Embedded Files
Welcome Message:
Dear Bridgehampton Family Members,
Welcome to Mr. Reilly's page. It is my goal at Bridgehampton to provide a safe and welcoming environment to all students in all of my classes. Students will be treated with respect. Students are expected to respect others in class, the school equipment/facilities and most of all--themselves. Academic rigor will be pursued every day from bell to bell. It is also my hope that students will forever be students of history--well beyond their years at Bridgehampton.
AP United States Government and Politics—Syllabus
Course Overview
The AP course in United States Government and Politics is an in-depth look at the government of the United States that includes a study and evaluation of the political system that runs the afore mentioned democratic republic. Students will study the political theories, as well as the institutions of our governmental system. Students will also be required to be familiar with various institutions, groups, beliefs and ideas that make up the US government and politics. The attention to current events allows students to see how these theories are put into practice, which strengthens their understanding of US government and politics. Lastly, this course requires an interest and willingness to work on an accelerated level. The test, supplemental readings and assignments are mostly on a college level and require the students’ best efforts.
Text
American Government, 12th ed., James Q. Wilson, John J DiIulio, Jr., Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston 2008.
Supplemental Texts
Government in America; People, Politics and Policy by George C. Edwards II, Martin P. Wattenburg, Robert L. Lineberry, 15th edition, Longman, 2011
Lanahan Readings in the American Polity by Serow, Ann,; Ladd, Everett: Lanahan, 2011
Periodicals subscribed (available in school library)
New York Times
Wall Street Journal
Newsweek
The Economist
Course Objectives/Assignments: students will:
· Compare written constitution in the US to that of the unwritten constitution of the UK
· Create a flow chart that examines federalism and court cases that have been hashed out in the Supreme Court
· Compare how a “Bill Becomes a Law” in the US with Mexico
· Compare and define judicial review in different legal systems
· Examine linkage institutions and create a circle map to explain this institutions
· Master a broad body of historical and political knowledge
· Use historical data to support an argument or position
· Interpret and apply data from primary documents—which will include: cartoons, graphs, letters etc…
· Effectively use analytical skills of evaluation, cause and effect, compare and contrast
· Learn to apply various study strategies to promote academic success in an advance placement course.
· Write a response to FRQ every other week
· Conduct a field research and attend local political meet a greets (i.e. Pizza and Politics at the local library sponsored by local politicians)
· Create a PowerPoint Presentation analyzing historical court cases having to do with federalism (McCulloch v. Maryland, Gibbons v. Ogden, US v. Lopez etc..)
· Compare opinion polls in US with the UK
· Compare leadership transition in Russia, Chile and China
Grading :
Exams = 50%
Journal Critiques/Free Responses=30%
Homework/Quizzes=10%
Class Participation=10%
Unit One: Foundations of American Government
Week 1 “Problem of Liberty”
Reading Due:
Wilson, Chapter 1
Federalist No. 10 (Polity—Pages 56-62) and 51 (Polity—Pages 97-101)
The curriculum this week will address the purpose of studying government and politics and examine the varying types of Democracies. Students will understand the view of liberty on the part of the Founders and why they met to create a new document in Philadelphia. Students will also understand how Madison envisioned that the Constitution would address the varying concerns of the populace. Also, a discussion on Madison’s fear of factions and Henry and Clinton’s fear of strong central government will take place during this week.
Evaluations: Vocabulary quiz/Reading quiz
Week 2 “The Constitution”
Reading Due:
Wilson Chapter 2
Constitution of the US
This week examines the basic structure of the Constitution. Students will indentify the shortcomings of the Articles of Confederation and how the Constitution protects liberty, and limit tyranny. Students will understand how and why separation of powers, and checks and balances become a part of the Constitutional structure. Students will likewise become aware of why a Bill of Rights was not included initially. Various Constitutional reforms will be discussed as well. Questions for consideration: What is the purpose of government? Does Madison fully implement Montesquieu theory?
Evaluations: Vocabulary quiz/Reading quiz
Week 3 “Federalism”
Reading Due:
Wilson Chapter 3
Lanahan, (Polity) Part 4 US v. Lopez
Federalist 39 (Polity—Pages 119-124)
Students will have a basic understanding of the concept of Federalism, and the positions of the Federalist and Anti-Federalists at the Constitutional Convention. They will also explore the intricacies of fiscal federalism, new federalism, and the concept of devolution. Students will identify the basic powers of the Federal Government as well as those traditionally left to the states and also develop an understanding of the ever changing relationship between the various levels of government. Questions for discussion: Why did the Anti-Federalist fear this new system of government? What is “new federalism?” What are the powers of state and local governments in this era of “new federalism?” What influences should the federal government have over state and local issues?
