Summer Assignment 2017-18 AP US Government & Politics Mr. Carmichael john_carmichael@olsd.us SUMMER ASSIGNMENT SUMMARY # ASSIGNMENT DUE DATE ESTIMATED TIME TO COMPLETE 1. Follow national news & political events 1 ST Day 15 minutes daily 2. Provide a 5 x 8 index card with info and picture 1 ST Day 20 minutes total Welcome to Advance Placement United States Government! Congratulations on your willingness to take on the challenges of this course. General Overview of A.P. U.S. Government & Politics is designed as a freshman level political science course which requires an analytical approach to the study of government. the College Board curriculum is designed to give students a critical perspective on politics and government. this course involves both the study of general concepts used to interpret United States politics and the analysis of specific case studies. It also requires familiarity with the various institutions, groups, beliefs and current events which comprise the American political scene. What is Political Science? Political Science is the attempt to study politics and government in a systematic way in order to learn how power works. Political Scientists study systems of government, as well as how political systems change over time. Political Scientists study the systemic way in which governmental decisions are made. The process of who gets what, where, when and how is of great interest. A Political Scientist should be an objective observer who asks questions and studies the effects of different systems of government. The rewards of the course will vary based upon the individual efforts of each student. Each student will have the opportunity to work towards the following goals- 1.) Students will have the opportunity to satisfy their intellectual curiosity 2.) Students have the opportunity to improve their writing, reasoning and analytical skills. 3.) Students will become more familiar with current events in the US and abroad. 4.) Students have the opportunity to receive college credit by earning a qualifying score on the College Board exam.
SUMMER ASSIGNMENT #1 BECOME FAMILIAR WITH NATIONAL POLITICAL NEWS Students are required to follow the national political news throughout the summer. Students should be familiar with relevant executive & legislative branch members and leaders, and developments related to the workings of the Supreme Court. Upon our return in the fall, we will discuss current events in general and discuss how these happenings can be applied to the theory we will be studying throughout the year. WHY SHOULD I PAY ATTENTION TO THE NEWS? There are three primary reasons- It will improve your understanding of theoretical concepts through the application to real life events Building a basic understanding of current events will allow us to discuss and debate issues as a class A summative evaluation testing your familiarity of government leaders and events will occur on day 1 The assessment will cover major news stories and will include identifying political leaders (by picture). Learning Target- This assignment will aid you in applying the theoretical concepts of the course to actual events. Specific Expectations A. Monitor the major and minor political stories throughout the summer. This includes: Read the home pages of major newspapers or media outlets which contain the national & political news Read the op-ed columns in newspapers & viewing political cartoons In general, become familiar with national & political news as well as world events. Local news is NOT relevant to our curriculum Facebook & Twitter are NOT legitimate news sources. Legitimate news sources would be media outlets such as CNN, Fox, MSNBC, Politico.com, Bloomberg News, Real Clear Politics.com, Washington Post, Washington Times, Wall St Journal, ABC, CBS, CSPAN, NY Times B. Be able to identify the following members of government by picture, video or relevant current event. EXECUTIVE BRANCH President (Trump) Vice President (Pence) Secretary of Defense (Mattis) Attorney General (Sessions) Sec. of State (Tillerson) OHIOIANS in CONGRESS Pat Tiberi- 12 th District R-OH Senator Sharrod Brown D-OH Senator Rob Portman R-OH LEGISLATIVE BRANCH Speaker, US House of Representatives - Paul Ryan R-WI Minority Leader US House of Rep.- Nancy Pelosi D-CA Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell R-KY Senate Minority Leader - Chuck Schumer D-NY POLITICAL FIGURES former P.O.T.U.S Barack Obama (D) Former Sec. of State Hillary Clinton (D) Senator Elizabeth Warren D- MA Senator Bernie Sanders D-VT Senator Ted Cruz R-TX Gov. John Kasich Robert Mueller (General Counsel investigating Trump) JUDICIAL BRANCH Chief Justice John Roberts Assoc. Justice Anthony Kennedy Possible retirements of Assoc. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg Assoc. Justice Anthony Kennedy WORLD LEADERS Kim Jung Un - North Korea Vladimir Putin - Russia Bashar al-asaad - Syria If you have never followed the news, consider following these major stories: Developments related to major political events, Supreme Court rulings or policy changes which might unfold over the summer Trump/Russia investigation, several Supreme Court justices are rumored to be retiring. General developments related to monetary policy and fiscal policy Foreign policy & military developments throughout the world including, but not limited to North Korea, Russia or Syria Pg. 2
