AP United States Government and Politics

 

Course Overview/Description

The express purpose of this year long course is to prepare students to take the AP Exam for U.S. Government and Politics.  It requires a substantial amount of reading and preparation for every class. The objective of this course is to go beyond a basic analysis of how our government “works.”  The course is designed to give students an analytical perspective on government and politics in the United States.   After developing a critical understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the American political system, students will be asked to reflect on their rights and responsibilities as citizens.  This course also requires familiarity with the various institutions, groups, beliefs and ideals that constitute U.S. politics.  Students are responsible for keeping up with current events to provide concrete connections for each lesson.   

 

Unit  Overview:  The AP Government and Politics curriculum as defined by the College Board is comprised of the following units:  (See details on course outline.)

 

Unit 1:  Constitutional Underpinnings of US government (5-15%)

Unit 2:  Political Beliefs and Behaviors (10-20%)

Unit 3:  Political Parties, Interest Groups and the Mass Media (10-20%)

Unit 4:  Institutions of National Government:  The Congress, the Presidency, the

             Bureaucracy and the Federal Courts (35-45%)

Unit 5:  Public Policy (5-15%)

Unit 6:  Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (5-15%)

 

1. COURSE OBJECTIVES

• To learn and understand important facts, concepts, and theories pertaining to U.S. government and politics.
• To understand typical patterns of political processes and behaviors and their consequences (including the components of political behavior, the principles used to justify various government structures and procedures, and the political effects of these structures and procedures).
• To be able to analyze and interpret basic data relevant to U.S. government and politics (Including maps, charts, graphs, tables, exit poll data, and Supreme Court decisions).
• To prepare students for the Advanced Placement Exam

 

1. REQUIRED MATERIALS

• Textbook: Government in America: People,

Politics, and Policy, 16/e, AP Edition

 

(Edwards, George C., Martin P. Wattenberg, and Robert L. Lineberry. Government in America: People, Politics, and Policy. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson, 2014.)

 

• Supplemental/Primary Source Readings
• AP Government workbook

 

 

iii.       OTHER MATERIALS

The following will be assigned and used in class on a weekly basis:

• Articles from current newspapers
• News magazine articles
• News footage and documentaries
• Political cartoons
• C-SPAN’s coverage of current events
• Various websites

 

1. GRADING FACTORS

Quarter grades will be computed according to the following factors:

• Tests (AP Format) Projects and quizzes 50%
• Homework, activities, outside reading 25%
• Classwork, Conduct, Participation, notebook 25%

 

College Board Curricular Requirements

 

CR1:  The course provides instruction in the Constitutional underpinnings of US Government

 

CR2:  The course provides instruction in political beliefs and political behaviors

 

CR3:  The course provides instruction in political parties, interest groups, and mass media

 

CR4:  The course provides instruction in the institutions of national government

 

CR5:  The course provides instruction in public policy

 

CR6:  The course provides instruction in civil liberties and civil rights

 

CR7:  The course provides students with practice in analyzing and interpreting data and other information relevant to US government and politics

 

CR8:  The course includes supplemental readings, including primary source materials (such as The Federalist Papers) and contemporary news analysis that strengthen student understanding of the curriculum

 

CR9:  The course requires students to answer analytical and interpretive free-response questions on a frequent basis

 

 

 

 

 

VII.     Course Outline

 

 Syllabus:

 

1. Constitutional Underpinnings of US Government

 

1. Foundations of American Government

            

• What is politics?
• Explain the purposes of government
• Describe how government acquires power
• Identify the source, purpose, and function of laws
• Constitutional law
• Statutory law
• Administrative law
• Case law
• Explain the need for active and ongoing change in laws
• Examine the role of government in protecting the rights of the people (courts, etc)
• Divided government: pros and cons
• Authority and legitimacy
• Compare and contrast the different types of governmental ideology or sources of political power
• Autocracy: Dictatorship, absolute monarchy (totalitarianism, military junta, despot)
• Oligarchy
• Democracy: Direct democracy, indirect democracy (presidential vs. parliamentary)
• Principles of democratic government (CR4)
• Free, competitive elections
• Equality before the law
• Majority rule with minority protections (CR6)
• Freedom of expression (CR6)
• Limited government

 

