The course will focus on the following broad topic areas, and will give relatively equal emphasis to each:

Transcription

1 MT. CARMEL HIGH SCHOOL U.S. Government (Advanced Placement) SYLLABUS COURSE DESCRIPTION This course is designed to introduce students to the systematic study of the American government, and will begin with an examination of the philosophical and theoretical foundation on which it rests. The concepts of equality, freedom, order and various views of the proper scope of government will be discussed. We will study the formulation of the Constitution, and the establishment of the principal governmental institutions. The role of individuals and institutions such as the media in a representative democracy will be examined, and we will explore the processes by which political information is transmitted. We will study the evolution and functions of political parties, and of campaigns and elections, and we will pay particular attention to the growth of interest group activity in the U.S. We will examine individually the three branches of the federal government, but will also explore the manner in which they interact and "balance" each other. The course will focus on the following broad topic areas, and will give relatively equal emphasis to each: TRIMESTER #1 Constitutional Underpinnings of United States Government A discussion of the evolution of the U.S. Constitution, focusing on the debates and compromises that led to representative democracy, federalism, separation of power and checks and balances. Political Beliefs and Behaviors Key figures of the Enlightenment and their impact on the development of an early American political culture. This includes thinkers such as Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau and Hume, emphasizing traditional rationales of government, and arguments against concepts such as the divine right of kings. TRIMESTER #2 Political Parties, Interest Groups, and Mass Media History and major functions of political parties, and how their role has evolved over time What an intrest group is, how is functions within a pluralist democratic model, and what countervailing forces have emerged to counter their influence How the media developed as a political actor, how technology and the media have developed together, and how the different political institutions relate to the media, actively or passively

2 Institutions of National Government: The Congress, the Presidency, the Bureaucracy, and the Federal Courts The rationale for establishing these institutions in their original form, and the social, economic and political forces and events that help shape them into the institutions that they are today. An examiniation of the concept of equilibrium among these institutions, in light of the Founders original intention of separation of power and checks and balances. TRIMESTER #3 Public Policy Policy as a systemic output, discussed with reference to multiple policy planning models, including rational planning and incrementalism. Analytical concepts such as subgovernments and policy windows are utilized. Using various teaching methodologies, a range of key policy issues will be presented, referencing Dye, Thomas R. Understanding Public Policy, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, In addition, each year all AP U.S. Government students will participate in a school-wide mock election (general, pre-midterm, mid-term, or primary) in which each is responsible for researching a specific policy topic and providing the candidate or candidates with substantive, detailed data and policy positions upon which to campaign. Finally, as part of the requirements for this class, each AP U.S. Government student will select an interest group (trade association, professional society, or public interest group) to be the subject of a research paper. The paper must respond to the following questions: 1. Who constitutes the potential constituency of your interest group? 2. What public policy issues are of concern to this group? 3. How does this organization communicate with its various audiences? 4. What forms of political participation, conventional and unconventional, does this group advocate? Data Analysis Each student is required to locate and analyze multiple bodies of public opinion/polling data. These exercises aim at demonstrating to the student how such information can serve as support and/or demand inputs into a particular political system, and thus affect the development of public policies. As part of these exercises, students are introduced to a range of reliable academic and nonacademic sources of various types of statistical information. Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Close attention is given to the promotion of equality as a goal of government, and how it has most often been subordinated to order and public goods in terms of a policy priority.

