AP United States Government and Politics
2012-13 Syllabus Windsor High School
Contact Information
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Instructor: Mr. William B. Brooks
Phone: 636-464-4429 x4507
Email: wbrooks@windsor.k12.mo.us
Website located at www.windsor.k12.mo.us
Blog site located at: http://mrbrookshistory.proboards.com
Course Goals:
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To prepare students for the Advanced Placement exam and receive college credit
To increase understanding of American Government and Politics
To prepare effective citizens to be active participants in democracy
Be able to analyze and interpret basic data relevant to U.S. politics
Course Description:
This course is meant to be the equivalent of a college-level freshman course and may earn students college credit. This course
includes both the study of general concepts used to interpret U.S. politics and the analysis of specific examples. It also requires
familiarity with the various institutions, groups, beliefs, and ideas that constitute U.S. politics. Students will become acquainted with
a variety of theoretical perspectives and explanations for various behaviors and outcomes. Current political, legal, and governmental
issues will be used to illustrate major points and refine the student’s understanding. Solid reading and writing skills, along with a
willingness to devote time to homework and study, are necessary to succeed. Emphasis is placed on critical and evaluative thinking
skills and essay writing. This class is a political science class, not a history class. We will be looking at recent political history,
however, particularly the last 30-40 years.
AP Government & Politics is a year-long course exploring six (8) major content areas.
The content areas include:
1) Constitutional Foundations, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties
2) Federalism
3) Public Opinion and Participation
4) Political Parties and Elections
5) Judicial Branch
6) Media and the Presidency
7) Bureaucracy and Policymaking
8) Congress and Special Interest Groups
-- Mini unit on State and Local Government
Textbook and Readings
Edwards, George C., et all. 2009. Government in America: People, Politics and Policy. New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall.
Other Readings include newspapers such as the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the New York Times and The Washington Post. Magazines
will include Time, Newsweek and The Week.
What is Expected of You?
This is a college-level course and expectations are high for each student. Students will be expected to do assigned readings, papers
and other related projects. Your papers will be read critically, and you will actually have to learn the content in order to score well on
the exams. The goal is for each of you to be prepared to earn college credit for the AP exam.
Current events: The advantage we have in this class is that the U.S. Government is playing out in real time every day. In order to
really understand the bigger picture and all the intricacies and nuances of government, you will need to pay attention to the media.
Supplementing this class with various media from print, TV, radio and Internet will undoubtedly help you understand and better
comprehend what we study. You will be responsible for keeping up with the news.
Class Structure: A combination of lecture, discussion, group presentation, project work, and independent study along with various
multi-media outlets will be used in class. My goal is to provide the best vehicle possible for you to understand the content. Any
suggestions you have to improve the class performance will be appreciated.
Absence/Missed Work Policy:
Attendance in this class is essential. Much of the material for success is provided through lecture/discussion. Missing class
can create problems. Work missed due to an excused absence may be made up within 5 school days (per district and school policy).
All work not made up will result in a grade of ZERO. **If a student is absent the day of a test or essay, it will be taken the first day
you return as the assignments are posted on the board in two week increments.**
If you are present when a test, essay, or quiz is assigned, you will be expected to take it at the assigned time (unless new
material was covered during an excused absence). Project due dates are non-negotiable. If you are absent on a project due date you
will be expected to turn in the completed project and/or present your project on the day you return to school. LATE WORK WILL
NOT BE ACCEPTED. IF YOU NEED TO MAKEUP AN ASSIGNMENT, THEN YOU MUST EARN A HOMEWORK PASS
FROM THE BLOG SITE AFTER DOING THE MISSED ASSIGNMENT (Example, you did not turn in Unit 1, Homework
Assignment #2; therefore, you must do the assignment for zero credit and then earn a homework pass from the blog site to
eliminate the zero in the gradebook).
Scoring & Assessments for AP U.S. Government and Politics
Based Upon One Semester
Summative Assessments (75% of Grade)
Unit Tests (60 points each)
Each unit test will include 20-60 AP quality multiple choice questions worth two points each
Free Response Questions (points vary per unit)
Along with each unit test, there will be 1-4 AP quality free response questions. These questions will ask students to
use the root knowledge from each unit and evaluate or analyze it. Each question will vary in point value.
Chapter Quizzes/Tests (Also known as “Reading Quizzes”)
Each quiz will cover only the current unit and chapters as the course progresses.
Formative Assessments (25% of Grade)
Political Ideology Essay (points vary per unit)
In this 5-10 page paper, students will analyze their position on the political spectrum by studying their stance on 5
issues. The paper will be done during the semester and submitted on www.turnitin.com.
Various Class Projects, Assignments, Homework (points vary per unit)
Throughout the year, the class will engage in several projects to enrich the material. Possible projects will include
but are not limited to Supreme Court Moot Court, Mock Congress and Interest Group Start-Up. Points for these
projects will vary between 50 and 100 points and scored as summative assessments.
Article Summaries ((points vary per unit)
Students will be give one article per unit to read, summarize, evaluate and reflect upon. Reponses will be one to two pages
and typed. We will discuss these articles in class.
Current Events Journal ((points vary per unit)
Students will keep a journal throughout this class. Throughout the class, students will be required to watch, read and
listen to the news. They will then document articles or stories in their journals and reflect upon them. Possible
sources include CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, Time, Newsweek, The Post Dispatch, the New York Times and many
more. Students will be graded on the number, quality and reflections of each article. We will use these journals to
enlighten class topics.
Participation (Non-graded)
While participation will not be officially graded, it will be required. Class discussion and lectures will be based
around student participation and to truly master the material, total engagement will be necessary. The blog site is a
MUST if you want to succeed in this class.
Chapter Notes and Outlines (Non-graded)
Students will be required to read each chapter on a scheduled basis and will be quizzed over each. It is also
suggested that each student outline each chapter (the first one or two may be required) to keep in their notes. If
students do complete these chapter outlines they will be allowed to use them periodically on quizzes and will always
be guaranteed a “C-” grade on quizzes. While I am not requiring most of these outlines, they are critical to your
success. Also, there are sufficient incentives for you to complete them.
Grading:
Grading Scale
A 90 % – 100%
B 80% – 89%
C 70% - 79%
D 60% - 69%
F 59% and below
Grading Breakdown
75%: Tests
25%: All other assignments (i.e. homework, projects,
class work, quizzes, etc.)
Semester Final: 20% of Semester Grade
Grading: Students will not be exempt for the semester final (Therefore, No Renaissance Exemptions)
Tests: We will have at least 3 major unit tests each semester. In addition, you will take a US Constitution Test in the first semester
and a Missouri Constitution test sometime after Spring Break next semester.
The Constitution Tests: All students will be required to pass the United States and Missouri Constitution tests as required by
Missouri State Law (RSMO. 170.011 RSMO Stands for the Revised Statutes of Missouri Chapter 170)
Essays: About every other week, an essay will be due related to topics of Government. They will be due on Friday at the beginning
of the period. They may be emailed earlier than the due date.
Projects, Homework, and Current Events: From time to time, we will have class projects, group discussions, quizzes, and
homework related to your readings and topics. They are always due at the beginning of class. I do not accept lat work.
Semester & Final Exams (20% of grade) Students will not be allowed to exempt out of either of these exams.
The AP Exam: We will be discussing this beast and how to slay it throughout the whole year. The test is in May. You are not
required to take it as it costs around $87. However, I will treat the class assuming everyone is taking the test. All of our unit exams
will look like the AP test and will include the same type of very challenging multiple-choice questions and free-response essays.