• Elite theory vs. pluralism (CR3)
• Political socialization (CR2)
• Fundamental American values (CR2)
• Liberty
• Equality
• Private property
• Demographic changes affecting American politics today and in the future
• Ethnicity
• Aging
• Internet research: US Census Bureau—“Immigration and aging” (CR7)
• Ideologies: Liberalism vs. conservatism (CR2)

 

 

1. The Constitution (CR1)

  

• Discuss the meanings of constitution and constitutional government
• Explain the importance of historical foundations/documents and events that influenced the structure and meaning of the US Constitution
• \o Magna Carta (1215)
• Mayflower Compact (1620)
• Declaration of Independence (1776)
• Articles of Confederation (1781)
• Constitutional Convention (1787) (Delegates, factions, proposals, compromises)
• Describe the contributions to the US Constitution by the following individuals using primary source documents
• John Locke (Social contract)
• Jean-Jacques Rousseau (Social contract)
• Founding Fathers
• Describe the reasons for the organization of government in the US Constitution, Constitutional principles:
• Popular sovereignty
• Republicanism
• Limited government
• Analyze the system of separation of powers with checks and balances at the federal and state levels (CR4)
• Federalism
• Describe the process of ratifying the US Constitution
• Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists
• The Federalist Papers (1787-1788)
• Compromise: The Bill of Rights
• A living Constitution:
• Formal amendment process Proposing an amendment  Ratifying an amendment
• Informal constitutional change
• ƒ Legislative action
• ƒ Executive action
• ƒ Judicial review

 

• Additional suggested reading assignments (CR8)
• John Locke’s “Second Treatise, Of Civil Government”
• James Madison’s Federalist 47, 48, 51
• Possible Essays (CR9)
• Analyze changing views of the Founders and the Constitution they created. (CR7)
• Analyze formal and informal methods of Constitutional change.

1. Federalism (CR1, CR4)

• Varying degrees of centralization
• Unitary
• Confederate
• Federal
• Advantages of federalism
• Disadvantages of federalism
• Compare delegated, concurrent, and reserved powers
• National powers
• Enumerated/delegated powers: Article I, Section 8
• Implied powers: Elastic clause
• State powers
• Reserved powers: Amendment 10
• Concurrent powers
• Conflict: Elastic clause vs. Reservation clause
• Commerce clause
• Supremacy clause:  Describe the supremacy of federal laws
• Role of the courts
• Compare and contrast concurrent powers and supremacy of laws at the federal, state, and local levels
• Vertical federalism
• Horizontal federalism
• Historical trends in the balance of power between national and state governments
• Gibbons v. Ogden (1824)
• States’ rights
• National expansion
• Additional suggested reading assignments (CR8)
• Alexander Hamilton’s Federalist 16, 17
• James Madison’s Federalist 39
• McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)
• Additional current articles to be assigned
• Possible essays (CR9)
• Analyze the Constitutional basis for the division of power between states and the national government.
• Analyze a graph: Federal and state government employment, federal grants-in-aid, and federal mandates. (CR7)

1. Political Beliefs and Behaviors

           

1. Public Opinion and Political Socialization (CR2)

• What is public opinion, and how does it relate to government policy? (CR5)
• Consensus and division in public opinion
• Qualities of public opinion
• How is public opinion measured?
• Opinion polls: History, process
• Political socialization
• Agents of political socialization
• Public attitudes toward government
• Trust in government
• Efficacy and apathy
• The political spectrum
• Liberals, moderates, and conservatives
• How do these labels relate to political parties?
• Survey: What are your political attitudes? (CR7)
• Additional suggested reading assignments (CR8)
• Article review: Individual current articles to be assigned on public opinion/political attitudes

III. Political Parties, Interest Groups, and Mass Media

1. Interest Groups (CR3)

• Role of interest groups in American politics (CR5)
• Types of interest groups
• Economic: Business, agriculture, labor, public employee, and professional groups
• Environmental
• Public interest groups
• Special interest groups
• Interest group strategies (CR4)
• Direct techniques: The “inside game”
• Indirect techniques: The “outside game”
• Attempts to regulate interest group activities (CR4, CR5)
• Federal Regulation of Lobbying Act (1946)
• 1995 reforms
• Recent developments in campaign reform
• Campaign contributions: Free speech or influence peddling?
• Additional suggested projects
• Internet research on interest groups (CR7)
• Additional suggested reading assignments (CR8)
• Hamilton’s Federalist # 10
• Article review: Individual current articles to be assigned on interest groups
• Possible Essays (CR9)
• Interest group techniques: Why would certain interest groups choose certain techniques?
• Discuss arguments for and against recent interest group reform proposals in Congress.

