Syllabus

De Anza High School

AP US Government and Politics

2023-2024

Mr. Dominic Mejia

dominic.mejia@wccusd.net

COURSE OVERVIEW

Advanced Placement (AP) United States Government and Politics is a full year course on the structure and processes of government in the United States. The course is designed to provide a college-equivalent introduction to the material, and students will have the opportunity to earn college credit for their work by taking the AP exam on May 6th.

It deserves emphasis that the goals of this course go beyond a simple explanation and understanding of how the US government “works.”  Rather, students will be expected to develop a critical understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the American political system, as well as their own rights and responsibilities as citizens.  

TEXTS

Wilson, James Q., John J. Dilulio Jr., and Meena Bose.  American Government: Institutions and Policies. 13th edition.  Boston, MA: Wadsworth, 2013.

Serow, Ann G., and Everett C. Ladd.  The Lanahan Readings in the American Polity.  5th edition.  Baltimore, MD: Lanahan Publishers, Inc., 2011.

Current Events

In addition to assigned readings, students are expected to keep abreast of current events by regularly (2-3 times per week) watching the news on television, reading the newspaper, or a reputable online news outlet.  We will periodically take class time to discuss these current events and make connections between them and the course material.

HOMEWORK AND ASSIGNMENTS

In most cases, homework will consist of a “Chapter Contract,” which will be distributed at the beginning of each chapter lesson.  The contracts will include key vocabulary terms and questions designed to engage students with the textbook material in an analytical way.  Contracts will be due on Mondays by the end of the period.

On occasion, students will be asked to read a supplemental text for homework and come to class prepared to discuss or otherwise interact with the reading.  Students who have not done the reading will take a zero for the class activity.

Tests

All Tests in this course will be drawn from or modeled after actual AP Exams. There will be two types of assessments: Multiple Choice unit Tests and Free Response Questions (FRQ’s).

Participation

Active participation in this class is a significant requirement.  Students will be expected to share both their knowledge and opinions during class discussions and group work, and they will be expected to have the ability to translate those ideas onto paper as well.  Because of this, regular attendance is necessary to excel in this course.  If you are habitually tardy or absent, your grade will most certainly suffer.  Inappropriate behavior will also result in a loss of participation points.  Participation grades will be given twice per quarter: once before progress reports, and once before report cards.

GRADING

Your grade is determined by a combination of your performance on tests and quizzes, homework, classwork and participation, and readings.  Each category will be calculated independently, and then weighted and combined to calculate a total grade for the quarter.  Categories will be weighted as follows:

• FRQ’s:         30%

• Test:                    30%

• Classwork/participation: 30%

• Chapter Contracts: 10%

Please note that adding up your total points will not give you a total grade! Points are relative only to assignments within their own category.

Late Work

Unless special arrangements have been made in advance (i.e. for excused absences or illness), late work may be turned in late for partial credit. In most cases, classwork is dependent on the act of being in class, and so cannot be made up.  In cases where make-up is possible, guidelines are the same as with homework.

All missed tests can be made up within the quarter assigned.  It is the student’s responsibility to arrange a time to take the missed test.

CLASS RULES

Because of the nature of this course, it is imperative that students feel safe within the classroom to ask questions and express their opinions without being embarrassed or fear of being judged.  To promote this environment, in addition to following all school/district rules, all persons (myself included) in the classroom MUST adhere to the following rules:

• Be prepared

• Be respectful

• Be safe

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

All students must adhere to, sign, and turn in the De Anza Senior High School Academic Honesty Agreement by the date determined by his/her English/journalism teacher. All cases of academic dishonesty committed in this or any other class will be reported and subject to disciplinary action as described in the DAHS Academic Honesty Agreement.