Course Description:  AP U.S. Government is a rigorous and engaging yearlong course that is equivalent to a one semester introductory college course in U.S. Government and Politics.  This course is open to students who are willing to accept the challenge and responsibility of engaging in a demanding curriculum.  Unlike the standard U.S. government semester course, AP Government and Politics requires a yearlong commitment by the student. Each student enrolled in the class is expected to take the AP exam. 

Major Content/Concepts:  This course should provide a learning experience that incorporates:

• Studying general concepts used to interpret U. S. politics
• Analyzing specific examples that explore the general concepts
• Understanding the various institutions, groups, beliefs, and ideas that form U.S. Politics
• Introducing a variety of theoretical viewpoints and explanations for behaviors and outcomes in the U. S. political arena

 Major topics covered:

• Constitutional Underpinnings of the US Government
• Political Beliefs and Behaviors
• Political Parties, Interest Groups and Mass Media
• Institutions of National Government: The Congress, the Presidency, the Bureaucracy and the Federal Courts
• Public Policy
• Civil Rights and Civil Liberties

Course Objectives:  Upon completion of the course students will be able to

• Identify important fact, concepts and theories relating to U.S. government and politics
• Recognize typical patterns of political processes, behaviors and their consequences
• Analyze and interpret basic data relevant to U.S. government and politics

Course Philosophy:  Varied teaching and learning experiences should provide students with multiple opportunities to discover the numerous ways in which human beings acquire and use knowledge.  The study of history and government should involve inquiry, active construction of knowledge, interactive discourse, well-reasoned arguments that show reflective and critical thinking, and real life applications. Opportunities to acquire knowledge should not be limited and rigid; rather they should reflect the fluid and changing nature of knowledge and understanding.  Additionally, the resources available should reinforce the numerous modes of information available. Textbooks, reference materials, atlases, historical documents, media resources, Internet, museums, historical societies, and libraries are essential resources for the course. Teaching and learning experiences should seek to actively involve students, individually and as a group, allowing students to develop skills as independent or collective thinkers and participants.

Last Revised: March 14, 2007