AP® United States Government and Politics is a college level course designed for highly motivated students who have a strong interest in the area of American government. The course approaches government and politics in the United States from an analytical perspective, and involves both the study of general concepts used to interpret U.S. politics and the analysis of specific case studies. Additional details on each course from the College Board can be found here: AP United States Government and Politics.
In this course, students will explore five big ideas:
Big Idea 1: Constitutionalism
- 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 between majority rule and minority rights.
Big Idea 2: Liberty and Order
- Governmental laws and policies balancing order and liberty are based on the U.S. Constitution and have been interpreted differently over time.
Big Idea 3: Civic Participation in a Representative Democracy
- Popular sovereignty, individualism, and republicanism are important considerations of U.S. laws and policy making and assume citizens will engage and participate.
Big Idea 4: Competing Policy-making Interests
- Multiple actors and institutions interact to produce and implement possible policies.
Big Idea 5: Methods of Political Analysis
- 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.
Students should expect assignments of significant required reading and writing each week, as they analyze the Constitution as a document and investigate its use as the foundation of our government. Students will interpret and evaluate documents related to the American government and be expected to write well-structured essays.
Students will be expected to enroll in My AP Classroom through their VHS Learning AP course and will be guided to complete review work in My AP Classroom throughout the course. My AP Classroom resources include AP Daily Videos and unit-based Personal Progress Checks, which include AP-style multiple choice and free response questions.
Students enrolled in VHS Learning Advanced Placement courses with a passing grade are expected to take the AP Exam. Students register for AP exams through their local school or testing site as “Exam Only” students. AP exam scores will be reported to VHS Learning through My AP Classroom; exam results will not affect the student’s VHS Learning grade or future enrollment in VHS Learning courses.
About the Self-Paced Course Model
Self-Paced courses are comprehensive, self-paced courses designed for students who need or desire more flexibility in their academic schedule. VHS Learning teachers will regularly interact with students in asynchronous discussions, will host weekly office hours, and will invite students to monthly 1-on-1 progress meetings. Teachers will support students, answer questions, and provide feedback on work. Students will work independently on course activities; the course does not include class discussion assignments or other collaborative work.
Students may start this course on any Monday from September (after the American Labor Day holiday) through the first Monday in December. Students must maintain enrollment for a minimum of 20 weeks and have until mid-June to complete all assignments in the course. It is expected that students will work for approximately 330 hours to complete this course, though the amount of time may vary depending on a student’s work habits and comfort with the material.