AP US Government and Politics Syllabus
Course Description
The AP US Government and Politics course is a full year course. The course will cover
such topics as the development of the Constitution, public opinion, interest groups,
political parties, media, elections and campaigns, the institutions of government, public
policy, civil liberties and civil rights. The course is designed to incorporate an in depth
study of government using a wide array of readings from various sources. There will also
be a weekly written assignment to encourage further development of writing and
comprehension skills. Assessment devices such as comprehensive writing prompts,
vocabulary tests, multiple choice answers and term papers will be used to evaluate
understanding and development of critical thinking skills.
Course Goal
The course will prepare students to prepare for and pass the College Board’s Advanced
Placement US Government and Politics exam in May.
Course Text
Edwards, George C. III, Martin P. Wattenberg, and Robert L. Lineberry. Government in
America: People, Politics, and Policy, AP 13th ed. New York: Longman, 2008.
Supplemental Text
Woll, Peter. American Government: Readings and Cases. 14th ed. New York:
Longman, 2002.
Course Plan
Unit 1: Constitutional Underpinnings
Chapter 1 – Introduction to Government in America
- Comprehensive Test – tests prior knowledge of US Government
- Democratic Theory
Chapter 2 – The Constitution
- English influence and heritage
- Limited government
- the Articles of Confederation
- Federalists v. Anti-Federalists
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Bundle of compromises
Formal Amendment Process
Read – Constitution and Articles of Confederation
Read – John Locke – Second Treatise, Of Civil Government
Read – Federalist 47, 48, 51
Write – Summarize the writings of James Madison and John
Locke. Using your knowledge of the current US Government,
indicate the validity of Madison’s and Locke’s writings.
Write – First person account of a Framer of the Constitution.
Test – Multiple choice/vocab/short answer
Chapter 3 – Federalism
- Federalism
- Division of Power
- Supremacy Clause
- State obligations
- Dual v. Cooperative Federalism
- Read – Federalist 16, 17, 39
- Read – James Bryce – The Merits of the Federal System
- Read – McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)
- Write – What is the importance of the supremacy of the
Constitution to federalism? Incorporate dual and cooperative
federalism in your answer. Include
- Test - Multiple choice/vocab/short answer
Unit 2: Mass Media, Political Parties, Interest Groups
Chapter 7 – Mass Media
- Print/broadcast media
- Impact of the Internet
- Reporting the news
o Bias
o Gatekeepers
o Liberalism v Conservatism
- Impact on public opinion
- Read – Kenneth T. Walsh – Feeding the Beast
- Read – Timothy E. Cook – Media Power and Congressional Power
- Write – What is meant by agenda setting? How do gatekeepers
control agenda setting? Explain how the media is involved in
agenda setting?
- Test - Multiple choice/vocab/short answer
Chapter 8 – Political Parties
- Party duties
- Electorate
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Party eras of control
Third parties
Political Parties and the US Government
Party decline
Read – California Democratic Party et al. v. Jones, Secretary of State
of California, et al. (2000)
Read - Toward a More Responsible Two-Party System
Read – David R. Mayhew – Divided We Govern
Write – How have the political parties instituted the fear of a
divided and unresponsive government in the American people?
Explain how this influence has affected the political alignment and
political socialization of the electorate.
Test - Multiple choice/vocab/short answer
Chapter 11 – Interest Groups
- Pluralism and Elitism
- Interest group success
- Lobbying
- Types of interest groups
- PAC’s
- Usefulness of interest groups
- Read – Federalist 10
- Read – Jeffrey M. Berry – Madison’s Dilemma
- Read – David B. Truman – The Governmental Process
- Write – Explain the apprehension James Madison had with the
idea of factions. How does this apply to interest groups and
political parties? Does this apprehension come true? Explain.
- Test - Multiple choice/vocab/short answer
Unit 3: Public Opinion, Campaigns, and Elections
Chapter 6 – Public Opinion
- Make up of the American society
- Regional shift in population/reapportionment
- Political socialization
- Public opinion polls
- Liberal v. Conservative – Who are we?
- Ideology
- Participation – conventional/unconventional
- Project – Conduct survey on Senior class using random sampling
of study group. Compile and analyze data. Report findings.
