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U.S. Government and Civics Self-Paced

Syllabus

Course Essential Questions:

  • What does it mean to be a citizen?
  • What are the obligations and responsibilities of citizens?
  • Has the United States acted to narrow discrepancies between the founding principles and reality?
  • How can I participate in my community?

Course Learning Objectives:

  • Identify the values and attributes of an active citizen.
  • Evaluate the role of citizens in influencing public policy.
  • Compare the founding principles of America with the current lived reality of the country.
  • Create a plan to participate in democracy.

Topic 1: Introduction to Civics and U.S. Government

Topic Essential Questions

  • What are the rules, policies and expectations of this course?
  • How do I want to be treated and how do I want to treat others as I interact with my teachers and classmates?
  • What does it mean to be a citizen?

Topic Learning Objectives

  • Understand the rules and policies of the course, and expectations of you as a contributing member of our learning community
  • Begin to build community by sharing important information with your teacher and classmates about yourself and your school and creating a social contract together for guidelines on interacting throughout the class.
  • Develop your skills for navigating the course environment and using the various course tool
  • Define Citizenship.

Unit 1: Foundations of Local, State, and Federal Government (Topics 2-5)

Topic 2: Philosophical Foundations of American Government

Topic Essential Questions

  • What ideas and traditions are the American government rooted in?
  • How did the framers of the Constitution attempt to address issues of power and freedom in the design of the new political system?
  • How is the Constitution designed to ensure civic participation?

Topic Learning Objectives

  • Identify the historical and philosophical bases for the American government.
  • Explain how the government works to balance the rights of the individual with the overall wellbeing of the society.
  • Evaluate how participatory the design of the American Constitution is.

Topic 3: Federal Government

Topic Essential Questions

  • What is the structure and function of the federal government?
  • How are the founding principles reflected in the contemporary federal government?
  • Who has the power to influence the federal government?

Topic Learning Objectives

  • Explain how power and responsibility are distributed, shared, and limited in a government to meet the needs of its people.
  • Identify and explain historical and contemporary efforts to narrow discrepancies between foundational values of American democracy and realities of American political and civic life.
  • Evaluate which people and groups have the power to influence the federal government.

Topic 4: State and Local Government

Topic Essential Questions

  • What is the role of state and local government in the U.S. political system?
  • How do state and local governments affect citizen's lives?
  • How can citizens participate in local government?

Topic Learning Objectives

  • Explain how state and local governments are structured to meet the needs of its people.
  • Compare and contrast the effectiveness of different levels of government at meeting the needs of its people.
  • Identify ways citizens can influence local government.

Topic 5: Comparative Government

Topic Essential Questions

  • How does the role of the citizen vary in different places in the world?
  • What forms of government exist in the world?
  • How do different forms of government meet the needs of its citizens?

Topic Learning Objectives

  • Compare and contrast the effectiveness of different systems of government at meeting the needs of its people.
  • Explain why different forms of government exist in different parts of the world.
  • Evaluate which type(s) of government best meets the needs of its citizens.

Unit 2: The Lawmaking Process (Topics 6 & 7)

Topic 6: Federal Laws

Topic Essential Questions

  • How are federal laws made?
  • How do laws both shape and reflect American society?
  • How does the lawmaking process provide for choice and participation?

Topic Learning Objectives

  • Explain the role that deliberation and compromise plays in the lawmaking process in the United States.
  • Evaluate how laws both shape and reflect characteristics of American society.
  • Explain how the American political system provides for choice and opportunities for participation.

Topic 7: State Laws

Topic Essential Questions

  • How do state laws coexist with federal laws?
  • How do state laws and governance shape and reflect the local community?
  • How does the state law making process provide for choice and participation?

Topic Learning Objectives

  • Identify and explain how state laws affect local residents.
  • Analyze how communities shape the priorities of local governments.
  • Create a guide to becoming involved in your local government.

Unit 3: Political Parties and the Media (Topics 8 -11)

Topic 8: Development and Structure of Political Parties

Topic Essential Questions

  • What are political parties?
  • How have American political parties developed and evolved over time?
  • What persons or organizations hold the power to influence political parties?

Topic Learning Objectives

  • Identify the qualities of political parties in the US.
  • Trace the evolution of political parties in the U.S. governmental system.
  • Analyze political parties' organization and functions in elections and government at national and state levels.

Topic 9: Influence of Political Parties

Topic Essential Questions

  • What is the role of political parties in influencing public policy?
  • How does America's two-party system shape public policy and elections?
  • Can the American political system function without political parties?

Topic Learning Objectives

  • Describe the role of political parties and factions in the U.S. political system.
  • Evaluate the necessity and effectiveness of our current two-party system.
  • Create a new system for nominating and electing officials, independent of the two-party system.

Topic 10: Freedom of the Press

Topic Essential Questions

  • Is a free press essential for democracy to exist?
  • What is the role of the media in influencing public policy?

Topic Learning Objectives

  • Evaluate the role of a free press in a democracy.
  • Describe how the media both shapes and reflects political and social interests.

Topic 11: 21st Century Media

Topic Essential Questions

  • What role does social media have in influencing public policy and opinion?
  • How has the emergence of new forms of media changed the political landscape?
  • How does social media impact our democracy?

Topic Learning Objectives

  • Explain how new technologies broaden the influence of the media and public interest groups.
  • Evaluate the benefits and disadvantages of new technologies in politics.
  • Analyze current research on the impact of media on civic discourse and the importance of an informed citizenry.

Unit 4: Elections, Voting, and Getting Involved (Topics 12-15)

Topic 12: Elections

Topic Essential Questions

  • How are elected representatives chosen in American democracy?
  • To what extent do Americans have choice at the ballot box?
  • Why do citizens choose to vote?

Topic Learning Objectives

  • Describe how the American political system provides for choice and opportunities for participation.
  • Evaluate voters' ability to choose leaders and shape policy.

Topic 13: Voter Participation and Behavior

Topic Essential Questions

  • Is voting accessible to all citizens?
  • How do demographics predict voting participation and behavior?
  • What are the political and economic impacts of gerrymandering on political decision-making?
  • Topic Learning Objectives
  • Identify and explain the factors that influence voter participation.
  • Explain the roles that individual choice and state laws play in voter turnout in elections.

Topic 14: Protest and Activism

Topic Essential Questions

  • Is protest protected in the Constitution?
  • What role does protest have in a democracy?
  • What makes particular types of activism effective?

Topic Learning Objectives

  • Identify actions that can be classified as activism.
  • Evaluate the importance of activism in American democracy.
  • Analyze the effectiveness of particular forms of activism.

Topic 15: Being an Active Citizen

Topic Essential Questions

  • What are the responsibilities of citizens in a democracy?
  • What does it mean to be a citizen of the United States?

Topic Learning Objectives

  • Evaluate the obligations and responsibilities of citizens.
  • Explain what it means to be a citizen of the United States.