AP American Government & Politics 2008-2009
Syllabus
Mary Beth Logas
Room 06
Email: mblogas@fenwickfriars.com
Office hours: 2:30 – 3:30 Room 06 or by appointment
The purpose of this course is to provide students with a basic grounding in the
principles of American government, its structure and processes, both formal and
informal. Students will gain a working understanding of the activities of the American
system, and will prepare to take the AP Government and Politics examination pertaining
to the United States.
Required Texts
Janda, Kenneth, Jeffrey M. Berry, and Jerry Goldman. The Challenge of Democracy:
Government in America. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 8th edition.
Serow, Ann G., and Everett C. Ladd. The Lanahan Readings in the American Polity.
Baltimore: Lanahan, 4th edition.
Grading
This class is graded on a points system, on a 10-point grading scale, as in 90%=A,
80%=B, etc. Points are weighted, depending on category.
Type of points
Weight
Test points
Quiz points
Homework
40
35
25
Projects and Assignments
Reading assignments
Students will be required to keep up with reading assignments in the Janda text
and the Serow and Ladd reader. For most chapters or units in Janda, a set of readings in
Serow and Ladd will be assigned, along with a discussion question. A week from the
date of assignment, students will submit a 3-page paper summarizing each of the articles
in Serow and Ladd, tying each article to the discussion question, and ending the paper
with a conclusion in response. These papers will be worth 20 – 30 test points apiece,
depending upon how many articles are assigned.
Periodic chapter quizzes and unit tests will be administered. Point values vary.
The instructor reserves the right to administer reading quizzes without prior notification.
Current events
Students will also be required to submit weekly current events assignments.
These are composed of the text of an article from a reputable news source, either printed
from an internet source or cut from a print source, stapled to the back of a paper which
includes the student’s summary of the article, its connection to American government,
and the student’s personal opinion of its importance. Typing is preferred, but neat
handwriting on notebook paper is acceptable. Throughout the course of the year,
students will rotate the subject matter of the articles according to a schedule that will be
given out in class, i.e. local government, state government, national politics, foreign
affairs, etc. The assignment will be due the last class day of each week.
For purposes of this assignment, reliability of news sources is crucial. Reputable
print sources, such as major local or national newspapers and newsmagazines, are
preferred. Internet sources are allowed, but they are restricted. An unnamed blogger is
not accepted as a reputable source; but the online versions of the New York Times,
Washington Post, and Wall Street Journal, are acceptable. Students are also encouraged
to look at reputable regional newspapers, such as the New Orleans Times-Picayune and
the Los Angeles Times if they can get them.
Flexible Credit
Each quarter, students will be required to submit a written assignment which will
vary in nature. For those not participating in the first quarter moot court assignment (see
below), the assignment will be the reading, explanation, and discussion of a major
political text, either of political philosophy or current political thought. Students will also
be required at some time during the year to observe a meeting connected with state or
local government, and to submit a report explaining what they saw and heard, and what
they learned about the functioning of local government from the observation. Each
flexible credit assignment is a minimum of 5 pages typed and double-spaced, and it is
worth 50 test points. Flexible credit means flexible, however, and students may choose
other readings or activities with the consent of the instructor, such as a write-up of one’s
work as an election judge or campaign worker. During the course of the year, at least one
book is required, and at least one meeting.
Moot Court
Each quarter, the instructor will designate a Supreme Court case for consideration
in a moot court exercise, and students will sign up to take roles in the moot court team.
There are three justices, and two attorneys on each side of the case. All members of the
team will familiarize themselves with the facts in the case, the lower court rulings, the
precedents and applicable constitutional arguments. Attorneys will write out oral
arguments (8 minutes constructive, 5 minutes rebuttal), and will be prepared to deliver
these arguments on the appointed day. Justices will come prepared with questions and
will be prepared to interrupt the attorneys, who will be required to field the justices’
questions. Attorneys will be graded on the quality of the arguments presented and their
ability to defend their position in the give and take of courtroom argument. Justices will
be graded based on the quality (and within limits, the quantity) of the questions they ask
during the arguments, and the knowledge of the constitutional arguments and precedents
demonstrated in the decision each will submit the following day. This assignment, which
is required of all students in the class, is graded as a flexible credit.
Term Paper
During the first semester, each student will write a research paper which will
examine a facet of American politics or political history in depth. Topics will be chosen
from a list, with no more than one student per topic. Unlisted topics may be added with
the consent of the instructor. The term paper will make use of at least 4 sources other
than class materials, and will be 8-10 pages typed and double-spaced.
