Advanced Placement
U.S. Government & Politics
Mr. Fraley
http://www.dpisd.org//Domain/1017
TEXT
Edwards, George C. III, Martin P. Wattenberg, and Robert L. Lineberry. Government in America:
People, Politics, and Policy, 10th ed. New York: Longman, 2002.
SUPPLEMENTAL READER
Woll, Peter. American Government: Readings and Cases, 13th ed. New York: Longman, 1998.
1. READING: In order for a student to be successful in a college-prep course of this type, it is
essential that students maximize their time, through proper organization and planning strategies, to
complete all assigned reading prior to class discussion. The required reading, along with lectures
and class discussion, will figure prominently in your formal evaluation on quizzes and examinations.
In addition to the survey text, students will be reading portions of a supplemental reader, Readings
and Cases in American Government, edited by Peter Woll. Each person in every group (see #2) will
receive a copy of this reader and students in each group are encouraged to get together to discuss and
debrief each reading before class discussion. (This will, without a doubt, make you more successful
in this class.)
2. GROUP WORK: For the purpose of presentations over the assigned readings from Woll and miniassignments, students will be placed into groups to answer questions based on the readings (this list
of questions is attached and can also be found on the website). Group work is a course requirement
and working alone on these activities will not be allowed. Establishing a positive attitude and
rapport within the group is proven to be a key to success and will greatly assist in the management of
the amount of reading and work that is required.
3. RESEARCH: During the course of this semester long class, you will be required to complete two
research papers over current events and how our government has worked to deal with the issue.
Your papers will need to be 4-6 pages following the MLA format. You should have already (or are
now) learning the MLA format for research papers, but we will discuss them in class and I will
provide you with a website to make your life easier. Topics will be discussed at a later date, but they
will be dealing with current events, so it is best to begin reading and watching the news now. Your
final six weeks in this class will not have a research paper, but a book report. The book, and the
assignment will also be discussed at a later date.
4. DATA AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS / FREE RESPONSE QUESTIONS: Throughout the
course of the semester, students will be required to analyze various political statistical data. This
will include assignments involving analysis of charts, graphs, political cartoons, and use of the
Internet. Students will be responding to a series of questions with respect to the data examined that
will constitute a daily grade. Throughout the class, upon entering the classroom, a data/statistical
analysis or a free-response question will be posed to students. You will have no more than 10
minutes to complete these in your notebook. Once a six weeks, your notebooks will be collected and
graded. We will spend time each week detailing the correct methods for answering AP test
questions, and then peer-evaluate your responses to those questions.
5. CURRENT EVENTS: Students are also required to complete a current event assignment each
week. You are required to open a NATIONAL newspaper (i.e. New York Times, The Washington
Post, USA Today, and Dallas Morning News) and choose an article dealing with NATIONAL
politics (not government…but how it works) and write a brief summary of the article and your views
on the subject. This is not a difficult assignment, but one that is always looming around the corner
for most students.
6. EXAMINATIONS: Formal evaluation will consist of multiple-choice examinations, each of them
able to be taken home and completed. At the end of each six weeks, you will take an exam covering
the material from the entire six weeks. The first day will be a sixty-question multiple-choice
examination. The second day will be a written examination, in which students will respond to two,
timed essay questions. In addition to these exams, you will take one Amendments Test every six
weeks.
7. QUIZZES: Students will be evaluated over the assigned reading material from the text. These
evaluations will consist of multiple-choice questions and will constitute a daily grade. At the
teacher’s discretion, students will also respond to five brief questions prior to each group
presentation over the supplemental reading. These mini-quizzes will also constitute one daily grade.
8. NOTEBOOK: Students will be required to maintain a notebook in which they will keep notes on
material presented in class and outside readings, this syllabus, your free-response questions, and
class handouts.
9. GRADING POLICY AND PROCEDURE: Each of the unit examinations, along with a test over
the Amendments to the United States Constitution will constitute 40% of a six weeks’ grade. At the
end of each six weeks, you will take a comprehensive exam that will constitute 20% of your six
weeks average. Quizzes over the text reading, group presentations, group mini-assignments,
statistical analysis assignments, and other daily work will constitute 20% of a six weeks’ grade. In
addition, students are required to complete a WEEKLY current event assignment and turn in their
notebooks when called for to comprise the final 20% of the six weeks grade. Each student will have
his or her lowest daily grade dropped each six weeks. A final examination constituting 20% of the
semester average is required first semester to all students. NO LATE WORK WILL BE
ACCEPTED WITHOUT A VALID EXCUSE
**Before requesting a schedule change from a PAP or AP class to a regular
class, the student’s parent must have a face-to-face meeting or a telephone
conference with the teacher in order to discuss the student’s progress,
etc. The counselors have been instructed not to make these schedule
changes until a meeting has taken place.
**When you sign up for AP classes in Deer Park ISD, please understand
that there is an expectation that you take the AP exam in May. You are
putting in plenty of work for this class, and the end result that you are
working towards is to take the AP Exam for an opportunity to receive credit
for college.
Student Signature
Parent Signature
**This sheet MUST be returned to Mr. Fraley by September _____, 2014.**
Unit Breakdown
(Readings with an asterisk denote a group presentation/free-response questions over the topic and questions)
THE CONTEXT OF AMERICAN POLITICS
UNIT I: INTRODUCTION TO GOVERNMENT IN AMERICA AND CONSTITUTIONAL
FOUNDATIONS (3 WEEKS)
Intro to Government in America
Students will gain an understanding of the basic workings of political systems in the world and, specifically, the
federal system of government set up in the United States. Students will also be able to distinguish between
politics and government as defined by Harold Laswell.
