This Advanced Placement AP United States Government is equivalent to a first semester college-level American Government course. The rigor of this course is consistent with colleges and universities and will prepare students for the Advanced Placement exam in May. Upon successful completion of the exam, students may receive college credit and will be well-prepared for the advanced coursework. Additional details about this course from College Board can be found here: AP United States Government and Politics.
This course is centered around five big ideas: Constitutionalism, Liberty and Order, Civic Participation in a Representative Democracy, Competing Policy-Making Interests and Methods of Political Analysis. Students will examine these ideas in different contexts throughout history to gain a better understanding of American government, through the five units below:
Unit 1: Foundations of Democracy: This first unit sets the foundation for the course by examining how the framers of the Constitution set up a structure of government intended to stand the test of time. Compromises were made during the Constitutional Convention and ratification debates, and these compromises focused on the proper balance between individual freedom, social order, and equality of opportunity.
Unit 2: Interactions Among Branches of Government: In this unit, students continue to explore policymaking, focusing on its complexity and the idea that it is a process involving multiple governmental institutions and actors. Students will look at issues or policies from several different perspectives and then apply their knowledge to better understand the complexity of the policymaking process.
Unit 3: Civil Liberties and Civil Rights: Students will connect the founding principles of our government to the debates over the appropriate balance of liberty and order, noting how citizens and other groups have pursued policy solutions to protect the civil liberties and civil rights of all Americans, laying the foundation for later discussions about other ways citizens can participate in the government.
Unit 4: American Political Ideologies and Beliefs: In this unit, students will be connecting the application of political science methods to the development of social and economic policies that Americans support, advocate for, and adopt. This is foundational to understanding the ideologies of political parties and patterns of political participation.
Unit 5: Political Participation: In this unit, students should understand the many ways that they can influence policymakers and impact the decisions that will affect their daily lives. The principle of rule by the people is the bedrock of the American political system and requires that citizens engage and participate in the development of policy.
Students will begin by studying the ideas and ideals that shaped the American government. They will read and analyze founding documents such as the Bill of Rights and the Constitution. Students will then move on to studying the structure and functions of American government before trying to understand American attitudes and ideology and how American elections are conducted.
Students will participate in lessons that will encourage and develop their ability to analyze a variety of sources, including required Supreme Court Cases. Students will develop argumentation skills through structured discussions and projects, effectively articulating and defending viewpoints with evidence-based reasoning. They will also participate in a year-long Civic Engagement project that will require them to apply their political knowledge to issues that interest them.
Students will be expected to enroll in AP Classroom through their VHS Learning AP course and will be guided to complete review work in AP Classroom throughout the course. 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 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 Wednesday from September through the first Wednesday 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.
Course Learning Objectives/Essential Questions:
- What makes a constitutional democracy?
- How has the government balanced the need for liberty and order over time?
- Why do citizens participate in politics and how is that participation essential in a representative democracy?
- How do citizens, politicians, and institutions interact to create and implement policies?
- How do political scientists measure how U.S. political behavior, attitudes, ideologies, and institutions evolve over time?
Course Learning Objectives:
- Explain how political principles, institutions, processes, policies, and behaviors apply to different scenarios in context.
- Explain how a required Supreme Court case relates to a relevant political principle, institution, process, policy, or behavior and apply Supreme Court cases to scenarios or other primary and secondary sources.
- Analyze and interpret quantitative data represented in tables, charts, graphs, maps, and infographics to explain what the data implies or illustrates for American politics.
- Read, analyze, and interpret foundational documents and other text-based and visual sources to explain how they affect political principles and institutions.
- Develop a defensible argument and support it with specific examples of relevant evidence.