AP Gov Projects Live On...

Welcome to Advanced Placement United States Government and Politics! AP U.S. Government and Politics is a college-level year-long course that not only seeks to prepare students for success on the AP Exam in May, but also provide students with the political knowledge and reasoning processes to participate meaningfully and thoughtfully in discussions and debates that are currently shaping American politics and society. It is important to note that this course is not a history course; it is a political science course that studies the interconnectedness of the different parts of the American political system and the behaviors and attitudes that shape this system and are the byproduct of this system.

This college-level course is designed to help students develop a critical understanding of United States government, develop the skills necessary for success in college, and prepare students to take the AP Exam. It includes both the study of general concepts used to interpret U.S. government and politics and the analysis of specific examples of government in action. Students will become familiar with the various institutions, groups, beliefs, and ideas that constitute U.S. government and politics by utilizing both primary and secondary sources and contemporary news analyses. This course will prepare students to take the AP Exam for U.S Government and Politics, which is 3 hours and 15 minutes long, consisting of 1 hour and 20-minute multiple-choice section with 55 questions (50% of exam score), and 1 hour and 40-minute free response section consisting of 4 questions (50% of exam score). Students who earn a 4 or a 5 on the AP Exam may be eligible for college credit. The test will take place on Monday, May 6th, 2019 at 8 a.m (The first AP exam on the first day!).

This course explores the political theory and everyday practice that direct the daily operation of our government and shape our public policies. The express purpose of this course is to prepare students to take the AP Exam for U.S Government and Politics. It requires a substantial amount of reading and preparation for every class as it is taught as it would be in college. As this class represents a college-level class, students are responsible for all assigned readings in preparation for class and exams. The objectives of this course go beyond a basic analysis of how our government “works.” Students will do this by developing a critical understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the American political system, as well as their rights and responsibilities as citizens. AP Government will also prepare students to actively engage in our democracy by equipping students with the knowledge and skills necessary to engage locally and nationally. Another component of the class is a Civic Engagement Project.

Students are responsible for keeping up with events in the news. Current events provide concrete connections for each lesson. Throughout the year, the course text will be supplemented by relevant articles from sources such as the Washington Post, New York Times, Washington Times and The Christian Science Monitor. Students should consider other sources to supplement the print media. I encourage you to bring up events in the news that relate to class topics. The more we can relate the “real world” to the text the more interesting and relevant this class will be.