WELCOME TO AP American Government!	

This course is a year-long combination of two Advanced Placement courses: 
1) Adanced Placement United States Government
2) Advanced Placement Comparative Politics

MY EXPECTATIONS:
First and foremost, this is a college-level course, with its primary objective to maximize your success in the AP exams on May 5.

The most important part of the underlined phrase above is that I'll expect a lot of independent action on your part--staying true to reading assignments, building study guides, studying with them, and reading up on current events in both major parts of the course.

The time we have in class will primarily be tailored to your immediate needs--discussions of the world's events, test-preparation exercises, and clarifications of just about anything and everything related to the subject matter of the course. Ideally, you'll come in every day with a slew of relevant questions you picked up in the course of your readings, or current-events topics related to the course that you'd like to discuss.

When we discuss things, you'll find very quickly that EVERYTHING we discuss is relevant in some way or another to your broader understanding of the world. As such, being a compulsive notetaker in a class like this is a good skill to have, along with having a keen sense of participation and a willingness to keep an eye on the world, so to speak . . .

Everything else we do will be driven largely by YOU and what you’d like to get out of the course 

SYLLABUS SUMMARY:
Our study of the government of the United States will run through the first semester, and will serve as a basis of comparison with the countries we'll study in AP Comparative Politics--which will last from the beginning of the second semester up until the AP exams. Following the exams, we will round out the remainder of the course tying both subjects together in a research project/presentation, where you will take a major political theme and apply it to both the United States and the countries we've studied.  More details on this project will come after you take the AP exams.

Since I’ll be modelling both parts of this course per the AP guidelines, you can see those for yourself here.

THE COURSE OUTLINE, with approximate dates, readings, and other things that will come later.
NOTE: All of this is subject to change as the course progresses.

ADVANCED PLACEMENT UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT:

I. Constitutional Principles (Sep.4-Sep.14)
Readings: Magleby et.al. Chapters 1-3, the Constitution of the United States, Appendices A-2 – A-8
Assignments: Study Guide

II. Political Beliefs and Behaviors (Sep.17-Oct.5)
Readings: Magleby et.al. Chapters 4-6
Assignments: Study Guide/Test #1: Multiple Choice

III. Political Parties, Interest Groups, and the Mass Media (Oct.8-Oct.26)
Readings: Magleby et.al. Chapters 6,7,9,10,23
Assignments: Study Guide/Test #2: Essay

IV. Policymaking Institutions (Oct.29-Dec.7)
Readings: Magleby et.al. Chapters 11,24; 12,25; 13,21; 14,26; 22,27
Assignments: Study Guide/Test #3: Multiple Choice

V. Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (Dec.10-Dec.21)
Readings: Magleby et.al. Chapters 15-17
Assignments: Study Guide/Test #4: Essay

VI. National Policy (Jan.7-Jan.18)
Readings: Magleby et.al. Chapters 18-20, 28, 29
Assignments: Test #5: Full Length (Midterm)

GRADING WEIGHTS FOR A.P. U.S. GOVERNMENT:
Discussion Grade: 10%
Quality of your Study Guide: 10%
Test 1: 5%
Test 2: (cumulative) 10%
Test 3: (cumulative) 15%
Test 4: (cumulative) 20%
Test 5 (midterm—cumulative): 30%

ADVANCED PLACEMENT COMPARATIVE POLITICS:
(Chapters and other assignments to be determined)
NOTE: This outline is still under construction.  Expect a great many changes and additions to it as the course develops.

I. Introduction to Comparative Politics/Great Britain (Jan. 28-Feb. 8)
Assignments: Study Guide / 

III. Russia/Former USSR (Feb. 11-22)
Assignments: Study Guide / 

IV. China (Feb. 25-Mar. 7)
Assignments: Study Guide / Test 1 (Multiple Choice)

V. Nigeria (Mar. 10-Mar. 28)
Assignments: Study Guide / Test 2 (Essay)

VI. Mexico (Mar. 31-Apr. 11)
Assignments: Study Guide / Test 3 (Multiple Choice)

VII. Iran (Apr. 14-Apr. 23)
Assignments: Study Guide / Test 4 (Essay)
 
FINAL TEST PREPARATION: (Apr.29-May 2)—full length PRACTICE TESTS for both subjects

THE AP EXAMS (BOTH ON MAY 5)

RESEARCH PROJECT TOPIC DETERMINATION, PREPARATION, AND PRESENTATION: (May 8-THE END)	

GRADING WEIGHTS FOR A.P. COMPARATIVE POLITICS:
(to be determined)