Please check the CALENDAR for this week's assignments.
AMERICAN GOVERNMENT
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1st/4th 6-WKS
UNIT 1: Foundations of American Government (1 – 2) (3 – 4)
Chapter 1: Principles of Government
Chapter 2: Origins of American Government
Chapter 3: The Constitution
Chapter 4: Federalism
UNIT 2: Political Behavior: Government By The People (5 – 7)
Chapter 5: Political Parties
Chapter 6: Voters and Voter Behavior
Chapter 7: The Electoral Process
2nd/5th 6-wks
UNIT 2: CONT. (8 -9)
Chapter 8: Mass Media and Public Opinion
Chapter 9: Interest Groups
UNIT 3: The Legislative Branch (10 – 12)
Chapter 10: Congress
Chapter 11: Powers of Congress
Chapter 12: Congress in Action
Movie "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington"
UNIT 4: The Executive (13 – 17)
Chapter 13: The Presidency
Chapter 14: the Presidency in Action
TEST will follow completion of Chapter 17
3rd/6th 6-wks
UNIT 4: The Executive; Cont. (13 – 17)
Chapter 15: Government at Work: The Bureaucracy
Chapter 16: Financing Government
Chapter 17: Foreign Policy and National Defense
UNIT 5: The Judicial Branch (18 ONLY)
Chapter 18: The Federal Court System
Movie: "12 Angry Men"
UNIT 6: Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (19 – 21)
Chapter 19: Civil Liberties: First Amendment Freedoms
Chapter 20: Civil Liberties: Protecting Individual Rights
Chapter 21: Civil Rights: Equal Justice Under Law
UNIT 7: Comparative political, economic systems and Texas State government
Chapters 22, 23, 24
Overview of Comparative Political and Economic systems
Texas Government (comparisons made throughout the study)
FINAL EXAM is comprehensive (covers all material in semester)))
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AP GOVERNMENT SYLLABUS
TEXT: Government in America: People, Politics, and Policy:
Edwards, Wattenburg and Lineberry
Supplemental: American Government: Readings and Cases: Peter Woll
Internet: Library of Congress: http://thomas.loc.gov
UNIT 1 – INTRODUCING GOV’T IN AMERICA
Intro to Government; Government in America: Chapter 1
Woll: John Locke: Second Treatise of Civil
Government, page 4
UNIT 2 – CONSTITUTIONAL FOUNDATIONS
Readings: Government in America: Chapters 2, 3
Woll: Federalist 47, 48, 51, page 41
Federalist 39, page 55
Roche: The Founding Fathers: A Reform Caucus in Action, p.10
Beard: Framing the Constitution, page 31
Grodzins: The Federal System, page 74
UNIT 3 – POLITICAL PARTICIPATION: Ideology, Parties & Interest Groups
Readings: Government in America Chapters 6, 8, 11
Woll: Federalist 10 page 164
Truman: The Governmental Process, page 246
Lowi: The End of Liberalism, page 252
V.O. Key: The Responsible Electorate, page 214
UNIT 4 – CAMPAIGN, ELECTIONS, AND THE MEDIA
Readings: Government in America Chap. 9, 10, 7
Woll: Berelson, Democratic Practice and
Democratic Theory, pg 207
Sabato: The Misplaced Obsession with PACs, page 260
Senator Mitch McConnell, et al v.
Federal Election Commission pg
UNIT 5 – CONGRESS
Readings: Government in America Chapter 12
Woll: Federalist 53, 56, 58, 62 & 63, page 343
Polsby, Congress Bashing for Beginners, page 390
Cook, Media Power and Congressional Power, page 372
UNIT 6 – THE PRESIDENT, THE BUDGET AND THE BUREAUCRACY
Readings: Government in America Chapters 13, 14, & 15
Woll: Federalist 70, page 272
Neustadt, Presidential Power, page 280
Wilson, The Rise of the Bureaucratic State, page 334
Barber, The Presidential Character page 288
United States v. Curtiss-Wright Export Corp. page 303
UNIT 7 – THE JUDICIARY
Readings: Government in America Chap. 16
Woll: Federalist 78, page 409
Brennen, How the Supreme Court Arrives at a Decision, page 428
Roche, Judicial Self-Restraint, page 418
UNIT 8– CIVIL LIBERTIES AND CIVIL RIGHTS
Readings: Government in America Chapters 4 & 5
The Bill of Rights and the 14th Amendment
UNIT 9 – THE MAKING OF POLICY
Readings: Government in America: Chapters 17, 18, 19, & 20
Presidential Powers: Foreign Policy (handout)
Constitution: Art 1: Sec 8; Art 2: Sec2
The list of reading requirements for each unit is ¬not absolute. Some
readings may be omitted and others added during the semester. The days are
the appropriate number of class days that we will spend on each unit.