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AP® United States Government and Politics Self-Paced

Syllabus

Course Essential Questions

  • What makes a constitutional democracy?
  • How has the government balanced the need for liberty and order over time?
  • Why do citizens participate in politics and how is that participation essential in a representative democracy?
  • How do citizens, politicians, and institutions interact to create and implement policies?
  • How do political scientists measure how U.S. political behavior, attitudes, ideologies, and institutions evolve over time?

Course Learning Objectives

  • Explain how political principles, institutions, processes, policies, and behaviors apply to different scenarios in context.
  • Explain how a required Supreme Court case relates to a relevant political principle, institution, process, policy, or behavior and apply Supreme Court cases to scenarios or other primary and secondary sources.
  • Analyze and interpret quantitative data represented in tables, charts, graphs, maps, and infographics to explain what the data implies or illustrates for American politics.
  • Read, analyze, and interpret foundational documents and other text-based and visual sources to explain how they affect political principles and institutions.
  • Develop a defensible argument and support it with specific examples of relevant evidence.

Unit 1: Foundations of Democracy (Weeks 1-5)

Unit Level Essential Questions

  • Why are there debates about the balance of power between the federal and state governments?
  • Is the Bill of Rights necessary? Why or why not?
  • How does the Constitution affect you and the choices you make?

Topic 1: Ideals of Democracy

Weekly Learning Objectives

  • Explain how democratic ideals are reflected in the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution.
  • Describe political principles, institutions, processes, policies, and behaviors illustrated in different scenarios in context

Topic 2: Power and Rights

Weekly Learning Objectives

  • Explain how models of representative democracy are visible in major institutions, policies, events, or debates in the U.S.
  • Explain Federalist and AntiFederalist views on central government and democracy
  • Describe the argument, perspective, evidence, and reasoning presented in the source

Topic 3: Fixing the Articles of Confederation

Weekly Learning Objectives

  • Explain the relationship between key provisions of the Articles of Confederation, and the debate over granting the federal government greater power formerly reserved to the states.
  • Explain the impact of political negotiation and compromise at the Constitutional Convention on the development of the constitutional system.
  • Explain how the argument or perspective in the source relates to political principles, institutions, processes, policies, and behaviors.
  • Explain how political principles, institutions, processes, policies, and behaviors apply to different scenarios in context.

Topic 4: Balancing Power

Weekly Learning Objectives

  • Explain the constitutional principles of separation of powers and checks and balances.
  • Explain the effects of separation of powers and checks and balances for the U.S. political system.
  • Explain how the constitutional allocation of power between the national and state governments affects society
  • Articulate a defensible claim/thesis.

Topic 5: Federalism

Weekly Learning Objectives

  • Explain how the balance of power between national and state governments has changed over time based on interpretations of the Supreme Court of the United States.
  • Explain how the distribution of powers between national and state governments impacts policymaking.
  • Describe the facts, issue, holding, reasoning, decision, and majority opinion of required Supreme Court cases.

Topic 6: Review and Assessment Week

Unit 2: Interactions Among Branches of Government (Weeks 7-14)

Unit Level Essential Questions

  • Which branch of government is the most powerful?
  • Are there really checks and balances when one political party controls all three branches of government?
  • In what ways has the evolution of government powers affected Americans and their daily lives?

Topic 7: Congress

Weekly Learning Objectives

  • Describe the different structures, powers, and functions of each house of Congress.
  • Explain how the structure, powers, and functions of both houses of Congress affect the policymaking process.
  • Compare political principles, institutions, processes, policies, and behaviors.
  • Describe the data presented.

Topic 8: Powers and Functions of Congress

Weekly Learning Objectives

  • Explain how the structure, powers, and functions of both houses of Congress affect the policymaking process.
  • Explain how congressional behavior is influenced by election processes, partisanship, and divided government.
  • Describe the facts, issue, holding, reasoning, decision, and majority opinion of required Supreme Court cases.

