Course Overview
The Advanced Placement Program (AP) US Government and Politics is a semester long college level course that explores the formal and informal structure of the US Government and the politics that influence its implementation. The purpose of this course goes beyond the normal expectations and requires analysis and interpreting of literature and data on how our government functions. Students who take this course should note that you will be required do at least 3 to 5 hours of homework/reading each week, if a student is not comfortable with this requirement they should think about taking regular US Government. The ultimate goal for the course is to prepare the students for the AP Exam and introduce college level curriculum. Students will be expected to take the AP Exam at the completion of the course.
Course Objectives
Students should gain a greater understanding of:
--the constitutional foundation of the United States government and the general themes of the government.
--the political beliefs of American citizens and the opportunities citizens have for political participation and its consequences.
--how mass media, interest groups and political parties influence the daily functioning of government.
--the institutions that make up US Government and the bureaucracy that occurs on a daily basis.
--how public policy is created and the factors that influence the policy agenda.
--the development of civil rights and civil liberties and Supreme Court Decisions that have impacted citizens’ rights.
Students should also learn:
--how to analyze and interpret data that from various forms of literature, i.e.: textbook, supplemental readers, handouts, and Internet activities.
--how to analyze primary resources, i.e.: Federalist Papers, New York Times articles.
--the proper style and thought process that is recommended by the AP Board for U.S. Govt. and Politics.
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