1. Political Parties (CR3)

• Analyze the development and growth of political parties
• What is the difference between a political party and an interest group?
• Functions of parties
• Analyze various influences on political parties
• Interest groups
• Lobbyists
• PACs
• Brief history of the American two-party system
• Three components of a party
• Role of citizens in parties
• Party organization
• The majors: The Republican and Democratic parties
• The party-in-government (CR5)
• Why does the US have a two-party system?
• Historical foundations
• Self-perpetuation
• American political culture
• Plurality elections
• The single-member district (CR4)
• Minor or third parties
• Historical minor parties
• Single-issue parties
• Personality parties
• Ideological parties
• Splinter parties
• What are the functions and impacts of minor parties in our two-party system? (CR5)
• Trends in party identification (CR2)
• Additional suggested projects
• Internet research on American political parties (CR7)
• Additional reading assignments (CR8)
• Article review: Individual current articles to be assigned on political parties
• Possible essays (CR9)
• Examine goals of and interaction between interest groups and political parties.
• Analyze a cartoon: Third parties—obstacles and contributions. (CR7)

1. Campaigns, Nominations, and Elections

• Who is eligible to run, who actually runs, and why? (CR1)
• Describe the election process in federal, state, and local governments
• Voter registration
• Voter interest or apathy
• Nominating process (e.g., direct primary, nominating committee, caucus)
• The modern political campaign
• The rise of the political consultant
• Campaign strategies
• Campaign finance (CR3, CR5)
• Attempts to regulate
• Hatch Act (1939)
• Federal Election Campaign Act (1971) and 1974 amendments
• Hard money/soft money/PACs/527s
• 2010 Supreme Court ruling affecting campaign finance laws
• The campaign for president (CR4)
• The primary season (nominating process)
• Types of primaries
• Direct primaries: Closed, open, and blanket
• Caucuses
• The strategy
• The national convention
• The general election

 Explain the role of the electoral college in the election process

• How it works
• Criticisms
• How are elections conducted? Discuss the complexities of vote tabulation and certifying elections
• Types of ballots
• The Coattail Effect
• Split-ticket voting/straight-ticket voting
• Voting by mail
• Voter interest and voter turnout
• Factors affecting presidential, mid-term, and local election turnout (CR2)
• Who votes, and why the low turnout? (CR2)
• Legal restrictions on voting
• Voter registration
• How do voters decide? (CR2)
• Socioeconomic and demographic factors
• Age
• Income
• Religion
• Education
• The gender gap
• Ethnicity and race
• Geographic region
• The “Red and Blue map”
• Psychological factors
• Party identification (CR3)
• Issue preferences
• Perception of the candidates
• Compare and analyze recent national exit poll results by above categories (CR2, CR7)
• Traditional and nontraditional forms of political participation (CR2)
• Critical elections: Realignment and dealignment
• Additional suggested reading assignments (CR8)
• Article review: Individual current articles to be assigned on elections and voting
• Possible essays (CR9)
• Discuss voting patterns by region in the 1992 and 1996 presidential elections. (CR7)
• Discuss causes and consequences of declining trust and confidence in government.
• Examine forms of political participation other than voting.
• Examine declining voter turnout in federal elections.

1. The Media (CR3)

• Functions of the media
• Entertainment
• Reporting the news
• Identifying public problems (CR5)
• Socializing new generations
• Providing a political forum
• Making a profit
• Historical background
• The early press
• New developments and mass-readership newspapers
• Yellow journalism
• Electronic media
• Narrowcasting
• Discuss the influence of media coverage on the political process
• News reports
• Political cartoons
• Editorials
• Campaign advertising
• Public opinion polls
• Use of propaganda techniques
• Examine the influence of the Internet on the political process
• The media and campaigns
• Advertising
• Spin
• Presidential debates
• Media’s impact on voters
• The media and the government (CR4)
• Media and the president
• White House press corps
• Press secretary
• Setting the public agenda
• Media regulation (CR5)
• Ownership rules
• Government regulation of media content
• Discuss biases in forming public opinion
• Additional suggested reading assignments (CR8)
• Article review: Individual current articles to be assigned on elections and voting (CR7)