Topic 9: The Presidency

Weekly Learning Objectives

  • Explain how the president can implement a policy agenda.
  • Explain how the president’s agenda can create tension and frequent confrontations with Congress.
  • Describe patterns and trends in data.
  • Explain how political principles, institutions, processes, policies, and behaviors apply to different scenarios in context.

Topic 10: The Modern Presidency

Weekly Learning Objectives

  • Explain how presidents have interpreted and justified their use of formal and informal powers.
  • Explain how communication technology has changed the president’s relationship with the national constituency and the other branches.
  • Describe the argument, perspective, evidence, and reasoning presented in the source.

Topic 11: The Judicial Branch

Weekly Learning Objectives

  • Explain the principle of judicial review and how it checks the power of other branches.
  • Explain the role of legal precedent in judicial decision making
  • Explain how a required Supreme Court case relates to a foundational document or to other primary or secondary sources

Topic 12: The Courts in Action

Weekly Learning Objectives

  • Explain how life tenure can lead to debate about the Supreme Court’s power.
  • Explain how the exercise of judicial review can lead to debate about the Supreme Court’s power.
  • Explain how other branches in the government can limit the Supreme Court’s power.
  • Describe political principles, institutions, processes, policies, and behaviors illustrated in different scenarios in context

Topic 13: The Bureaucracy

Weekly Learning Objectives

  • Explain how the bureaucracy carries out the responsibilities of the federal government.
  • Explain how the federal bureaucracy uses delegated discretionary authority or rulemaking and implementation.
  • Explain how the argument or perspective in the source relates to political principles, institutions, processes, policies, and behaviors.

Topic 14: Accountability in the Government

Weekly Learning Objectives

  • Explain how Congress uses its oversight power in its relationship with the executive branch.
  • Explain how the president ensures that executive branch agencies and departments carry out their responsibilities in concert with the goals of the administration.
  • Explain the extent to which governmental branches can hold the bureaucracy accountable given the competing interests of Congress, the president, and the federal courts.
  • Explain how the distribution of powers among the three branches of government impacts policymaking.
  • Explain patterns and trends in data to draw conclusions

Topic 15: Review and Assessment Week

Unit 3: Civil Liberties and Civil Rights (Weeks 16-19)

Unit Level Essential Questions

  • In what ways does the Constitution attempt to limit abuse of government powers?
  • How can individuals and groups help protect civil liberties and civil rights?
  • Why have Supreme Court decisions about civil liberties and civil rights changed over time?

Topic 16: The Bill of Rights and the First Amendment

Weekly Learning Objectives

  • Explain how the U.S. Constitution protects individual liberties and rights.
  • Describe the rights protected in the Bill of Rights.
  • Explain the extent to which the Supreme Court’s interpretation of the First Amendment reflects a commitment to religious liberty.
  • Explain the extent to which the Supreme Court’s interpretation of the First Amendment reflects a commitment to free speech.
  • Explain the extent to which the Supreme Court’s interpretation of the First Amendment reflects a commitment to individual liberty.
  • Explain how the visual elements of the source illustrate or relate to political principles, institutions, processes, policies, and behaviors.

Topic 17: Balancing Freedom and Safety

Weekly Learning Objectives

  • Explain the extent to which the Supreme Court’s interpretation of the Second Amendment reflects a commitment to individual liberty.
  • Explain how the Supreme Court has attempted to balance claims of individual freedom with laws and enforcement procedures that promote public order and safety
  • Explain the implications of the doctrine of selective incorporation.
  • Explain how a required Supreme Court case relates to a foundational document or to other primary or secondary sources.

Topic 18: Due Process

Weekly Learning Objectives

  • Explain the extent to which the government is limited by procedural due process from infringing upon individual rights.
  • Explain the extent to which the government is limited by substantive due process from infringing upon individual rights.
  • Use reasoning to organize and analyze evidence, explaining its significance to justify an argument or claim/thesis.