Required Reading: Text – Chapter 1
Constitutional Foundations
Students will become familiar with the historical background leading to the writing of the US Constitution;
included are key principles such as federalism, republicanism, democratic theories, and philosophical
underpinnings of the Constitution through Locke, Rousseau, Hobbes, and The Federalist Papers.
Required Reading: Text – Chapters 2 and 3
The Declaration of Independence (see Appendix in text or Woll)
The United States Constitution (see Appendix in text)
*** John Locke, “Second Treatise of Civil Government”, Woll pp. 4-9
*** James Madison, “Federalist 10”, Woll pp. 165-170
“Federalist 47, 48, & 51”, Woll pp. 41-45
*** “US v Lopez (1995)”, Woll pp. 71-76
THE PEOPLE IN THE POLITICAL PROCESS
UNIT II: SOCIALIZATION, PUBLIC OPINION, AND THE MASS MEDIA (2 WEEKS) Students
will understand the objects of the socialization process in American society and government, including family,
media, educational system, and peers. Through this process, students will examine the political ideologies and
efficacy of American demographic groups, as well as trends in current public opinion.
Required Reading: Text – Chapters 6 and 7
UNIT III: POLITICAL PARTIES AND INTEREST GROUPS (2 WEEKS)
Students will also become familiar with the historical beliefs of the major American political parties, tracing their
changes in ideology through history. Students will work towards an understanding of interest groups and their
distinction from political parties, as well as the vital role that they play in the democratic process. In addition to
these aspects, students will also gain an understanding of the effect that political action committees have had on
the American electoral system.
Required Reading: Text – Chapters 8 and 11
*** David R. Mayhew, “Divided We Govern”, Woll pp. 181-187
*** David Truman, “The Governmental Process”, Woll pp. 219-224
***L. Sabato, “The Misplaced Obsession with PACs”, Woll pp. 244-251
UNIT IV: CAMPAIGNS, ELECTIONS, AND MONEY (1 WEEK)
Students will become familiar with the electoral process in the United States, including tracing the history of the
electoral process from the onset of the Constitution through modern, candidate-centered campaigns; laws
governing campaigns and elections along with the laws governing the use of private and public funding for
campaigns; and the way that campaigns operate at local, state, and national levels.
Required Reading: Text – Chapters 9 and 10
*** V.O. Key, Jr., “The Responsible Electorate”, Woll pp. 213-216
AMERICAN GOVERNING INSTITUTIONS
UNIT V: CONGRESS (2 WEEKS)
Students should understand the functions and powers of the American legislative branch through a
thorough examination of Article I of the Constitution. Students will understand the process through which
a bill becomes a law, as well as the relationship between the legislative branch and the other branches of
government. Students will become familiar with the hierarchy of the United States Congress, as well as
how the structure of Congress has changed over time.
Required Reading: Text – Chapter 10
***R. Fenno, “If…How Come We Love Our Congressmen…”, Woll pp. 376-383
***Morris Fiorina, “The Rise of the Washington Establishment”, Woll pp. 340-347
UNIT VI: THE PRESIDENCY AND BUREAUCRACY (2 WEEKS)
Students will understand the functions and workings of the American executive branch. Included in the
discussions will be topics such as: the relationship of the president and his cabinet to the federal bureaucracy,
congress, and the federal courts. This unit also covers an extensive examination of the federal bureaucracy,
tracing its history and changes, as well as its role in the legislative process through iron triangles and the
formation of the federal budget.
Required Reading: Text – Chapters 11 and 12
Alexander Hamilton, “Federalist 70”, Woll pp. 266-268
*** Richard Neustadt, “Presidential Power”, Woll pp. 274-277
*** Clinton Rossiter, “The Presidency-Focus of Leadership”, Woll pp. 269-273
UNIT VII: THE JUDICIARY (1 WEEK)
Students should understand the structure and processes of the United States federal court system. Included in the
discussions is the relationship of the judicial branch with the executive and legislative branches, as well as the
historical aspects that have made the Supreme Court and inferior courts what they are today.
Required Reading: Text – Chapter 13
Alexander Hamilton, “Federalist 78”, Woll pp. 406-410
*** J. Gibson, “Decision Making in Appellate Courts”, (Class Handout)
*** R. Carp, “Implementation and Impact of Judicial Decisions”, (Class Handout)
“Marbury v. Madison (1803)” Woll pp. 410-414
W. Brennan, Jr., “How the Court Arrives at Decisions”, Woll pp. 420-427
UNIT VIII: CIVIL LIBERTIES AND CIVIL RIGHTS (2 WEEKS)
Students will examine at depth the Bill of Rights and the penumbra guaranteed by those amendments. Students
will also understand major Supreme Court decisions and how they have changed over time, as well as the impact
that the incorporation of the Bill of Rights through the 14th Amendment has had on state governments.
Required Reading: Text – Chapters 4 and 5
The Bill of Rights and the Fourteenth Amendment (see Appendix)
“Reno v. American Civil Liberties Union (1997)”, Woll pp. 109-113
*** “Texas v. Johnson (1989)”, (Class Handout)
*** “Cruzan v. Director, Missouri Dept. of Health (1990)”, (online-see website)
*** “Shaw v. Reno (1993)”, Woll pp. 152-156
UNIT IX: PUBLIC POLICY (1 WEEK)
Students will understand how public policy is developed in the United States. The class will
examine the formation of public policy, how it is enacted, the roles of the governing institutions
in creating public policy, and linkages between the electorate and the government.
Required Reading: Text – Chapters 14, and 17-20
No other supplemental readings for this unit, 5 chapters seems to be
enough.
NOTE: READINGS WITH THE SYMBOL *** DENOTE GROUP
PRESENTATIONS AND FREE-RESPONSE QUESTIONS.