AP US GovernmentCourse Introduction

Welcome to AP US Government!

Tuesday, January 22, 2013• Take a Diagnostic AP US Government Test.

Tomorrow we will discuss course requirements For this course you will need a notebook

(1 or 2 inches) and notebook paper (preferably college ruled)

Overview AP US Government is a one semester survey

course. This course is a college level course, designed to prepare you for the AP Exam. We will look at the structures and processes of our government system. We will examine the following:› Constitutional Underpinnings of the U.S.

Government› Political Beliefs and Behaviors› Political Parties, Interest Groups, and Mass Media› Institutions of National Government› Public Policy› Civil Rights and Civil Liberties

Reading Quizzes:

For reading assignments, there will be a reading quiz to insure you have read and comprehend the material.

Quizzes will mainly consist of multiple choice questions. These will count as a quiz (daily) grade.

In addition to the above text, students will be provided additional readings they are responsible for.

Current Events

Each unit, students will be responsible for completing evaluations of current news articles that relate to the current topic of study.

These will be turned in at the end of each Unit.

Case Reviews: Students will be required to complete four

case reviews per Unit. (Exception – Unit Six includes eight Case Reviews)

These case reviews will be an exam grade.

You can use Findlaw or Lexis Nexis to search for the cases.

You will use the standard case review format located at the end of this packet.

At the end of each Unit, each student will complete an analysis sheet for each case.

Case Reviews:

Citation: List the legal citation for the case. This should be the title of the paper.

  Fact(s): Restate the legally relevant facts of the case. Discuss in

detail what happened to get this case into the court system.   Issue(s): What is being questioned?   Ruling: What did the courts decide? What were the results?   Rationale: Why did the court make that particular decision? What

precedent or social event brought the court to this particular decision? On what did the court base these answers?

  Conclusion: How does this case relate to United States citizens?

How will our lives be altered by this decision?

Data Analysis:

For each unit students will complete assignments requiring the analysis of data (tables, graphs, and political cartoons) found in the textbook and other classroom materials.

Students will also be required to analyze and interpret statistical data on unit exams.

Students will complete two “In Depth Data Analysis” assignments (see Unit Four and Unit Five)

Exams:

Formal evaluation for each unit will consist of at least thirty multiple choice questions and one timed essay.

Essay or free-response questions will be selected from past AP exams and will be evaluated using a prepared rubric focusing on the student’s skill in responding to the required elements of the prompt.

 

Vocabulary As you complete each textbook reading

assignment, you will need to define the key terms (in bold) that you come across.

Use the following format for vocabulary:

Term

Definition Put the term in YOUR own words, provide examples, historical background, etc.

Notes Classroom and Reading Notes should

be taken using “Cornell Note Format”