Evaluations: Vocabulary quiz/Reading quiz
Week 4 “American Political Culture”
Reading Due:
Wilson, Chapter 4
Students will understand what scholars mean by political culture and how American political culture compares to other nations. They will understand the contributions that the Revolution, religion, family and education play in the development of our political cultural. They will investigate various civic organizations and indentify their own place in our political culture. Questions for discussion: What are the sources of political culture? What causes a trust or mistrust in government?
Evaluation: Unit Exam—Multiple Choice and Timed FQR
Unit Two: Opinions, Interests, and Organizations:
Week 5: “Public Opinion”
Reading Due:
Wilson Chapter 7
Lanahan, Part 10—pages 420-447
Students will gain a greater understanding of the concept of political socialization and the factors that influence ones attitudes. They will understand why public opinion and public policy are not always reflective of each other. They will begin to take note of their own political attitudes through a series of surveys, and try to understand why they believe in certain policy positions. They will also understand the basic ideologies (conservative, liberal, libertarian and populist) in the US and the policy positions that correspond to each. Questions for discussion: What are the sources of public opinion? What is the political spectrum or seesaw—as it were?
Evaluations: Vocabulary quiz/Reading quiz—Current Events specific
Week 6 “Forms of Participation”
Reading Due:
Wilson Chapter 8
Students will examine the role of voting in the US political system and understand why certain groups vote in greater numbers. Students will examine how control of elections has shifted over the last several decades. In addition students will explore other forms of voter participation and assess the effectiveness of each. They will debate whether low voter turnout is something that we should try to remedy as a nation, and the various attempts to increase turnout in the US. Questions for discussion: What does it mean to be a citizen? Which citizens vote the most and why? What are the causes of the formation of Grass Roots Movements (i.e. Tea Party)?
Evaluations: Vocabulary quiz/Reading quiz—Current Events
Weeks 7 and 8 “Political Parties”
Reading Due:
Wilson, Chapter 9
Lanahan, Part 13, “The Party Goes On”
Students will define and understand the role of Political Parties in the US political system. They will trace the development of the two major parties throughout US history. Student will examine and understand why we have a system dominated by two major political parties, and will also assess the roles of minor parties and understand their contributions to American politics today as well as in the past. As part of their study of minor parties students will create a Third Party of their own with name, label, and platform. They will create a campaign slogan and present it to the class. Finally students will analyze the role that state and local parties play in US politics as well. Questions for discussion: Does money dominate the electoral process? Should the Electoral College be eliminated in favor of the popular vote?
Evaluations: Vocabulary quiz/Reading quiz/Group Presentations on Third Parties
Weeks 9 and 10 “Campaigns and Elections”
Reading Due:
Wilson, Chapter 10
PBS Documentary “The Living Room Candidate”
Students will trace the evolution of campaigns and elections through the party dominated era of the 1900’s to the candidate based elections of today. They will understand the role that the various participants play, lie the media, volunteers etc… Students will compare and contrast successful campaigns with unsuccessful. Students will analyze campaign advertisements and assess what makes some successful while others fail. In addition they will be assigned a candidate and break into groups and develop their own advertisement and present their idea to the class. They will recognize the difference between primary and general election tactics as well as between presidential and congressional elections.
Evaluations: Vocabulary quiz/Group presentation Campaign Advertisement
Week 11 “Interest Groups”
Reading Due:
Wilson Chapter 11
Lanahan, Chapter 10 “The Lobbyists”
Revisit Federalist 10
Students will develop an understanding of why the US society and government encourage a multiplicity of interest groups. Students will trace the historical circumstances surrounding the development of various interest groups, and explore the factors that give rise to interest groups The tactics used by interest groups will be indentified and assessed by students through examination of competing interest groups researched in the ITC and Library. Students will recognize how and why courts have come to play such an important role in achieving the objectives of various interest groups. Students will assess whether or not interest groups are a necessary part of our governmental system. There will be an understanding of the need to regulate interest groups and the competing First Amendment balance that must be recognized. Questions for discussion: What are interest groups (i.e. PACs, 527s)? How do these interest groups influence government decisions and policy making?
Evaluations: Vocabulary quiz/Compare and Contrast Presentation for Competing Interest Groups (i.e. NRA v. Brady Center)
Weeks 12 and 13 “Media”
Reading Due:
Wilson, Chapter 12
Other Sources:
Cable News Clips
Network News Clips
C-Span Clips
Internet News Gathering
Students are to watch The Candidate –a discussion on Political Campaigning will follow.