 

1. Institutions of National Government

 

1. The Congress (CR4)

• Discuss the purpose of the legislative branch at the federal level (CR1)
• Bicameralism
• Powers and authority
• Denied powers ADE Enhanced AP United States Government and Politics Syllabus
• Discuss the authority and functions of the legislative branch at the federal level
• Legislating (CR5)
• Serving constituents
• Representation
• Instructed delegate and trustee theories
• Oversight
• Agenda-setting (CR5)
• Conflict-resolution
• Discuss the organizational structure and procedural differences between the House and the Senate

(CR1)

• Size and rules
• House Rules Committee
• Debate and filibustering
• Prestige
• Is Congress representative of the general population?
• Congressional elections
• Characteristics of members
• Primaries
• The general election
• Incumbency advantages
• Reapportionment and redistricting
• Court rulings
• Gerrymandering and safe seats
• Pay, perks, and privileges
• Congressional committees
• Functions and significance of committees (CR5)
• Types Joint  Select  Standing  Conference
• Selection of committees
• Power of committee chairpersons (CR5)
• Formal leadership
• House leadership (CR3)
• The Speaker
• Majority and Minority Leaders
• Whips
• Senate leadership
• President of the Senate
• President Pro-Tempore
• Party leaders (CR3)
• Majority and Minority Leaders
• Whips
• Factors influencing how members vote
• Describe the process by which a bill becomes a law (CR5)
• The budget process (CR5)
• Additional suggested reading assignments (CR8)
• Madison’s Federalist 53, 56, 57, 58, 62, 63
• Article review: Individual current articles to be assigned on Congress
• Possible essays (CR9)
• Discuss bicameralism.
• Examine party leadership and committees in Congress.
• Analyze a graph: Congressional incumbency. (CR7)

1. The Presidency (CR4)

• Qualifications (CR1)
• Review process of becoming president
• Discuss the purpose of the executive branch
• Should voters be able to recall an unpopular president? (CR5)
• Discuss the authority and functions of the president (roles or “hats” of the president)
• Chief of State
• Chief Executive (CR5)
• Enforcing federal law
• Appointment and removal
• Overseeing the bureaucracy
• Commander in Chief (CR5)
• Military decision making
• Limitations
• War Powers Resolution
• The Congressional blank check
• Chief Diplomat (CR5)
• Treaties and diplomatic appointments
• Advice and consent
• Diplomatic recognition
• Executive agreements
• Chief Legislator (CR5)
• State of the Union Address
• Getting legislation passed
• President’s role in enacting laws
• Signing
• Allowing a bill to become law without signing it
• Vetoing
• Congressional override
• Line-item veto (declared unconstitutional)
• Pocket veto

 Chief of Party (CR3)

• Patronage
• Fundraising
• Leader and shaper of public opinion
• Special use of presidential powers (CR5)
• Emergency powers
• Executive orders
• Executive privilege
• Impoundment of funds
• Budget Impoundment and Control Act of 1974
• Recess appointments
• Abuse of presidential power
• Impeachment
• Discuss the organization of the executive branch
• Cabinet
• Executive Office of the President
• Office of Management and Budget
• White House Office (WHO)
• Chief of Staff
• National Security Council
• National Security Advisor
• Council of Economic Advisors
• Have presidents come to rely too much on their political advisors?
• Ramifications of increasing dependence on the WHO (CR5)
• The Vice-Presidency
• Functions
• Changing rationale for picking a particular vice-presidential running mate
• Presidential succession
• Twenty-Fifth Amendment
• Succession Act of 1947
• The tug-of-war between the President and Congress (CR5)
• Has the president become too powerful? (CR5)
• Additional suggested reading assignments (CR8)
• Hamilton’s Federalist 70
• Article review: Individual current articles to be assigned on the presidency
• Possible Essays (CR9)
• Examine presidential and congressional influence over foreign policy: formal and informal powers.
• Analyze presidential approval ratings.
• Discuss divided government and the appointment process.

