Advanced Placement United States Government and Politics Notre Dame de Sion High School Introduction & Summer Assignment for 2014-­15 School Year Ms. Murphy mmurphy@ndsion.edu NOTE: I am completely out of commission during June 1-­‐9 (grading A P European History national exam essays) and July 15-­‐
20 (vacation and a f amily wedding out of town). Other than that, I will be checking my emails f requently during the summer. Welcome to AP Gov! Introduction and Explanation of Course. AP United S tates Government and Politics is designed to provide students w ith the analytical skills, factual knowledge, and enduring understandings necessary to deal critically w ith problems and issues in U.S. government. I t also develops familiarity w ith the v arious institutions, groups, beliefs, and ideas that constitute U.S. government and politics and acquaints the student w ith the v ariety of theoretical perspectives and explanations for v arious behaviors and outcomes. The program prepares students for intermediate college courses by making demands upon them equivalent to those made by semester-­‐long introductory college courses. T hese demands include, but are not limited to, the amount of r eading, the complexity of material, and the degree of engagement w ith the class and subject matter. We are offering it as a one-­semester course, w hich w ill r equire significant r eading ahead of the course and during the semester in w hich y ou are enrolled. A one-­‐semester course also offers logistical problems for an exam offered in early May for students in each semester-­‐long course, including: • For the 1st Semester enrollees, there w ill need to be some significant r eview conducted in the spring semester outside of y our other academic load. Mrs. Murphy w ill conduct those r eviews in a place and time mutually agreed upon by Sem1 enrollees. • For the 2nd Semester enrollees, the summer r eading (and exercises r elated to it) w ill be due (along w ith an assessment in Aug.) several months before the course begins. Sem2 students will need to r eview the materials briefly before Sem2 begins. Also, because Sem 2 seniors have a shorter semester, there is a need to “hurry up” a bit in Sem 2. • ALL students must complete the Summer Assignment and r egister for and take the AP exam in May 2015. With that said, I think w e can w ork through all of the logistics, w ork diligently and smartly, and get everyone r eady for the AP Gov exam in May. We’ll start w ith a summer assignment to get a r unning head start and fit it all in. Summer Assignments – next page >>>>>> Summer Assignments – 1. Summer READING #1– Howard Fineman “The T hirteen American Arguments: Enduring Debates that Define and Inspire Our Country” (2009, paper): I SBN: • Overview: A r elatively r ecent book that addresses many contemporary issues that are being vigorously debated in the United States w ritten by a w ell-­‐known journalist. • As you read the b ook, d o the f ollowing: a. Pay attention to the discussions about the Constitution. Make notes on (i) w hat arguments took place among those w ho drafted the Constitution, and (ii) how those issues continue to be contentious today. b. Note the political figures discussed (primarily, our presidents). H ow do public figures and leaders such as Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, the Roosevelts, Kennedy, Johnson, Reagan, G.W. Bush, and others fit into the 13 arguments? c. Know w hat the chapter titles mean. What are the basic issues r aised? Be able to discuss at least one important issue that is mentioned in each chapter. What are the arguments on both sides of the issue? d. Can y ou apply any of the arguments to today’s political arena? Consider this at not only the national level, but also as the arguments might arise on the state and local government levels. e. Respond to the Q uestions on the T hirteen American Arguments HANDOUT (attached). Sem2 students– the assignment w ill be given credit as y our first assignment in Sem2. 2. Summer READING #2 – Chapter one (pp3-­31) of the textbook. Ginsberg, et. al, We the People: An Introduction to American P olitics, f ull 9th edition (with policy chapters). I SBN: a. Familiarize y ourself w ith the text – its organization, its use of charts and graphs, its links to outside material. b. Take a look at the S tudy Guide f or Chapter 1 (pp. 32-­‐34). Can y ou answer the Practice Quiz questions posed? Do y ou understand not just the definitions but also the significance of the key terms listed? c. Take a look at the p ublisher’s online student support (“Study S pace”): http://www.wwnorton.com/college/polisci/we-­‐the-­‐people9/full/welcome.aspx. Go to the Chapter 1 links. i. Look around. ii. Take the 33-­‐question Chapter 1 Quiz. Send me y our r esults by 1st day of class in Semester 1. (Sem2 students: w e WILL r eview this in 1st days of Sem2.) 