3 The civil rights movement that took hold in the 1950s is given special attention. TEXT Schmidt, Steffen W., Shelley, Mack C., Bardes, Barbara M., American Government and Politics Today, Belmont CA, Wadsworth Other readings to be provided by the instructor include: APSA Committee on Political Parties, Towards and More Responsible Two Party System, Perspectives on American Politics, ed. William Lasser, Boston, Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004, Cigler, Allan J., Burdett A. Loomis, Always Involved, Rarely Central: Organized Interests in American Politics, Lasser, Cobb, Roger W., Charles D. Elder, Participation in American Politics: The Dynamics of Agenda Building, Baltimore, Johns Hopkins University Press, 1972, (Chapters 3 and 5) Fiorina, Morris P. Culture War? The Myth of a Polarized America. Classic Ideas and Current Issues in American Government, Ed. Meena Bose and John J. DiIulio, Jr., Boston, Houghton Mifflin Company, 2007, Hamilton, Alexander, Federalist Paper No. 78, American Government and Politics Today, Schmidt, Steffen W., Shelley, Mack C., Bardes, Barbara M., Belmont CA, Wadsworth, 2006, Kingdon, John W., Agendas, Alternatives and Public Policies, New York, HarperCollins College Publishers, 1995, Lipset, Seymour Martin, American Exceptionalism: A Double Edges Sword, Lasser Madison, James, Federalist Paper No. 10, Schmidt ET. al., Madison, James, Federalist Paper No. 51, Schmidt et. al. al., McFarland, Andrew, Interest Groups and the Policymaking Process: Sources of Countervailing Power in America, The Politics of Interests: Interest Groups Transformed, ed. Mark P. Petracca, San Francisco, Westview Press, 1992, Nather, David, Congress as Watchdog: Asleep On The Job?, Bose and DiIulio,

4 Neustadt, Richard E., Presidential Power and Modern Presidents, Bose and DiIulio, Wayne, Stephen, The Social Basis of Politics, Bose and DiIulio, ACTIVITIES Successful completion of this course will require each student to accomplish the following: Reading assignments. It is absolutely essential that complete all assigned readings in a timely manner. When called on in class, students are expected to be able to demonstrate that they have completed the readings and are able to discuss their content and concepts. Written homework assignments. Each reading assignment is to be outlined in writing and handed in to be graded. NOTE: Each student is required to maintain a three-ring binder specifically for this class, or to make space in a multi-subject binder for these assignments. All written assignments will be handwritten or typewritten on three-hole punched notebook paper. All assignments will be stapled when submitted. Paper from spiral-type notebooks will not be acceptable in this class. More information on the format for these written assignments will be announced in class. Written quizzes and examinations. A series of exams and quizzes will be given during the semester, focusing on one or more chapters in the text.. A series of exams and quizzes will be given during each trimester, focusing on one or more topics. Students will become familiar with answering free response questions, which will be incorporated into each test. Using the information on free response questions available at CollegeBoard.com, students are presented with examples of this type of question. The instructor will emphasize the difference between free response answers and the five-paragraph essay format that students learned in freshmen English class. For most of the year, exams blended free response questions with other forms of questions, and each exam included several current questions. Active and informed participation in classroom discussion. A portion of each student s grade will be an evaluation of his preparedness for class, which will be reflected in his ability to respond to questions posed by the instructor, or to ask relevant questions of his own. Written/research projects. These will include a group project (trimester #1), research paper (trimester #2), and film review (trimester #3)

5 RESEARCH SKILLS All students will be expected to develop and demonstrate research skills that reflect a serious desire to prepare for the college experience. The instructor assumes that students can and will make use of the resources available at the school library, on the school s web site and at other appropriate internet sites, and at local libraries. WRITING GUIDELINES Except for class notes and outlines, all written assignments will conform to the guidelines found in Rules For Writers (Hacker, 2004). EVALUATION/GRADING Class work and tests will be evaluated and grades will be assigned in accordance with the Mt. Carmel High School Parent-Student Handbook ( 07-08). The trimester final examination will account for 20% of each student s semester grade. The instructor will make every reasonable effort to be available to students or their parents for the purposes of discussing academic or personal problems, or to otherwise assist the student in the successful completion of his course work. Students are responsible for contacting Mr. Civik or a classmate regarding any activities or assignments that may have been missed during their absences. Note: Important information having to do with this class will be posted on Edline. Students are expected to access this site as often as they feel necessary, and are at all times responsible for the information posted there.