Special Assignments
For two units, there will be special research assignments. For the unit on interest
groups, each student will be assigned an interest group to research. The student will need
to learn about the leadership, size, funding and sources thereof, and purposes of this
group, and to present this information in a fact sheet. The second page of the fact sheet
will be devoted to the description of a particular victory or defeat in the history of this
interest group. Analysis of the data obtained will be required; what does the data tell us
about the interest group’s power and significance? The assignment will be handed out to
the class after grading and revision. For the unit on the courts, each student will be
required to research an assigned Supreme Court case. The information to be presented in
the fact sheet must include the name of the case, the issue presented, the names of the
justices, the vote on the court, and the main points of the majority ruling and the dissent if
any. This will also be distributed to the class after grading and revision.
Extra credit
From time to time, there are interesting speakers and other opportunities for
learning about government in the area. Many of these will qualify for submission as
flexible credit. Always, these assignments must be typed, must include a summary and
relationship to American government, and must include the student’s personal reaction.
Participation
Participation in class discussion is assumed, and no regular credit is given for it.
Class participation is the major consideration in borderline grade determinations.
Schedule
The tentative projected schedule for the material to be covered in the class is as
listed below. Questions listed are the packet assignment questions. Other topics and
questions are covered in the textbook discussions.
Unit 1: Political Philosophy and Fundamental Questions of Government
Week 1 - Part 1: Summer reading assignment of Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
will be discussed. What are the basic questions that all governments must address?
Week 1 – Part 2: Summer reading assignment of One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich
by Alexander Solzhenitsyn will be discussed. What happens when democracy does not
work?
A reading quiz will assess both of these and student reading of David Gergen’s book,
Eyewitness to Power. An essay on the nature and duties of government will be assigned,
worth 30 test points.
Week 2 – Grounding in political philosophy, including introduction to political
continuum, Hobbes, Locke & Rousseau, Marx, Hegel. Chapter 1 in Janda.
Week 3 - First packet assignment on articles 1, 2, 3, 5, & 7 in Serow and Ladd. Is
individualism important to preserving democratic government? Discussion of Chapter 1.
First Moot Court and flexible credit readings assigned.
Week 3 – Chapter 2 in Janda. Topics discussed include procedural and substantive
democracy. First packet assignment due.
Week 4 – Read Chapter 3 in Janda. Review Constitution. Second packet assigned on
readings 9 – 14 in Serow and Ladd. How effectively has pluralism actually preserved
American liberty over time? Free-response on Constitution written and discussed.
Week 5 – Second packet due. Begin Chapter 4 on Federalism. Packet #3 assigned on
readings on readings 18-21 in Serow & Ladd. Do the 50 states perform an essential
function in the American democratic system, or are they an archaic construct, useless in
the modern context?
Week 6 – Exam over the first part of the course. (36 multiple choice, 1 free-response
question on federalism). Packet #3 due. Begin Unit 2.
Unit 2 : Participation in a Democratic System
Week 6 – Begin reading Janda Chapter 5. Packet #4 assigned on voting & election,
Serow & Ladd readings 66 – 72. Is there anything about public opinion which suggests
that direct democracy might be a bad idea? Can non-participation really be interpreted as
agreement with policies? 2-page brief assigned; what statistical evidence can you find to
support or refute this idea? Students will be assigned a demographic group to examine.
Free-response on participation written and discussed.
Week 7 – Continue reading and discussion of Janda Chapter 5. Packet #4 due.
Week 8 - Read Janda Chapter 6 on the media. Packet #5 assigned on readings 79 - 83 in
Serow and Ladd. Jefferson was willing to take a free press without a government rather
than the reverse. Is the press doing its job in the modern American republic?
Week 8 – First Moot Court. Finish Chapters 5 & 6. Exam over Chapters 5 & 6,
including two free response questions. Packet 5 due.
Week 9 – Second Moot Court assigned. Chapter 7 in Janda on voting and participation.
Discussion of recent data on public opinion and participation. Packet #6 assigned on
readings 55 -58. Is reform likely to change the level and enthusiasm of participation, or
are the problems detailed in the readings part of the inherent messiness of democracy?
Students are assigned to get demographic data about different legislative districts
(congressional, senatorial, or either state house), and find what the levels of voting
participation are in each. 2 pages, data and analysis. How do the districts compare?
Week 10 – Finish Chapter 7 in Janda. Packet #6 due.
Week 11 – Chapter 8 in Janda. Packet #7 assigned on all reading in part 13 of Serow &
Ladd. Is the evident decline in party identification in recent years a good thing? Can the
American system continue to function in the absence of the two great political parties we
have had since the end of the eighteenth century? Free response on political parties
assigned and discussed.