Students will trace the evolution of journalism in US political history. They will demonstrate an understanding of how electronic journalism has affected the actions of politicians and candidates running for office. They will discuss the impact of corporate media conglomerates and the “national” press. In addition students will analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the various types of media outlets. They will attempt to determine if there is a media bias. Students will engage in an experiment by juxtaposing video clips of like programming, and also tracing one story through different mediums in an attempt to assess the impact of media on politics. Finally, students will draw conclusions as to why the executive branch has been the beneficiary of the development of the media throughout the last several decades. Each night several students will be assigned various programs and outlets to report on at the beginning of each class period. Questions for discussion: What are the functions and structure of the Mass Media? Does the Mass Media have a political bias?
Evaluations: Unit Week 13 including FRQ—Timed Essay
Week 14
This week students will study various comedy skits from Saturday Night Live, the Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report as well as late night monologues. They will analyze the political points being made, and events being lampooned and assess what may or may not make them politically poignant, and /or funny. Then they will break up into groups and begin brainstorming on ideas for skits of their own. Then once the idea is approved they will begin writing scripts and rehearsing their skits.
Week 15
Students will begin to video tape their skits and then we will watch the skits as a class and analyze and critique their work as we did with the professionals. Research paper topic will be introduced.
Unit Three: Institutions of Government
Week 16 and 17 “Institutions of Government: Congress”
Reading Due:
Wilson, Chapter 13
Lanahan, Chapter 5, Pork: A Time-Honored Tradition, Starobin,Paul/ In Praise of Pork, Ellwood, John
Students will understand the role that the founders intended for congress to play and assess the current state of congress in light of those goals. They will trace the evolution of congress as a body and identify the major shifts in power. They will understand the difference between the House of Representatives and the Senate. In addition they will examine the roles that the leadership posts play both in the congress in general as well as the party leadership. Students will be able to describe the process by which a bill becomes a law and identify the factors that explain why members of congress vote the way they do. Students will also learn about the roles and activities of congressional staff both inside and outside the beltway. Each day several students will be responsible for updating the class on the activities of our Congressmen and Senators as well as the congress as a whole. Questions for discussion: How is public policy made? How does Congress represent and reflect the interests and desires of the nations? Does Congress represent factions or the whole nation? What is partisanship? Does it damage the system?
Evaluations: Vocabulary quiz/Congress Update/FRQ/Quiz Congress and Current Events
Week 18
Time will be set aside for visits to the ITC and Library in preparation for the research paper. In addition students will be given Review Packs and the classes will begin to review for the mid-term.
No Evaluations
Week 19 Mid-Term Exams
Weeks 20 and 21 “Institutions: President”
Students will study the approach that the founders took toward executive power. They will trace the evolution of the presidency from 1789 to the present. They will identify the various offices that make up the presidency. Students will examine the conflict and rivalries that develop between cabinet and staff. They will have an understanding of the formal powers of the presidency. In addition they will identify the role that personality and informal powers play in the media age to assess what makes a president powerful of not. Finally they will understand how the president sets his agenda and then pursues those policy items. Each day class will begin with an update from several students on what the president is involved in at the present time, and there will be an attempt to see the executive branch characteristics at work. Questions for discussion: What are the formal and informal powers of the presidency? Have these powers exceeded the original intent of the Founding Fathers? How does the President use these powers to influence policy?
Evaluations: Presidential Updates and Current Events and President Week
Week 22 “Institutions: The Bureaucracy”
Reading Due:
Wilson, Chapter 15
Lanahan, Chapter 7, Bureaucracy, Wilson, James/Schechter Poultry v. US
Students will begin by observing the history of the bureaucratic and the different uses o which it has been put. The different factors that cause the government to increase in size will be discussed. Students will also study the various agencies and employees that inhabit them. The recruitment and retention of these employees as well as their profiles will be evident. They will understand how the roles and missions of these agencies are affected by internal and external factors. They will be able to identify and explain the iron triangle and issues network phenomena. Finally the many attempts to regulate the bureaucracy will be highlighted. Each day several students will be responsible for identifying the activities of various bureaucratic agencies in current events. Questions for discussion: What is a “bureaucracy?” How does it influence policy implementation? Who controls the bureaucracy? Does a largely permanent professional bureaucracy serve democracy?
Evaluations: Vocabulary quiz/Reading quiz—on Bureaucracy and Current Events
Weeks 23 and 24 “Institutions: Judicial”
Reading Due:
Wilson, Chapter 16
Marbury v. Madison
In this section students will come to understand the origins of judicial review. They will trace the eras of Supreme Court jurisprudence and their impact on public policy. Students will come to understand the dual court system and describe its effects on how cases are processed and decided. They will understand the path to the bench for justices and the considerations that the president and the senate debate during the confirmation process. They will also list the steps that cases go through in order to make it to the Supreme Court. Students will become familiar with standing, jurisdiction, and the appellate court procedures. Finally, students will understand the power exercised by the court as well as the various judicial philosophies that compete on the bench. Questions for discussion: Does the system work as originally intended by the Founding Fathers? Does the system work for citizens today? What is the proper role of the judicial branch in the public policy process? What is the evolving relationship between the courts and “civil rights?”