Topic 19: Social Movements

Weekly Learning Objectives

  • Explain how constitutional provisions have supported and motivated social movements.
  • Explain how the government has responded to social movements.
  • Explain how the Court has at times allowed the restriction of the civil rights of minority groups and at other times has protected those rights.
  • Describe Supreme Court debates about affirmative action policies.
  • Explain how the facts, issue, holding, reasoning, decision, and majority opinion of a required Supreme Court case compare to a non-required Supreme Court case.

Unit 4: American Political Ideologies and Beliefs (Weeks 20-23)

Unit Level Essential Questions

  • How do our core beliefs about the role of government affect our behavior?
  • How does our view of what freedom is shape our opinions?
  • Why are some opinion polls better than others?
  • How can policymakers use information from political science to make decisions?

Topic 20: American Attitudes

Weekly Learning Objectives

  • Explain the relationship between core beliefs of U.S. citizens and attitudes about the role of government.
  • Explain how cultural factors influence political socialization.
  • Describe the data presented.

Topic 21: Ideology in America

Weekly Learning Objectives

  • Explain how social factors impact political ideology
  • Explain how major political events influence political ideology.
  • Explain how ideologies of the two major parties shape policy debates.

Topic 22: Public Opinion

Weekly Learning Objectives

  • Describe the elements of a scientific poll.
  • Explain the quality and credibility of claims based on public opinion data
  • Explain what the data implies or illustrates about political principles, institutions, processes, policies, and behaviors.

Topic 23: Ideology and Policy

  • Explain how U.S. political culture (e.g., democratic ideals, principles, and core values) influences the formation, goals, and implementation of public policy over time.
  • Explain how different political ideologies affect the role of government in regulating the marketplace.
  • Explain how fiscal and monetary policy actions influence economic conditions.
  • Explain how political ideologies vary on the role of the government in addressing social issues.
  • Explain how different ideologies affect policy on social issues.

Unit 5: Political Participation (Weeks 25-29)

Unit Level Essential Questions

  • Why do some people choose to participate in government while others do not?
  • How does your social network affect your political beliefs?
  • Why might you join a political party? Why might you choose not to?
  • How does who you are affect whether you participate or not?

Topic 25: Voting

Weekly Learning Objectives

  • Describe the voting rights protections in the Constitution and in legislation
  • Describe different models of voting behavior.
  • Explain the roles that individual choice and state laws play in voter turnout in elections.

Topic 26: Political Parties

Weekly Learning Objectives

  • Describe linkage institutions
  • Explain the function and impact of political parties on the electorate and government
  • Explain why and how political parties change and adapt.
  • Explain how structural barriers affect third-party and independent candidate success.

Topic 27: Interest Groups

Weekly Learning Objectives

  • Explain the benefits and potential problems of interest group influence on elections and policymaking
  • Explain how variation in types of interest groups and the resources interest groups possess affects their ability to influence elections and policymaking.
  • Explain how various political actors influence public policy outcomes.

Topic 28: Elections and Campaigns

Weekly Learning Objectives

  • Explain how the different processes work in a U.S. presidential election.
  • Explain how the Electoral College affects U.S. presidential elections.
  • Explain how the different processes work in U.S. congressional elections.

Topic 29: Campaigns and the Media

Weekly Learning Objectives

Topic 30: Review and Assessment Week

Unit 6: Review and Preparation for the AP Exam (Weeks 31-33)

Topic 31: AP Practice Exam

Weekly Learning Objectives

  • Review content from the year.
  • Complete a full-length AP Practice Exam.

Topic 32: AP Practice Exam Reflection

Weekly Learning Objectives

  • Reflect on AP Practice Exam performance.
  • Identify areas of confusion and resources for review.

Topic 33: Final Thoughts and Goodbyes

Weekly Learning Objectives

  • Reflect on course experience.
  • Share final thoughts with classmates.