COURSE SYLLABUS AP AMERICAN GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS DETROIT CATHOLIC CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL

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1 COURSE SYLLABUS AP AMERICAN GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS DETROIT CATHOLIC CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL TEXTS: Schmidt, Steffan W., Shelley, Mack C., and Bardes, Barbara A. American Government and Politics Today, ed. United States: Thomson/Wadsworth, McKenna, George, and Feingold, Stanley, editors. Taking Sides, Clashing Views on Political Issues, 15 th edition. Dubuque, Iowa: McGraw-Hill Contemporary Learning Series, Teaching Strategies This course is taught with an emphasis upon lecture, including much discussion with student input. Current event issues are included in the lecture with periodic documentary videos used to enhance the illustration of topics. Written assignments, quizzes, and exams, both traditional and open-note are assigned. Class participation does impact upon the grade. A traditional feature of the course is a field trip to the City of Detroit court facilities, hosted by former graduates of our school, who now are employed as judges and attorneys. Course Overview/Description This course investigates the complexity of modern government in the United States and the traditional values that are expressed in the United States Constitution. An obvious purpose is to prepare students to write the AP Exam for U. S. Government and Politics. The course is year-long and is presented on a college level. It requires daily preparation of reading of both the text and information assigned over the Internet. This is not a basic course; it goes beyond the average investigation of how government functions. Today s students have an apathetic attitude toward their duties as citizens. Students are challenged to provide an alternative to our system, or to suggest ways that the system can be improved upon. Grading and Course Requirements Grades are computed based upon a cumulative point basis. Each work assignment, quiz, and exam is assigned a certain number of points according to the type of work. At the quarter s end, a grade average is determined by dividing the total points possible by points earned. Exams always include essay questions reflecting information that has been emphasized during the lecture and discussion.

2 Current Events 2 Students are required to keep up-to-date by the examination of legitimate sources of media information. This includes national and local news sources and the Internet. COURSE PLAN Unit I: The American System Content Goals Chapters 1-3 in the text are assigned. These three chapters outline the basics of American government. Definitions and illustrations of politics, government, sovereignty, ideology, separation of powers, division of powers, and federalism are all presented. How America evolved into a constitutional democracy and a federal system are examined. Students are required to take careful lecture notes. The teacher provides an outline for each chapter and a power point list of names and terms on a daily basis. Homework, quizzes, and exams are assigned on a regular basis, along with special projects listed below. The topics include: Topic Assignment 1 Politics, Government, Power pp Types of Democracy pp American Democracy pp Ideology Taking Sides, pp. xvii-xxviii; board (Liberal/Conservative ) review of ism s. 5 Ethnicity/American Government Web site: U.S. Citizenship and 6 Chapter 1 Exam Immigration Services 7 History of the U. S. Constitution pp Rewrite the Constitution Student The Constitution of the United Group Power-Point Project. Each group focuses States of America on one facet of New Government. 9 Informal Methods of Constitutional pp Change 10 Chapter 2 Quiz Multiple Choice/Free Response 11 American Federalism pp Federal/State Powers Worksheet (Choose among enumerated, implied, concurrent denied) 13 Checks and balances Worksheet (branch checks) 14 Federalism Federalist Papers 10, 51, Division of Powers pp Unit I Exam---multiple choice and free-response question

3 3 17 Discussion/Justification of Exam UNIT II: CIVIL RIGHTS AND LIBERTIES CONTENT GOALS Students should understand that the goal of the United States Constitution is to guarantee both political and civil rights. The judicial branch must always interpret each case based upon the constitution, not on the popular beliefs of the people at that time period. Many court cases will be reviewed. Students must be able to explain the constitutional implications upon which each case was decided. Historical dissents will also be examined. MATERIALS Text descriptions, The Oxford Guide to United States Supreme Court Decisions, OYEZ.org., landmarkcases.org. SPECIAL ASSIGNMENT Each student is assigned a case(s) to review. In a written report, he must cite the year, background, opinion of the court based upon constitutional arguments, dissent, and historical significance. Topic Assignment 1 Civil Liberties and Government Power pp Incorporation of the 14 th Amendment pp Freedom of Religion Class Lecture 4 Key Cases Involving The Establishment Student Presentations Clause and Separation of Church/State 5 Freedom of Religion Test The Lemon Test 6 Quiz/Multiple Choice and Matching 7 Freedom of Expression Clear and Present Danger and Modifications 8 Symbolic and Commercial Speech Student Presentations 9 Obscenity Class Lecture; pp Unprotected Speech Review of slander, campus speech, and Internet 11 Freedom of Press pp ; Student Presentations 12 Right of Assembly: The Skokie Case Student Role Play 13 Right of Privacy: Roe v. Wade and pp Modifications 14 Quiz/Multiple Choice and Matching 15 Rights of the Accused: Miranda v. pp Arizona and Modifications 16 The Exclusionary Rule Student Role Play