1. The Bureaucracy (CR4)

• Bureaucracy as an organization
• Bureaucracies compared
• Theories of bureaucracy
• Growth of the bureaucracy
• Discuss the organization of the executive branch bureaucracy
• Cabinet departments
• Independent regulatory agencies
• Purpose of regulatory agencies
• Capture
• Staffing the bureaucracy
• Political appointees
• The professional civil service
• Pendleton Act (1883)
• Hatch Act (1939)
• Civil Service Reform Act (1978)
• Attempts at reform (CR5)
• Sunshine laws
• Sunset laws
• Contracting out
• Incentives for efficiency and productivity
• Whistleblowers
• Bureaucrats as policymakers (CR5)
• A fourth branch?
• Congressional oversight (CR5)
• Authorizing funds
• Appropriating funds
• Congressional investigations and hearings
• Additional suggested reading assignments (CR8)
• Article review: Individual current articles to be assigned on the bureaucracy
• Possible essays (CR9)
• Examine bureaucratic policymaking and congressional oversight.
• Is Congress effective in exercising legislative oversight of the bureaucracy?

1. The Judiciary (CR4)

• Discuss the purpose of the federal judicial branch
• The common law tradition
• Precedent/Stare decisis
• Sources of American law
• Constitutional law
• Statutory law
• Administrative regulations
• Case law
• The federal court system
• Judicial requirements
• Jurisdiction
• A federal question
• Diversity of citizenship
• Standing
• Ripeness (readiness of a case for litigation)
• A justiciable controversy
• Discuss the organizational structure, authority, and functions of the federal courts
• Structure of federal courts determined by Congress
• US district courts
• Trial courts of original jurisdiction
• US courts of appeal
• Circuits
• Appellate jurisdiction
• Grounds for appeal
• Importance of courts of appeal

US Supreme Court

• The Justices
• Original jurisdiction
• Appellate jurisdiction—greatest source of caseload
• Parties and procedures
• ƒ Plaintiff and defendant
• Interest groups and litigation (CR3)
• Amicus curiae briefs
• Class-action suits
• The Supreme Court at work
• Term
• Caseload
• Discretion: the rule of four
• Writs of certiorari
• Deciding cases
• Briefs
• Oral arguments
• Decisions
• Affirm
• Reverse
• Remand
• Opinions
• Unanimous
• Majority
• Concurring
• Dissenting
• Selection of federal judges
• Serve “during good behavior”
• Nomination by president and confirmation by senate
• Senatorial courtesy for district court nominees
• Partisanship and judicial appointments (CR3)
• Judicial review (CR5)
• Marbury v. Madison (1803)
• Judicial activism and judicial restraint
• Ideology of the Court
• Too much power in an unelected body?
• Checks on the judiciary (CR5)
• Executive branch
• Congress
• Public opinion (CR2)
• Judicial traditions and doctrines
• Additional suggested reading assignments (CR8)
• Hamilton’s Federalist 78
• Marbury v. Madison (1803)
• Article review: Individual current articles to be assigned on the judiciary
• Possible Essays (CR9)
• Examine the judicial branch and public opinion.
• Is the appointment process for Supreme Court justices above politics?
• Examine the influence interest groups have over the three branches of government.

 

1. Public Policy

            

1. Domestic and Economic Policy (CR5)

• Steps in the policymaking process
• Models of the policymaking process
• Poverty and welfare
• Environmental policy
• Immigration policy
• The politics of economic decision-making
• Entitlements
• Social Security
• Medicare
• Fiscal and monetary policy
• The Federal Reserve System
• Reasons for and sources of the national debt and deficit

• Additional suggested reading assignments (CR8)
• Article review:  Individual current articles to be assigned
• Possible essays (CR9)

• Discuss possible threats to the future of entitlement programs.
• Examine trends in the distribution of government benefits for children and the elderly. (CR7)
• Analyze factors that interfere with the government’s ability to enact public policy.
• Analyze the growth of mandatory spending in the federal budget. (CR7)

1. Foreign and Defense Policy (CR5)

• Define foreign policy
• National security policy
• The National Security Council
• Diplomacy
• Who makes foreign policy?
• Constitutional powers of the president
• Informal techniques of presidential leadership
• The Department of State
• The National Security Council
• The intelligence community
• The Department of Defense
• Should the president’s power to conduct foreign policy be limited?
• The military-industrial complex
• Influence/manipulation of public opinion on foreign policy ADE Enhanced • Examine membership/involvement in multi-national organizations (e.g., UN, NATO, NAFTA)
• Additional suggested reading assignments (CR8)
• Article review: Individual current articles to be assigned
• Possible Essay (CR9)
• Compare and contrast presidential and congressional influence over foreign policy: formal and informal powers.

