AP Government Course Syllabus. Instructor- Mr. Rabalais. Legacy High

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1 AP Government Course Syllabus Instructor- Mr. Rabalais Legacy High Website All pertinent information, dates of assignments due, and worksheets can be found on my website. Excuses for not knowing when and what was due on specific dates will not be accepted. Course Overview This is a one-semester college level course offered to students who wish to be academically challenged and take the AP exam in the spring. It is a survey course that provides an introduction into the operation of American national government. As such, we will examine: Foundations of American Democracy Interactions Among Branches of Government Civil Liberties and Civil Rights American Political Ideologies and Beliefs Political Participation In exposing you to these areas, it is my goal to foster the development of the analytical perspectives for interpreting, understanding, and explaining political events in this country. The following schedule will give you an idea of where we will be during the course of the semester. Dates may vary some as special events or circumstances dictate. I have included the reading material that accompanies each unit, but the actual dates for reading material will be assigned in class. Overview of the AP Exam and How to be Successful Multiple-Choice Questions 55 (4 choices a-d), 80 minutes 50% Structure The questions on the MC portion of the exam will ask students to: Analyze and compare political concepts Analyze and interpret quantitative, text-based, and visual sources Apply course concepts, foundational documents, and Supreme Court decisions in a variety of hypothetical and real-world scenarios Free-Response Questions: Number of Questions: 4, 100 minutes 50% Structure The four questions on the free response will ask students to: Apply political concepts in real-world scenarios Compare the decisions and implications of different Supreme Court cases Analyze quantitative data Develop an argument using required foundational documents as evidence As the breakdown of the AP Exam highlights, success in this course and on the AP Exam requires far more than the memorization of political knowledge. Success in this course and on the AP Exam requires connectionmaking with the aim of being able to analyze political information, regardless of the format the information is presented, and develop a factually accurate, thoughtful, and well-reasoned opinion regarding this information.

2 Mansfield ISD Advanced Placement Exam Payment Procedures State and federal funding for Advanced Placement exams ended with the school year. Due to the loss of state and federal funds, beginning with the school year, the MISD will resume the practice of charging students a portion of the Advanced Placement exam cost. This fee is twenty-five dollars ($25) for each AP exam the student registers to take. The MISD is committed to ensuring AP exams are affordable for students, so will continue to pay the same portion of each exam fee as in the school year. We are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause. For information or assistance, please contact your campus Academic Associate Principal, Ketura Madison at or keturamadison@misdmail.org. 1. All students will be notified within the first 2 days of school about the new AP exam fee requirements. The information will be on all AP course syllabi for the purpose of parent and student notification. 2. Once schedule changes are completed at the conclusion of the 1st six week, rosters will be pulled from Skyward for all AP courses and given to the campus bookkeeper. 3. The Bookkeeper registers all Students automatically from the class rosters of all AP classes. The deadline for this is October 8th. This is after the end of the 1st six weeks so students have the chance to drop the class if desired. 4. We will send a mass to parents via Skyward, notifying them of the charges and the due dates for payment. We will also include information about the refund process, should their student decide he or she will not be taking the AP exam(s). 5. Students must OPT OUT of testing by completing a form and submitting it to their AP teacher no later than October 15th, who then turns it in to the Academic AP. The parent must sign this form. The first payment must be made by October 15th. 6. Regular reminders will be sent to parents throughout the payment collection period. 7. AP Assessments will be ordered by the Academic November 15th. This is the absolute last day to order. 8. Students may pay for their assessments until March 1st. All payments must be made by this time or the student will be charged for the returned test fee in addition to the fees already on their account. ($15) Reasoning Processes The reasoning processes are the thought processes that will facilitate connection-making and analysis in the pursuit of effectively executing the disciplinary practices in the course. In other words, the reasoning processes form the cognitive bridge between the course content/big ideas and the disciplinary practices. The reasoning processes in this course include: Definition/Classification: Demonstrating knowledge of course concepts Explain - Process: Explaining political processes Explain - Causation: Explaining causes and effects of political principles, institutions, processes, and behaviors Explain - Comparison: Explaining similarities and differences among political principles, institutions, processes, and behaviors

