WATKINS
AP GOVERNMENT
“Democracy is a political system for people
who are not too sure that they are right.”- E.E. Schattschneider
“If a nation expects to be ignorant and
free,... it expects what never was and never will be."-Thomas Jefferson
Links of Interest:
Please go to www.vhstigers.org for additional course readings and homework.
Ideology assignment:
Where do you fall on the Political Spectrum? Check out the Political Compass and Beyond Red and Blue.
Other sites for political spectrum quizzes: Neoconservative? On the Issues Spectrum Quiz US Spectrum Quizilla style one more Spectrum Quiz
Political Parties: American Independent; Democrats; Republicans, Natural Law, Green Party, Libertarian Party.
Quizzes for American Government and Politics
Polling Report - Great site to help with issue analysis research
What the Nation Thinks - Take a Poll
New and interesting links
US Constitution Notes : Valuable site for reviewing your Consitution.
History Teacher site (very good study resource)
Register to Vote!! Rock The Vote
Supplemental Readings for AP Gov
Economic Links and More
Other Stuff
Cost of War in Iraq
18 year old males must sign up for the Selective Service.
A guide to the Patriot Act.
The White House Home of our President and the powerful hub of the executive branch.
House of Representatives 108th Congress in session.
Supreme Court Read recent briefs and research current cases before The Court.
Fed World Great place to start research on any federal government department or agency.
State of CA Links for our state government
Orange County Local government links.
Defense Link Catch up on what the military did today.
California Voter Links Page Great research resource.
Slate Check out political cartoons and stay to read the controversial editorials.
US Government Printing Office Keeping America informed.
First Gov Take an active role in your government
Text book Resources: Go to Longman.
Rationale: What is the study of American Government
and why is it important?
American government is government of, by and for the people. However, do we really understand the
importance of that statement? The
people can participate in a meaningful way only if they understand how the
government operates and what their roles in that government are. Government can be no better than the
people are willing to make it! And,
while the system can be a complex one, it performs many functions that affect
your life.
This Advanced Placement course is designed to be both quantitatively and
qualitatively different from regular US Government. This course provides the academically
motivated student with collegiate experience that focuses on the analytic skills
and factual knowledge to deal critically with the development of the American
political system. The primary goal
of this course is not only to prepare you for the AP Government exams, but also
to help you understand how the political process works. To accomplish this, it is important to
analyze the significance of political issues and events both contemporary an
historical. This course will
challenge you to examine, analyze and evaluate our complex system of government,
in which many groups and individuals interact.
Textbook: Government in America, 8th edition (2002) Edwards, Wattenberg and Lineberry
***Readings and Information above taken from http://www.socialstudieshelp.com/APGOV_Class_Page.htm. ***
Please refer to Social Studies Help for additional course resources
Course Structure
Introduction to U.S. Government and Politics
Constitutional
Foundations
Public Opinion and the Media
Political Parties, Nominations and Campaigns
Political Participation
Policymakers: Congress and the Presidency
State and Local Government
Policymaking: Budget and Bureaucracy
The Courts:
Liberties, Rights and Public Policy