Examples of Summative Assessment questions 1. Select the correct description of political party control overthe respective branches of government or chamber. A.The Republicans control both the Senate and House chambers, the Democrats control the White House B. The Republicans control the Senate while the Democrats control both the House of Rep. and White House C. The Republicans control the House of Reps and the Democrats control the Senate and White House D. The Republicans control the White House and both chambers of Congress E. The Democrats control the White House and both chambers of Congress 2. Identify the individual listed in the picture A. Governor Chris Christie from New Jersey B. Senator Rob Portman from Ohio C. Senator Marco Rubio from Florida D. Speaker of the US House - Paul Ryan E. Supreme Court Assoc. Justice Clarence Thomas 3. Identify which statement is CORRECT A. Kim Jung Un is the leader of China B. Barack Obama is considering running for the US Senate C. Pat Tiberi represents the 12 th District in the US House of Representatives D. The Secretary of Defense is Rex Tillerson E. Syria has been testing Intercontinental ballistic missiles 5. Identify this person A. Sen. Susan Collings R-MA B. Sen. Elizabeth Waren C. Assoc. Justice Elena Kagen D. former Gov. Sarah Palin E. None of these 4. The current federal debt is approximately A. 7 Trillion B. 9 Trillion C. 12 Trillion D. 14 Trillion E. 19 Trillion 6. Which statement is INCORRECT? A. Syria is in the middle of a civil war B. US combat troops are stationed in Afghanistan C. Robert Mueller is the general counsel investigating Pres. Trump & Russia D. The Russian hacked into the US & French Elections E. North Korea recently traded missile attacks with Japan What should I understand? 1) basic facts of the story 2) observations related to political or media bias NOTE As your understanding of current events develops, your ability to synthesize the news will improve and the process will become easier. Also, endeavor to vary your sources in terms of both print vs. electronic media and political bias. Key- #1/D #2/D #3/C #4/E #5/E #6/ E Pg. 3
SUMMER ASSIGNMENT # 2 STUDENT INFORMATION CARD on a 5 x 8 index card tape a picture (color or black/white) picture of you of into you this corner using clear tape (do not staple!!!!!) print FIRST NAME email cell # parent/guardian email print LAST NAME Due 1 st day! a favorite quote which represents you Describe a funny/silly fact about you or describe a unique skill List someone you admire or is a hero to you Notes- *The picture may be printed out on regular printer-paper Rubric FULL CREDIT PARTIAL CREDIT ZERO CREDIT Used 5 x 8 Card Taped picture All info enclosed No submission or submitted past day # Late Submission Used card other than 5x8 Used staple instead of tape Partial info enclosed Incorrect size card Picture stapled No picture Missing information Point Value 1 st Day 100% of points possible 2 nd Day 75% point deduction 3 rd Day or later 25% points available Pg. 4
PRESIDENT ELECT Donald J. Trump Names & Faces 2017 Edition VICE PRESIDENT ELECT Gov. Mike Pence R-IN SECRETARY OF STATE Rex Tillerson ATTORNEY GENERAL Sen. Jeff Session R-AL SECRETARY OF DEFENSE Ret. Gen. James Mattis TREASURY SECRETARY Steven Mnuchin CHIEF OF STAFF Reince Priebus CHIEF STRATEGIST Steve Bannon W. H. PRESS SECRETARY Sean Spicer
US HOUSE 12TH DIST Hon. Patrick J. Tiberi R-OH SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE Honorable Paul Ryan R-WI HOUSE MINORITY LEADER Honorable Nancy Pelosi D-CA SENATE MAJORITY LEADER Hon. Mitch McConnell R-KY SENATE MINORITY LEADER Hon Chuck Schumer D-NY US SENATE PRO TEMPORE Honorable Orin Hatch R-UT SEN ELIZABETH WARREN D- MA CHIEF JUSTICE SUPREME CT Honorable John Roberts KELLY ANN CONOWAY Presidential Advisor
Supreme leader Democratic People's Republic of Korea Kim Jung-un President of Russian Federation Vladimir Putin President of Syria Bashar al-asaad Special Advisor to POTUS Jared Kushner Wiki Leaks Julian Assange US Sen. Bernie Sanders I-VT US Sen Sherrod Brown D-OH US Sen Rob Portman R-OH Justice Anthony Kennedy