3 Disciplinary Practices The disciplinary practices are the tasks students will apply to the course content using the reasoning processes. Becoming proficient in these disciplinary practices gives students the tools to analyze political information, regardless of the format, and develop a factually accurate, thoughtful, and well-reasoned argument or opinion about an issue related to American government and politics. The disciplinary practices in this course include: Practice 1: Apply political concepts and processes to scenarios in context Practice 2: Apply Supreme Court decisions Practice 3: Analyze and interpret quantitative data represented in tables, charts, graphs, maps, and infographics Practice 4: Read, analyze, and interpret foundational documents and other text-based and visual sources Practice 5: Develop an argument in essay format Every AP Exam question fuses course content, reasoning processes, and disciplinary practices. Thus, in-class and outside of class assignments will focus on the acquisition of course content and the application of course content to disciplinary practices using reasoning skills. Reading Text: Government in America: People, Politics and Policy by Edwards, Wattenberg and Lineberry, 16th ed., copyright 2012 Reader: American Government Readings and Cases edited by Peter Woll 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, to complete all assigned reading. Students at this level are responsible for obtaining a great deal of the pertinent class (and AP exam) information on their own. The required reading, along with lectures and class discussion will figure prominently in your quizzes, tests, and AP exam. Additional Resources Oyez website that provides overviews for all SCOTUS cases. AP United States Government and Politics reading skills lessons contains all SCOTUS cases and foundational documents required for the course along with discussion questions and activities The National Constitution Center s Interactive Constitution This online resource is an annotated U.S. Constitution that includes essays from multiple perspectives that frame the debates underlying key clauses and provisions of the U.S. Constitution. The National Constitution Center also has a blog that applies constitutional principles to current events. Required Supreme Court Cases This course will incorporate the analysis of the following 15 required Supreme Court cases: Marbury v. Madison (1803) McCulloch v. Maryland (1819) Schenck v. United States (1919) Brown v. Board of Education (1954) Baker v. Carr (1961) Engel v. Vitale (1962) Gideon v. Wainwright (1963) Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District (1969) New York Times Company v. United States (1971)

4 Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972) Roe v. Wade (1973) Shaw v. Reno (1993) United States v. Lopez (1995) McDonald v. Chicago (2010) Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (FEC) (2010) For each of these cases, the facts, issues, holdings, and reasoning underlying the majority and dissenting opinions can be found through the Oyez database online. Oyez also has an app that can be downloaded to smartphones. Students will be required to complete multiple assignments analyzing and comparing these cases with other nonrequired cases. [ Required Foundational Documents This course will incorporate the analysis and discussion of nine required foundational documents to help understand the context and beliefs of the founders and their critics and the debates surrounding the writing and ratification of the U.S. Constitution: The Declaration of Independence The Articles of Confederation Federalist No. 10 Brutus No. 1 Federalist No. 51 The Constitution of the United States Federalist No. 70 Federalist No. 78 Letter from Birmingham Jail Civic Engagement Project Creating an Interest Group Strategic Plan The civic engagement project in this course will culminate in students creating an interest group and a strategic plan for this interest group that could be used to pursue the enactment and implementation of a solution to a domestic policy problem of interest. Students will create this interest group strategic plan in small groups of (2-4), and there will be a research benchmark in each unit of the course that will require students to connect course content to their interest group s policy solution and plan. At the conclusion of Unit 5, students will present their interest group strategic plan to their peers and a panel of Social Studies teachers and field questions about the viability and effectiveness of their plan. A timeline for this project and the research benchmarks underlying this project are outlined in each unit of the Course Outline. Tests Formal evaluation of student comprehension will take place at the end of each of the six major units. The tests will include 55 multiple-choice questions based on the AP Exam format and one or two free response questions (FRQ) based on the AP Exam format. (1st 6 weeks tests have one FRQ and all future tests will have two) Grading Policy and Procedure Grades will be determined on two different levels. 40% of the class grade will be based on "daily work" that includes group work, quizzes, research projects, and participation. The other 60% of the class grade is based entirely on the Tests, explained above in the "Tests" section. The overall grade for AP Government will be the average of the "daily work" and the Tests. There will be 2 major grades during each 6 weeks grading period. Make Up Policy and Retests

5 Late work will only be accepted the class period after it was due. The maximum points received for late work is 70 percent. Retests will only be allowed after meeting the requirements of correcting and verifying (using textbook text) all wrong answers. You then need to schedule an after school time with me to take the retest. All scores on retest that are 70 percent or higher will result in a grade of 70. Anything lower than a 70 will be that score as a grade. Units The following is a list of reading requirements for each unit. The list and the days is not absolute. Units may be adjusted due to unexpected events. Foundations of American Democracy 1 Intro to Course, practice exam Read Ch.1 Introducing Government in America 2 The Basics vocab & theories, Ch.1 reading quiz, research paper assignment Handouts Theories on Political Elitism and Who Governs by Dahl 3 Wrap up The Basics, How to Write the Perfect Begin reading Ch.2 The Constitution Answer to a Free Response Question, in class timed FRQ on HW handouts 4 Discuss in class essay & rubrics, Roots of the Continue reading Ch.2 Constitution 5 Confederation Simulation Roche & Beard essays from Woll Reader Finish Ch.2 6 Finish Roots on Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation, reading quiz on Ch.2 Start Ch. 3 Federalism Federalists 10,39,47,48, & 51 from Woll Reader 7 Constitutional Convention, discuss Roche & Beard essays, Articles vs. Constitution Continue Ch.3, Woll Grosdzin, The Federal System 8 Wrap up Constitutional Convention, basic principles of the Const. Katzman Guns, the Commerce Clause and the Court Enduring Debate 9 Unit Test Start Ch.6 Public Opinion and Political Action Political Participation 10 Go over Unit I exam, Political Socialization, beliefs & Finish Ch. 2, handout How Public Opinion Really Works participation, interpreting charts & graphs analysis of current SAT scores 11 Ch.6 quiz, Polls, the history of suffrage Alabama Literacy Test, chart analysis of voter turnout in Start Ch.8 Political Parties, Woll Reader Broder & Kayden essays Presidential elections vs. midterm elections 12 Political Parties functions, organization, changes, Finish Ch.8 & begin Ch.11 Interest Groups, Woll Reader membership Chart current party membership and fundraising Truma, The Government Process and Lowi, The End of Lib. 13 Special Interest Groups types, tactics, success & Finish Ch.11 & study, handout on Media Bias analysis of failures, Iron Triangles Chart analysis of PAC current editorials in various newspapers donations 2004 pres. Election, Interest Groups vs. Political Parties 14 Unit Test Begin reading Ch.9 Nominations and Campaigns, Woll Reader Nelson, The Case for the Current Nominating Process American Political Ideologies and Beliefs 15 Go over Unit II test, Intro to Elections Unit Finish Ch.9, Enduring Debate Ornstein, Five-Point Reform

