AP® U.S. Government and Politics Mr. Hayman

Darrick_Hayman@lkstevens.wednet.edu Room 109

Brief Course Description:

We will be spending the coming school year examining the political and governmental systems in the United States. Our driving document will be the Constitution and we will examine, analyze and interpret the impact that document has on American lives. This course will prepare you to take the AP U.S. Politics and Government test in the spring. This class is an elective which substitutes for the two semesters of Current World Issues and Current American Issues which are required for graduation. AP U.S. Gov is a challenging class and is the equivalent of a college political science course; students who pass the nationwide AP U.S. Government and Politics examination in May of 2015 are eligible to receive college credit. All students must take responsibility for their own learning. Students are also strongly encouraged to attend outside-of-class review sessions. The course is designed in a way to best prepare students for the AP Exam. Free response questions, and multiple choice quizzes or tests will mirror the AP Exam format and scoring. Each student is expected to take the AP Exam in May.

This is a college level course. Dedication to this class is a must! You should expect anywhere from 3-5 hours of homework for this class a week. If this is not possible, then please consider taking an alternate class.

Text:

Edwards, George C. III, Martin P. Wattenberg, and Robert L. Lineberry. Government in America: People, Politics, and Policy, 14th ed. New York: Longman, 2009.

Supplemental Text:

Woll, Peter. American Government: Readings and Cases, 17th ed. New York: Pearson Longman, 2008.

Other Materials:

Students will be required to read articles from newspapers and political magazines such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Time Magazine. We will also be incorporating various web based and video based resources as needed.

Students will also be required to explain, analyze, interpret and synthesize various maps, graphs and charts during this class.

The A.P. U.S. Government and Politics Exam

The AP United States Government and Politics Exam is 2 hours and 25 minutes long. It includes a 45-minute multiple-choice section consisting of 60 questions and a 100-minute free-response section consisting of 4 questions

The A.P. U.S. Government and Politics exam is graded on a five point scale. Generally, most public universities award credit or placement to students who earn a 3 or higher while many private colleges require a score of 4 or higher. However, since each school is free to set its own policy, students need to check the specific policies of the institutions they are interested in attending.

All students enrolled in this class second semester are expected to take the A.P. U.S. History exam.

Each A.P. exam costs about $89. Any student who does not take the A.P. exam will be required to take a similar exam on the same day that will count toward their final grade. AP exam scores will not be linked to semester grades. In other words, no grade changes will be made on the basis of a student’s performance on the AP US Government and Politics exam.

Grading:

Your grade will be based upon the total points earned in the class. Grading scale: 100 - 90 = A 89-80 = B 79-70 = C 69-60 = D Below 50 = F Getting Help:

If you are having difficulty wrapping your mind around a concept or a discussion item in class please let me know. I am available before and after school. Email is a great way for me to help you as well! If you don’t ask questions, I assume that you are following along with me. As the AP exam approaches, we will have several review sessions after school. Saturday review sessions may also be a possibility as the need arises.

Plagiarism

The goal of putting effort into an assignment that you turn in for a grade is so that I, as a teacher, can assess how you well you are learning the material that I am teaching you. Copying material from a friend, the internet, or any other source and claiming it to be your own is dishonest and illegal. Any student who turns in any assignment that has been copied or plagiarized from an outside source will receive a zero on the assignment. If you knowingly or willfully allow someone to copy your work, the same consequences will apply. If this trend continues the student will be referred to the administration. If the incident occurs during first semester, you will not be allowed to enroll in this course for second semester.

Attendance

It is important that you be in class every day that we meet; it is exceedingly difficult for you to learn the subject matter if you are not in class. The LSHS attendance policy will be strictly adhered to.

If you are absent, please check my teacher page through the school website http://www.lkstevens.wednet.edu/page/2152 to get your makeup work.

Tardies

-1st Tardy----Free

-2nd – 6th Tardy----30 minutes after school

-over six tardies will be referred to the office

Course Plan: Unit One: Constitutional Underpinnings Goals: Students will understand, analyze and interpret the basis for democracy in the United States. Students will focus on the origins of democracy in this country as well as the impact of initial forms of government, separation of powers, including the compromises needed to create the Constitution. Unit Two: Institutions of the National Government: Congress Goals: Students will focus on Article I of the Constitution covering the Congress. Students will spend focusing on the powers of Congress, committees, place within the U.S. government and relationship among the other two branches. Students will also focus on the development of congressional powers. Unit Three: Institutions of the National Government: Executive Goals: Students will focus on Article II of the Constitution covering the Executive Branch. Students will focus on the duties of the President including military powers, budgetary powers, as well as others and will cover the relationship with other branches of the government.

Unit Four: Institutions of the National Government: Judicial Goals: Students will focus on Article III of the Constitution covering the Judicial Branch. Students will spend time analyzing the impact of English law on our judicial system. Students will focus on the duties of the federal courts, the importance of judicial independence as well as the relationship with the other two branches of the government. Unit Five: Institutions of the National Government: National Bureaucracy Goals: Students will analyze, interpret, and synthesize the impact of the workings of the Federal Government. Students will focus on how bureaucracies are organized and how they are important in implementing regulations in the Federal Government. Unit Six: Civil liberties and Civil Rights Goals: Students will focus on American’s basic rights guaranteed by the Constitution. Students will focus on the Bill of Rights and its development in American government. Students will focus on development of such rights as freedom of speech, expression, privacy and religion. Special focus will be given to the 14th amendment and its impact on race and gender issues. Unit Seven: Political Parties, Interest Groups and Mass Media Goals: Students will analyze the development and functions of political parties in this country. Students will compare a contrast Republicans and Democrats and their impact on today’s political system. Students will interpret the impact of Political Action Committees on today’s society. Students will analyze the use of Mass Media on the electorate. Students will focus on political beliefs as well as the impact of polling and mass media on politics. Unit Eight: Political Beliefs and Behaviors Goals: Students will analyze American’s basic beliefs about politics. Students will also focus on the consequences of public opinion. Unit Nine: Public Policy Goals: Students will research how policies are created and by whom. Students will focus on the impact and rationale of those who form public policy. Students will focus on the development of policy concerning the economy, health care, the environment, and national security. Unit 10: World Conflicts Goals: Students will research world and regional conflicts and analyzes the causes of those conflicts as well as the impact of those conflicts on international relations. This will be a research project that will be presented to the class.

AP US Government and Politics Syllabus Overview The following summary is mean to highlight some of the key points from the syllabus about the course. Please read the entire syllabus for more details about AP US Government and Politics.

AP Gov is has hard or harder than a typical college survey political science class.

AP Gov students will read an entire college level textbook by mid-April.

Only students who are motivated, disciplined, and take initiative will do well.

Students will learn much more in an AP class than any regular class.

Students who take AP classes usually do much better in college

All students enrolled in 2nd semester are expected to take the AP Exam in May and if they choose not to then he or she will be required to take a similar exam on the same day that will count toward their final grade.

AP exam scores will not be factored into semester grades

Students will have to complete several large projects outside of class.

Any students caught cheating will face the consequences outlined in the syllabus.

I have read, understood, and will abide by all of the provisions of the entire AP US Government and Politics syllabus.

_____________________________________________________

(Print Student Name)

_____________________________________________________

(Student Signature)

I have read and reviewed this syllabus with my child and I am committed to help my child succeed in this course.

______________________________________________________

(Parent or Guardian Signature)