Oct. 2, 1789 (1735-1826, second
president of the United States) (http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/johnadams)
Among the Topics we will cover in Unit 3:

Political Parties

Political Action Committees (PACs)

Interest Groups

Mass Media
Textbook Chapters 7, 8 , & 10
Richard Skinner More Than Money (Lanahan 454)
Ronald Brownstein, The Second Civil War (Lanahan 563)
Kate Zernike, Boiling Mad (Lanahan 570)
Russell Peterson Strange Bedfellows (Lanahan 610)
Objectives for Unit 3
Define an interest group, and explain the constitutional and political reasons why so
many groups are found in the United States.
Explain why an individual may or may not decide to join an interest group and the
benefits that membership can confer.
Describe different types of interest groups and the sources of their political power.
Identify the direct and indirect techniques that interest groups use to influence
government decisions.
Define the concept of a political party, and explain how parties participate in the political
system.
Demonstrate an understanding of how the political parties originated in the United States
and how their strength has increased or decreased over time.
Explain the major differences in the demographics of the supporters of Republicans and
Democrats, and discuss how their policy positions differ.
Identify the three major components of each political party, and explain why these
components are not necessarily consistent with each other.
Explain the factors in the American political system that reinforce a two-party system,
and discuss why minor or third parties are rarely successful.
Explain the eligibility requirements for president, senator, and representative, and discuss
why an individual may choose to become a candidate for public office.
Produce a plan for a modern campaign for the United States Senate including the strategy,
staff, and finances necessary for such an endeavor.
Discuss the role of the print, electronic, and social media in a political campaign
including the news, debates, and paid advertising.
Demonstrate an understanding of the evolution of campaign finance regulation, the
development of political action committees (PACs) and the current state of such
regulation.
Describe the general outline of today’s campaign for the presidency and discuss the
impact of the primary system to the outcome of the nomination process.
Assignments/Assessments for Unit 3
Free Response of More than Money
Free Response of The Second Civil War
Unit Test
Wednesday, October 2 – Wednesday, November 13
Unit 4 – Institutions: Congress, Presidency, Bureaucracy, Courts
“The death of democracy is not likely to be an assassination from ambush. It will be a slow
extinction from apathy, indifference, and undernourishment.” - Robert Maynard Hutchins
(1899-1977, educational philosopher, dean of Yale Law School, and president and chancellor of
the University of Chicago)
Among the Topics we will cover in Unit 4:
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



Congress
Presidency
Bureaucracy
Federal Courts
Formal and Informal Powers
Balance of Power
National Budget
Textbook Chapters 11, 12, 13 & 14
James Madison The Federalist 51 (Lanahan 97)
Sarah Binder, Stalemate (Lanahan 157)
Thomas Cronin/Michael Genovese The Paradoxes of the American Presidency (Lanahan 236)
Paul Light A Government Ill Executed (Lanahan 282)
Eugene Rostow The Democratic Character of Judicial Review (Lanahan 316)
Objectives for Unit 4
Describe the major powers of the Congress as granted by the U.S.Constitution.
Explain the differences between the House of Representatives and the Senate with regard
to their constituencies, terms of office, powers and political processes.
Describe the processes of reapportionment and redistricting.
Discuss the importance of committees to the lawmaking process and to the ability of
members of the Congress to do their jobs.
Describe the leadership structure in each house of Congress, noting the differences
between the House and the Senate.
Demonstrate how a bill becomes a law and explain how the different processes in the
House and the Senate have an impact legislating.
Explain the formal and informal roles played by the president and discuss the
constitutional or political origins of those roles.
Discuss the president’s role in the legislative process including tools to initiate or block
legislation.
Explain the emergency powers of the president and the executive powers of the president.
Describe the executive offices that support the president.
Describe the job of the vice president, and explain the circumstances under which the
vice president becomes president.
Define the concept of the bureaucracy, and explain why such organization is necessary.
Compare the structure and function of executive departments, executive agencies,
independent regulatory agencies, and government corporations.
Explain how individuals get positions in the federal bureaucracy, and discuss the history
of attempts to reform that process.
Describe the tools and powers that bureaucratic agencies have to shape policies and
regulations.
Explain how judges in the American system decide cases and define stare decisis.
Produce a graphic illustration of the federal court system, and explain how a case moves
from the trial court to the highest court of appeals, the Supreme Court.
Explain how judges are nominated and confirmed for the Supreme Court.
Compare the concepts of judicial activism and judicial restraint, and link these concepts
to the decisions of the Supreme Court in the last few decades.
Define “judicial review” and explain the constitutional and judicial origins of this power.
Assignments/Assessments for Unit 4
Free Response of The Federalist 51
Free Response of A Government Ill Executed
Unit Test
Friday, November 15 – Thursday, November 21
Unit 5 – Public Policy
“The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous
to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them
imaginary.” - H. L. Mencken (1880 – 1956, American journalist, essayist, magazine editor,
satirist and critic of American life and culture)
(http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/monkeytrial/peopleevents/p_mencken.html)
Among the Topics we will cover in Unit 5:






Actors
Interests
Institutions
Processes
Policy Agendas
Policy Making Process
Textbook Chapters 15, 16 & 17
Michael Harrington The Other America (Lanahan 631)
Michael Wucker Lockout (Lanahan 652)
Objectives for Unit 5
Describe the policy making process as it applies to American national government
institutions.
Explain the principles underlying the American health care system and the issues facing
that system.
Describe the environmental policies of the United States and the role of the
Environmental Protection Agency in implementing these policies.
Analyze American energy policy, and discuss how it encourages energy
independence.
Describe the national policies for ending poverty in the United States and alleviating the
issues caused by economic downturns.
Explain how the financial crisis that began in 2008 has affected a range of national and
state policies and how it is having a long-term impact on the lives of citizens.
Define fiscal and monetary policy, and explain the tools used by the institutions of the
national government to shape economic policy.
Discuss the annual deficit and the total national debt, and explain the impact of these two
concepts on American life and policies.
Define entitlement programs, and describe how these programs are related to economic
policies.
Describe the role of the Federal Reserve Bank and its Board of Governors in influencing
the economy.
Define foreign policy, diplomacy, and national security policy, and explain how these
policies shape the position of the United States in the world.
Explain the role of the president in setting foreign policy and national security policy, and
compare those powers to the powers of the Congress.
Trace the evolution of United States foreign policy from isolationism to global
leadership.
Explain the origins of the war on terror and explain how this policy has influenced
domestic policy and our relations with other nations.
Discuss the security and diplomatic challenges facing the United States today.
Assignments/Assessments for Unit 5
Free Response of The Other America
Free Response of Lockout
Unit Test
Monday, November 25 – Monday, December 9
Unit 6 – Civil Rights and Civil Liberties
"First they came for the Communists, but I was not a Communist, so I said nothing. Then
they came for the Social Democrats, but I was not a Social Democrat, so I did nothing.
Then came the trade unionists, but I was not a trade unionist. And then they came for the
Jews, but I was not a Jew, so I did little. Then when they came for me, there was no one left
to stand up for me." Martin Niemöller (1892-1984, German Protestant Pastor)
(http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007391)
Among the Topics we will cover in Unit 6:

Development of Individual Rights

Liberties impact on Citizens

Significant Supreme Court Decisions

Judicial Interpretation

Rights of the Accused

Rights of Minority Groups and Women

Racial Segregation

The 14th Amendment
Textbook Chapters 4 & 5
Anthony Lewis Gideon's Trumpet (Lahanah 345)
Miranda vs Arizona (Lanahan 355)
Charles Ogletree All Deliberate Speed (Lanahan 371)
Objectives for Unit 6
Explain the origin of the Bill of Rights, and discuss how these rights were applied to the
states.
Explain how the Bill of Rights protects freedom of religion while maintaining a
separation between the state and religion.
Define freedom of expression, explain where it is found in the Bill of Rights, and show
why it is important in a democracy.
Discuss the concept of privacy rights, and give examples of how individual privacy is
protected under the Constitution.
Identify the rights of the accused, and discuss the role of the Supreme Court in expanding
those rights.
Define civil rights and locate in the U.S. Constitution the obligation on government to
guarantee all citizens equal protection of the law.
Explain why discrimination against individuals and groups exists in the United States
today.
Assess the limits of the state and federal law in guaranteeing equality to all people.
Explain why the U.S. Supreme Court plays such an important role relative to civil rights,
and identify at least two significant Supreme Court decisions that advanced civil rights in
the United States.
Identify and explain three significant events related to each of the campaigns for civil
rights undertaken by African Americans, women, the Latino community, persons with
disabilities, and the LGBTQ community.
Define the goal of affirmative action, and explain why this approach is controversial in
the United States.
Assignments/Assessments for Unit 6
Free Response of Gideon's Trumpet
Free Response of All Deliberate Speed
Unit Test
“Democracy is the worst form of government except all those other forms that have been
tried from time to time.” - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965, British politician and Prime
Minister of the United Kingdom) (http://www.winstonchurchill.org)
Wednesday, December 11 – Friday, December 20
End of Semester
“Half of the American people have never read a newspaper. Half never voted for President.
One hopes it is the same half.” - Gore Vidal
Test Review
Practice Exam
Free Response of Constitution's Checks and Balances
Free Response of President's Powers
Free Response of the Legislative Process
FINAL EXAM