- Test - Multiple choice/vocab/short answer
Chapter 9 – Nominations and Campaigns
- Nominating
- Campaigning
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Money
PAC’s
Read – V.O. Key, Jr. – The Responsible Electorate
Read – Colorado Republican Federal Campaign Committee v.
Federal Election Commission (1996)
Read – Frank J. Sorauf – Political Parties and Campaign Finance
Write – How do PAC’s impact the campaign process? Does this
impact contribute to the people’s control of government? Explain.
Test - Multiple choice/vocab/short answer
Chapter 10 – Elections and Voting Behavior
- How elections work
- Critical elections
- Elections of 1800 and 1896
- Who votes and why?
- Party identification
- Electoral College – how does this work and why
- Electoral outcomes
- Read – V. O. Key, Jr. – A Theory of Critical Elections
- Read – Bernard R. Berelson, Paul F. Lazarsfeld, and William N.
McPhee – Democratic Practice and Democratic Theory
- Write – What are three key elements that determine voter choices?
Explain the impact these elements on political socialization.
- Write – Analyze the outcome of the 2000 Presidential election.
Compare the votes cast for each candidate from each state. Then
compare the difference in votes for each state. How close was the
election and should have Al Gore defeated George W. Bush if the
Electoral College was not in use? Explain.
- Test - Multiple choice/vocab/short answer
Unit 4: Institutions of Government – Congress, the
Presidency, the Bureaucracy, and the Federal Courts
Chapter 12 – Congress
- The job of being a Representative or Senator
- Who becomes a member?
- Elections
o Who wins?
o Incumbents
o Party identification
o Challengers
- How Congress is organized
o Bicameralism
o Leadership
o Committees
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o Caucuses
o Congressional staff
Congressional process
o How a bill becomes a law
o The Presidential factor
o Party
o Constituency
o Lobbyists and Interest groups
Read – David R. Mayhew – Congress: The Electoral Connection
Read – Morris P. Fiorina – The Rise of the Washington
Establishment
Read – Richard F. Fenno, Jr. – Home Style and Washington Career
Read – Federalist 53, 56, 57, 58, 62, 63
Read – Roger H. Davidson and Walter J. Oleszek – Congress and
Organized Interests
Read – Lawrence C. Dodd – Congress and the Quest for Power
Read - Edmund Burke – Speech to the Electors of Bristol
Write – What draws the votes of the people to an incumbent and
why is this important to know as a challenger?
Write – How does the leadership of Congress have a lasting
impression on legislation? How does this translate into state
assistance?
Test - Multiple choice/vocab/short answer
Chapter 13 – The Presidency
- Who becomes President?
- Presidential power
- Expansion of Presidential power
o By the President
o By Congress
- Vice President
- Cabinet
- Staff
- The First Lady
- Roles of the President
o Administrator
o Diplomat
o Legislator
o Party Leader
o Citizen
o Commander in Chief
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Use of the media
Public opinion
Policy development
Read – Federalist 70
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Read – Clinton Rossiter – The Presidency – Focus of Leadership
Read – Richard E. Neustadt – Presidential Power
Read – James David Barber – The Presidential Character
Read – Kenneth T. Walsh – Feeding the Beast
Read – Sidney M. Milkis – the Presidency and Political Parties
Write – Explain how does the President utilizes the media to
further his agenda. Include a discussion on the need of his staff to
assist with this use.
Write – How has the role of the President changed in world
affairs? Develop a theory as to how our current President has
done with foreign affairs. Make sure to support all statements.
Test - Multiple choice/vocab/short answer
Chapter 14 – Congress, the President and the Federal Budget
- Taxation
- Borrowing
- Is the budget too much?
- Security State
- Social Services
- Incrementalism
- Presidential budget
- Congressional budget
- Final budget
- Write – Explain the need to compromise on the Federal Budget for
both the Executive and Legislative branches. How does public
opinion come into play?
- Test - Multiple choice/vocab/short answer
Chapter 15 – Federal Bureaucracy
- What is a Bureaucrat and how do they get the job?
- Cabinet Departments
- Executive agencies
- Implementation?
- Regulation of Federal Laws
- Deregulation
- Read – Peter Woll – Constitutional Democracy and Bureaucratic
Power
- Read – James Q. Wilson – The Rise of the Bureaucratic State
- Write – What is the purpose of the Bureaucracy? Explain the
expansion of the Bureaucracy and why it was/was not necessary.