3. Please, get in the h abit of f ollowing the n ews. My AP GOV website will h ave a listing of sources you can link to via the internet, b ut “old-­school” p rint n ewspapers, magazines and network n ews works also. (Also, try NOT to r ely on a single or even 2-­‐3 sources. Mix up y our sources for news.) • Assignment: On the first day of class, please bring a notecard w ith y our name, y our y ear (Jr. or Sr.) and YOUR list of w hat YOU considered the four most important or intriguing political or governmental events of the summer. (Sem2 students: You w ill do this over the semester break and tell me w hat y ou thought w ere the most intriguing events of the Fall.) The T hirteen American Arguments H ANDOUT >>>>> The T hirteen American Arguments H ANDOUT -­ -­-­ Due Day 1 of S em 1 regardless of S emester in w hich you are enrolled: As you read the Fineman b ook, complete the attached assignment, making sure that: • Fully r espond to any 10 of the following 12 q uestions. Please u se complete sentences. • Your responses need not b e h and-­‐written BUT all w ork must be original. 1. What is an argument, according to Fineman? H ow and w hy is H oward Fineman qualified to make the arguments he makes? Explain, in y our own w ords, the six goals of the author. 2. How has our definition of a “person” changed over time? 3. “We were, and are, different. We are founded o n ideas, not genetics; o n aspirations, not the accidents of geography. We do not trace o ur nationhood to a tribal history, but to a concept o f liberty and constitutional o rder that was unique in the world when it was first o fficially proclaimed in 1776. I n theory, anybody could become an American – and most o f the world has tried.” What does Fineman say about this? What do y ou think of this statement? 4. How does Fineman use Senator Bill Frist as an example? What does this say about the r ole of faith and its traditions in society today? H ow, historically, has it been “our destiny to argue about faith in public life”? What examples exist of how faith and politics are intertwined? Cite examples from the text. 5. How does Fineman argue that 9/11 changed journalism and the protection that journalists’ w ritings had? What is the difference between “personal privacy” and “government secrecy”? H ow is/was that changed by other media, w ar, and history? Consider the Espionage and Sedition Acts in y our answer. 6. Considering Fineman’s discussion of the w ork of H amilton and Madison, how can w ords be given such power (as in our United States Constitution)? H ow and w hy are judges entrusted w ith interpretation of those w ords? H ow did Marbury v. Madison establish all future interpretations? 7. How can H urricane Katrina be used as evidence in the debate between local v ersus national authority? What does this say about the strengths and w eaknesses of federalism? H ow do the three colonial subcultures contribute to the issue of sovereignty and power? 8. “In 2001, Osama bin Laden did more to centralize government power in America than anyone since FDR.” Still “states’ r ights isn’t just a Southern idea; it is an American one.” H ow does the author resolve both ideas? Use specific evidence from the book in y our r esponse. 9. Why has presidential leadership (or the lack thereof) come to dominate the discourse of American public life? Consider the founding fathers, events like the Civil War and the Great Depression, controversies like Watergate and V ietnam, and elections in y our r esponse. 10. What is the argument over foreign policy about and not about? H ow did it begin and w here have we, as a nation gone from there? (Suggestion: Consider only hitting the high points as mentioned by the author.) H ow has politics and the economy shaped our decisions about diplomacy? 11. “We need elites, even admire them. We designed a meritocracy to produce them in w hat w e r egard as a democratic w ay. But w e never fully trust them.” While considering the “American character,” explain this idea from both a political and economic v iewpoint. 12. How did the 2008 campaign r eflect the architecture of the American argument? Respond considering two of the following: (A) the Limits of I ndividualism, (B) A Fair, “More Perfect” Union, (C) Who is a Person, (D) War and Diplomacy.