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. Students should expect assignments of significant required reading each week, as well as required participation in many group discussions and activities as we analyze the Constitution as a document and investigate its use as the foundation of our government. Students will interpret and evaluate documents related to 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 year. 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.
This AP® course has a required summer assignment. Students are expected to complete their summer assignment before the course begins and submit their work by the end of Week 1. Students who register on or after September 1st will receive an extension to complete the summer assignment by the end of Week 3. The summer assignment is intended to review crucial content associated with pre-requisite knowledge for the course, where applicable, as well as to allow students to better understand the rigor associated with the content.