- Test - Multiple choice/vocab/short answer
Chapter 16 – The Federal Courts
- Structure of the Federal Court System
o District Courts
o Courts of Appeal
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o The Supreme Court
How do you become a Justice?
o Lower Courts
o The Supreme Court
Rule of Four and the acceptance of cases
Decision making
o Opinions
o Implementation
o Judicial Restraint
o Judicial Activism
Courts and Policy Making
Read – Federalist 78
Read – John P. Roche – Judicial Restraint
Read – William J. Brennan, Jr. – How the Supreme Court Arrives at
Decisions
Write – Explain the importance the selection of Supreme Court
Justices can have on legislation and policy making.
Test - Multiple choice/vocab/short answer
Unit 5: Public Policy
Chapter 17 – Economic Policymaking
- What is economic policy?
- How voters, politicians and the economy revolve
- Unemployment and inflation
- Monetary policy
- The Fed
- Fiscal Policy
- Consumer impact – lobbyists
- Labor and business impact
- Test - Multiple choice/vocab/short answer
Chapter 18 – Social Welfare Policymaking
- What is social welfare?
- Who gets what from the government?
o Income
o Poverty
- Welfare
o Original intent
o Ending welfare as we know it
- Social Security
o New Deal
o Reform
- Write – How does the economic and social welfare policymaking
affect each other when it comes to the national budget? What
factors are taken into account when deciding these two policies?
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Test - Multiple choice/vocab/short answer
Chapter 19 – Policymaking for Health Care and the Environment
- Health of America
- Cost of health care
- Role of the government in health care
- Environmental policies in America
- Energy sources and global warming
- Lobbying for health care and the environment
- Write – The current environmental policy in America seems to be
harmful to the ozone layer with no sign of trying to stop the
problem. Agree or disagree with the statement. Support your
answer using your knowledge of the American environmental
policy.
- Test - Multiple choice/vocab/short answer
Chapter 20 – National Security Policymaking
- What is national security?
- Foreign policy
o Cold War
o Reagan armament
o War on Terrorism
- Defense spending
- Weapons and personnel
- Reforming our defense policy
- Changing role of the military
- Nuclear proliferation
- International economy
- Read – Aaron Wildavsky – The Two Presidencies
- Write – How does National Security policies have an impact on the
President’s ability to impact current legislation? How can public
opinion affect National Security policies?
- Test - Multiple choice/vocab/short answer
Unit 6: Civil Liberties and Civil Rights
Chapter 4 – Civil Liberties
- Bill of Rights
- Freedom of Religion
o Establishment Clause
o Free Exercise Clause
- Freedom of Speech/Expression
o Prior Restraint
o Press
o Obscenity
o Slander/Libel
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o Symbolic speech
o Commercial speech
Freedom of Assembly
Rights of the Accused
o Searches and seizures
o Pleading the 5th
o Right to counsel
o Right to trial
o Cruel and unusual punishment
Right to Privacy
Read – Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)
Read – Chaplinsky v. State of New Hampshire (1942)
Read – Reno v. American Civil Liberties Union (1997)
Read – Engel v. Vitale (1962)
Write – Does the US Government have the right or responsibility
to control speech in America? Explain how your answer affects
the rights granted to the people of the United States.
Write – Can the rights of the accused supersede the rights of the
victim? Support your answer by determining whether or not this
is a fallacy with our current justice system.
Test - Multiple choice/vocab/short answer
Chapter 5 – Civil Rights
- Equality and the Constitution
- Racial equality
o Segregation
o Desegregation
o Right to vote
- Civil Rights Act of 1964
- Voting Rights Act of 1965
- Gender equality
o Right to vote
o Workplace discrimination
o Wages
o Military
o Sexual harassment
- Age discrimination
- Disability
- Sexual orientation
- Affirmative action
- Read – Plessy v. Ferguson (1895)
- Read – Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (I and II) (1954 and
1955)
- Read – Adarand Constructors, Inc. v. Pena (1995)
- Write – To what extent has the argument of race been satisfied in
America? What legislation has been passed to end or control the
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amount of discrimination in the country? Explain the importance
of such legislation on the pursuance of rights in America.
Test - Multiple choice/vocab/short answer
Term Papers
All students will be required to complete two ten page term papers, one for each
semester. The paper will have no less than 8 sources and cite these sources within the
paper. The paper will cover an approved United States Government topic.