Schedule & Assignments

Big Ideas in AP U.S. Government & Politics

The big ideas described below are intended to illustrate distinctive features and processes in U.S. government and politics as well as how political scientists study political behavior.

• Constitutionalism (CON) - The U.S. Constitution establishes a system of checks and balances among branches of government and allocates power between federal and state governments. This system is based on the rule of law and the balance majority rule and minority rights.
• Liberty and Order (LOR) - Governmental laws and policies balancing order and liberty are based on the U.S. Constitution and have been interpreted differently over time.
• Civic Participation in a Representative Democracy (PRD) - Popular sovereignty, individualism, and republicanism are important considerations of U.S. laws and policy making and assume citizens will engage and participate.
• Competing Policy-Making Interests (PMI) - Multiple actors and institutions interact to produce and implement possible policies.
• Methods of Political Analysis (MPA) - Using various types of analyses, political scientists measure how U.S. political behavior, attitudes, ideologies, and institutions are shaped by a number of factors over time.