Evaluations: Unit Exam on Institutions of Government
Unit Four: Politics or Public Policy
Week 25 “Civil Liberties”
Reading Due:
Wilson, Chapter 5
Supreme Court Cases to be examined:
Miller v. CA
Reno v. ACLU
Edwards v. Aguillard
Rosenberger v. Rector of UVA
Brewer v. Williams
Texas v. Johnson
Cruzan v. Missouri Dept. of Health
Students will discuss the relationship of the Bill of Rights to the concept of majority rule and explain how civil liberties relate to majoritarian politics. Students will study the Bill of Rights and observe how the Supreme Court has interpreted the document to further define our rights. Through the use of court cases, hypothetical fact patterns and the Socratic Method, students will gain a better understanding of the evolving concept of civil liberties and identify trends and formulate opinions on major issues of the day. First Amendment issues of Speech and Religion as well as Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Amendment issues of the accused will be covered. Finally there will be an understanding of the right to privacy as it relates to abortion, right to die, and private conduct in the home.
Evaluations: Vocabulary quiz/Reading quiz on liberties and current events
Week 26 “Civil Rights”
Reading Due:
Wilson, Chapter 6
Trace the civil rights movement through all its success and failure and understand why certain factors combined to impact the outcome. Examine court cases Plessey v. Fergusson, and Brown v. Board of Ed. To discuss the interest group strategy of the NAACP, as well as competing groups. Examine the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to understand the legislative role, as well as the role of the media and interest groups to have a better idea of why the legislation was as success. Understand the differences between the African American civil rights movement and those of other groups, like women and Hispanics. Finally, debate the effectiveness and fairness of affirmative action in the current political climate. Questions for discussion: What constitutes free speech? Are there limitations? How does the US Bill of Rights apply to the states? Do the courts legislate “from the bench?”
Evaluations: Vocabulary quiz/Reading quiz on Civil Rights and Current Events
Week 27 “Public Policy”
Reading Due:
Wilson, Chapter 17
Students will understand how issues make it on the policy agenda, and understand how some become public policy. Students will have a firm understanding of the cost benefit analysis both perceived and real, when making policy determinations. Likewise they will understand the concepts of the four types of politics and give examples of each. They will be able to discuss the roles played by the various parties in the policy development and implementation phases. Questions for discussion: What is public policy? How does federalism affect public policy?
Evaluations: Research Paper Due
Week 28 “Domestic Policy: Economic, Social, Environmental”
Reading Due:
Wilson, Chapters 19 + 21
In this section students will investigate the major policy implications on the domestic agenda. For economic policy they will understand the contradictory nature of voter’s attitudes regarding their own finances versus their attitudes toward the governments. They will understand the major economic theories including Supply and Demand side economics, as well as Reganomics and discuss how factors may influence voters and politicians approach to economic policy. Students will also describe the goals of the social welfare system, and discuss the major events that helped shape that system. In addition they will examine major program initiatives like Social Security and Medicare and Medicaid. Finally, with respect to environmental policy students will understand the main reasons for why policies are so controversial. They will describe the role of the federal as well as state and local governments in the policy making process. Questions for discussion: And how interest groups play a role? How is the federal budget made? How is monetary policy different from fiscal policy? How does the global economy influence US policy? What is a social policy? What are entitlements? What is the proper role for government in social issues such as: education, welfare and crime?
Evaluations: Vocabulary quiz/Reading quiz—Domestic Policy and Current Events
Week 29 “Foreign Policy”
Reading Due:
Wilson Chapter 20
This section will examine the role of the US Government with respect to its relations with other countries. The students will be able to identify the formal and informal powers of the executive as well as legislative branches in the area of foreign and military policy. They will be able to identify the reasons why the executive is seen to have the dominant role in the area of foreign policy. They will be able to explain the various factors that contribute to the public opinion on many foreign policy matters and how the government pursues policies in consideration of the public opinion. They will be able to explain the budget and resource allocation considerations as well as the costs and benefits of those allocations in pursuit of various policy agenda items. Questions for discussion: What is foreign policy? What role should the US play in the world?
Evaluations: Unit Exam on Public Policy
Week 30
Review for AP Examination
Remaining School Days
In the remaining school year the class will conduct an in-depth examination of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. A comparative paper will be due at the end of the school year. The paper will explore the political, economic and social ramifications of both of these wars (both in the US and in Afghanistan and Iraq).
on Relič6 �
BH matrix.pdfClassroom expectations
Report abuse