Week 12 – Finish Chapter 8 in Janda. Packet #7 due. Quiz on political parties, including
free response and assessment of understanding of graphed data on party membership and
identification over time.
Week 13 – Exam over Chapter 7 & 8. Begin Chapter 9 in Janda.
Week 14 – Finish Chapter 9 in Janda.
Week 15 – Begin Chapter 10 in Janda on interest groups. Packet #8 assigned on readings
59-65 in Serow & Ladd. Do interest groups and lobbyists perform an important function
in American democracy, or is this part of the American system corrupt and dysfunctional
by its very nature? Data analysis: Choose an interest group, and map where in the
country it is most effective, and participation level over the last two election cycles. Free
response on interest groups.
Week 16 – Finish class discussion on Chapter 10 in Janda. Packet #8 due. Interest group
research assignments made.
Week 17 – Second Moot Court. Review material covered in first semester, making
connections to current events. Interest group assignment due. Free response on interest
groups assigned and assessed.
Week 18 – Final review. First semester exam, including multiple choice and freeresponse questions.
Unit 3: Institutions of American Government
Week 19 – Third Moot Court assigned. Third quarter flexible credit discussed. Begin
Chapter 11 on Congress. Packet #9 on readings 22 - 30 in Serow & Ladd assigned. Do
current practices in electioneering and the making of law favor local over national
interests? Examination of graphs and maps include trends in popularity of Congress over
time, maps of party identification by state. Is the balance in Congress between the two
parties changing?
Week 20 – Finish Chapter 11 on Congress. Packet #9 due. Free response on Congress
assigned and assessed. Quiz on Chapter 11.
Week 21 – Begin Chapter 12 on the presidency. Packet #10 on readings 31-35 in Serow
& Ladd assigned. If collecting more power in the presidential office is a modern trend, is
there any way of reversing it? Data to be examined include timeline of presidential
vetoes, maps of presidential v. congressional voting preferences by party.
Week 22 – Finish Chapter 12 on the presidency. Free response on the presidency
assigned and assessed. Packet #10 due. Quiz on the Presidency.
Week 23 – Begin Chapter 13 on the bureaucracy. Packet #11 on readings 37 – 40 in
Serow & Ladd assigned. Is bureaucracy inherently anti-democratic, or can bureaucracy
be made to serve democratic ends? Free response on bureaucracy assigned and assessed.
Week 24 – Finish Chapter 13 on the bureaucracy. Packet #11 due. Exam on Chapters
11-13.
Week 25 – Begin Chapter 14 on the courts. Supreme Court cases assigned.
Week 26 – Continue with Chapter 14. Three free response questions on different court
cases assigned and assessed.
Week 27 – Third Moot Court. Court case assignment due. Flexible credit due. Finish
Chapter 14.
Unit 4: Civil Liberties and Civil Rights
Week 28 – Begin Chapter 15 on Civil Liberties. Packet #12 on readings 47-49 assigned.
Is the process of using Supreme Court decisions to decide the expansions and limits of
civil liberties a process too responsive to changes in social mores and historic
circumstances? Free response on civil liberties assigned and assessed. Fourth Moot
Court assigned.
Week 29 – Finish Chapter 15 on Civil Liberties. Packet #12 due. Begin reviewing free
response questions. Quiz including free response question.
Week 30 – Begin Chapter 16 on Civil Rights. Packet #13 on readings 50 - 54 assigned.
Does the change in what we think of as rights over time weaken the consensus required
for democracy to work? Data analysis: students will select a group benefiting from a
change in civil rights policy, and see how this has affected income, education, and
political participation. 2-3 pages.
Week 31 – Finish Chapter 16 on Civil Rights. Two free response questions on civil rights
written and assessed. Packet #13 due.
Unit 5: Making Public Policy
Week 32 – Begin Chapter 17 on policy. Packet #14 on readings 84-86 in Serow & Ladd
assigned. Back to one of our earlier questions; to what extent can we measure the
success of policy by its results in economic equity? Does the process of making domestic
policy guarantee certain results, or is it more flexible?
Week 35 – Read Chapter 19 on Domestic policy. Packet #14 due. Monetary costs of
changes in domestic policy discussed. Are some domestic policies more economically
sound than they appear? Are others “penny-wise and pound-foolish?” Which portions of
the governmental system are most likely to be able to influence a given domestic policy,
and how do they do that?
Week 36 – Read Chapter 20 on global policy. Review for final.