4 17. Media Resource PBS Documentary The Supreme Court 18 Chapter 4 Exam/Multiple Choice and Free Response Questions 19 Chapter 5 Open-Note Exam: Civil Rights Multiple Choice, True-False, Completion Questions based on Research Questions assigned by Instructor 20 Affirmative Action Review of Bakke, U-Michigan Cases 21 Gray Power AARP web site 22 Gay Power Web site of Human Rights Campaign Fund 23 Disabilities pp Rights and Status of Juveniles: Nathanial Press Coverage Abraham Case 25 Zero Tolerance Policies p Chapter 6 Exam/Free Response Questions 4 UNIT III: PEOPLE AND POLITICS CONTENT GOALS Students should understand the impact of political socialization and public opinion. The importance of polls in shaping popular opinions will be reviewed. The close relationship between interest groups and political socialization will connect Chapters 7 and 8. The strength and influence of political parties, their history and current status will be covered In turn, the influence of the media on the nomination process and elections will be reviewed. This material comes from Chapters 7 through 11. Materials Supreme Court decisions, media presentations, and Internet sources will be examined. TOPIC ASSIGNMENT 1 The Gallup Poll Student Examination of Gallup Poll Poll Issue: American Opinion of Iraq War 2. Defining and Measuring of Opinion pp Polls 3 Political Socialization pp Trends in Political Trust Tables 7-2, 3, 4 pp Chapter 7 Quiz---multiple choice, completion 6 Chapter 8 Open-Note Exam: Interest Groups--- Multiple Choice, true-false, completion questions based on research questions assigned by Instructor

5 5 7 Functions of the Media pp /Lecture 8 History of the Media pp /Lecture 9 Do the Media Have a Liberal Bias? pp /Taking Sides 10 The Media and Government pp Examination of Blogs Blog Search Engine 12 History of Political Parties pp The Major Parties in the Two-Party pp Internet: Political Parties Politics1.com 15 The Modern Political Campaign pp /Lecture 16 Financing the Campaign pp /Lecture 17 The Electoral College pp /Lecture 18 Internet: Campaign Finance Center for Responsive Politics 19 Combined Chapter Exam (Chapters 9-11) ---multiple choice, free response questions 20 Discussion/Justification of Exam UNIT IV: POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS CONTENT GOALS Students should understand the three branches of government in terms of separation of powers and checks and balances; the evolution that each of the branches has experienced; the role of personality in each branch; the reaction of the people to each branch. MATERIALS Textbook material, including charts of a bill becoming law; the functions of Congress; the hats worn by the president; the federal court system; Internet investigations; field trips. Chapters The Power and Functions of Congress pp /Homework Assignment 2 Senate-House Differences pp Create Your Own Filibuster Hypothetical Exercise 4 Congressional Constituency pp /Lecture 5 Congressional Reapportionment pp /Homework Assignment 6 The Committee Structure pp How a Bill Becomes Law Hypothetical Exercise/Text Diagram 8 The Congressional Budget pp /Reading Exercise 9 Internet: Pork Barrel Legislation Pig Book 10 Chapter 12 Exam---multiple choice, true/false/completion questions 11 Discussion and Justification of Exam 12 Presidential Eligibility pp /Reading Exercise 13 Presidential Hats pp

6 6 14 Uses of Presidential Power pp /Lecture 15 Watergate---30 Years Later /Impeachment PBS Documentary 16 Congressional Organization/Cabinet pp /Reading Exercise 17 The Vice Presidency and Succession pp /Reading Exercise 18 The Federal Bureaucracy pp Reform of the Bureaucracy pp /Lecture 20 Stopping Illegal Immigration pp /Taking Sides 21 Combined Chapter Exam/Chapters free-response questions 22 Discussion and Justification of Exam 23 Field Trip Frank Murphy Hall of Justice,Detroit 24 Chapter 15 Open-Note Exam: The Judiciary---multiple choice, true-false, completion questions based upon chapter research questions prepared by the instructor. 25 Discussion and Justification of Exam 26 The Court Visits CC 52 nd District Court of Novi---Actual Cases Heard in our school by municipal judges 27 Video Presentation: Judicial Branch Focus on Gideon and Youngstown cases UNIT V: PUBLIC POLICY This unit will key in on group examination and presentation of the following areas of public policy: * Poverty and Welfare * Crime * The Environment * The Budget * Foreign and Defense Policy Each group will be assigned a specific, targeted topic and present issues, trouble spots, recommendations. Some students will be assigned as media to question groups after examining their written reports in advance. Groups will be assigned to read appropriate pages in both texts and to consult media and on-line sources. UNIT VI: REVIEW FOR AP EXAM Review for AP Exam by examination of various preparation books and review of course.