6 Nominating Process, the media changes & effects Proposal Would Fix Campaign System & Ellis, Ten Big Lies About Campaign Finance Reform 16 Ch.9 quiz, continue the election process, nominations & National Conventions Begin Ch.10 Elections and Voting Behavior, handout Graber, New Media 17 The Campaign & Campaign Finance, current campaign finance law and reforms, chart analysis of campaign Finish Ch.10 and begin Ch.7, Woll Berelson, Democratic Practice & democratic Theory finance regulations, discuss Enduring Debate articles 18 Wrap up Election Process Annual Editions, Why Americans Don t Vote & The Dirtiest Election Ever, Study 19 Unit Test Begin Ch.12 Congress, Woll Hackett, The Power of the Incumbency Interactions Among Branches of Government 20 Go over Unit III Test, Intro Congress basics, House vs. Senate, power, leadership, elections vs. President, chart current Congressional membership 21 Wrap up Basics, Lawmaking Process role & importance of committees, Effects of Parties, Interest Groups, media, President, federalism Continue w/ Ch.12, Woll Federalists 53,56,58,62,63 work on Congressional vocab list Finish Ch.12, Woll Polsby, Congressional Bashing for Beginners & Barnes, Congressional Despots 22 Ch.12 quiz, wrap up lawmaking process, Begin Write a bill Congressional simulation party caucus 23 & 24 Congressional simulation, wrap up unit Study 25 Unit Test Begin Ch.13 The Presidency, Woll Federalist 70 & Neustadt, The Power to Persuade 27 Intro to the Executive Branch basics, constituents, powers formal & informal vs. Congress, current division between Pres. & Congress, effects of political Finish Ch.13 parties, interest groups, media review elections chart Presidential vs. midterm elections, presidential staff 28 Ch.13 quiz, wrap up powers, staff & Bureaucracy theories, types of agencies & purposes, powers, issue networks Begin Ch.15 The Federal Bureaucracy, Woll Wilson, The Rise of the Bureaucratic State 29 Wrap up Bureaucracy, effects of Congress & the President Ch.14 The Congress, the President, and the Budget: Politics of Taxing and Spending 30 Budget Process Lasser Thurber, The Impact of Budget Reform on Presidential & Congressional Governance 31 Unit Test Start Ch. 16 The Federal Courts, Woll Federalist 78 Civil Liberties and Civil Rights 32 Go over Unit V Test, Intro to Judicial Branch Federal Court structure, Federal Judges role of Pres. & Senate in confirmation, effects of political parties & interest groups, states Supreme Court operation, jurisdiction 33 Ch.16 quiz, wrap up federal courts restraint vs. activism, powers vs. congress/presid., role in policy making Supreme Court decisions 34 Civil Rights & Civil Liberties selective incorporation, Bill of Rights 1 st Amendment Finish Ch.16, handout Implementation and Impact of Supreme Court Decisions Start Ch.4 Civil Liberties and Public Policy Finish Ch.4

7 major cases will be discussed as we go through the Bill of Rights 35 Ch.4 quiz, wrap up 1 st Amendment Start Ch.5 Civil Rights and Public Policy, handout Should Hate Speech Be Protected 36 2 nd 5 th Amendments Finish Ch th 10 th Amendments Work on course review packet th Amendment due process and equal protection Handout Is Affirmative Action Reverse Discrimination? clauses 39 Wrap up 14 th Amendment clauses, review policy Study process & examples of different types of policy 40 Unit Test

AP United States Government and Politics Syllabus Course Description:

AP United States Government and Politics Syllabus Course Description: AP United States Government and Politics is a one-semester, college level course offered to students who wish to be academically challenged