 

1. Civil Rights and Civil Liberties
2. Civil Liberties (CR6)

• What are civil liberties?
• Examine the fundamental rights of individuals, listed in the Bill of Rights, as incorporated by the Supreme Court by way of the 14^thAmendment’s Due Process Clause
• Identify changes occurring over time in the interpretation of the Bill of Rights
• Analyze court cases that demonstrate how the US Constitution protects the rights of individuals from government infringement (see topics below for specific cases)
• Discuss the relevance of the study of civics
• Explain the role of citizenship in our political system and society
• Explain what constitutes a citizen
• Discuss the process of becoming a citizen
• Native-born (jus soli and jus sanguinus)
• Naturalization
• Introduce citizenship concepts and apply to everyday life
• Equality of all citizens under law
• Majority rule balanced against minority rights
• Individual freedoms
• Individual rights vs. public interest
• Patriotism
• Compare and contrast responsibilities and duties of citizenship
• Jury duty
• Taxes
• Selective service
• Compulsory education
• Obeying laws
• Being an informed citizen
• Distinguish between rights and privileges of citizenship (voting, driving, education)
• Selective incorporation (CR4)
• Role of the Fourteenth Amendment’s due process clause
• Gitlow New York (1925)
• Freedom of religion
• Establishment clause
• Aide to parochial schools
• Lemon v. Kurtzman (1971): “The Lemon test”

ƒ School vouchers

• Zelman v. Simmons-Harris (2002)

ƒ Prayer and moments of silence in public schools

• Engel v. Vitale (1962)
• Abington School District v. Schempp (1963)

ƒ Teaching of evolution

• Epperson v. Arkansas (1968)
• Edwards v. Aguillard (1987)

ƒ Public displays of the Ten Commandments

• Free exercise clause
• Reynolds v. United States (1879)
• Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972)
• Oregon v. Smith (1990)
• Freedom of expression
• Clear and present danger test
• Schenck v. United States (1919)
• Schafer v. United States (1951)
• Bad tendency doctrine
• Gitlow v. New York (1925)
• Preferred position doctrine
• Unprotected speech
• Sedition
• Brandenburg v. Ohio (1969)
• Defamation
• Slander and libel
• Actual malice
• New York Times v. Sullivan (1964)
• Obscenity
• Miller v. California (1973)
• Heckler’s Veto
• Student speech
• Tinker v. Des Moines (1969)
• Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier (1988)
• Campus speech codes
• Prior Restraint
• Near v. Minnesota (1931)
• New York Times v. United States (1971)—“Pentagon Papers” case
• Symbolic speech
• Tinker v. Des Moines (1969)
• Texas v. Johnson (1989)
• Commercial speech
• Freedom of the press
• Defamation and actual malice (see above)
• Gag orders
• Electronic media
• Federal Communications Commission
• Equal time rule
• Personal attack rule
• Shield laws
• Right to assemble and petition the government
• DeJonge v. Oregon (1937)
• Limits on parades and demonstrations
• Lloyd Corporation v. Tanner (1972)
• Smith v. Collin (1978)—“The Skokie case”
• Analyze the fundamental rights of individuals as incorporated in the Bill of Rights
• Right to privacy
• Griswold v. Connecticut (1965)
• Roe v. Wade (1973)
• Rights of the accused
• Investigate limitations or restrictions on criminal punishment (Fourth, Fifth, Sixth,
• Eighth Amendments, Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment)
• Writ of Habeas Corpus (Article 1, Section 9)
• Distinguish between criminal and civil laws (tort)
• Limits on conduct of police officers and prosecutors (Fourth Amendment)
• Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)
• Miranda v. Arizona (1966)
• Exclusionary rule
• Mapp v. Ohio (1961)
• Wiretapping
• Death penalty
• Furman v. Georgia (1972)
• Gregg v. Georgia (1976)

• Additional suggested reading assignments (CR8)
• Article review:  Individual current articles to be assigned
• Possible Essay (CR9)

 

1. Civil Rights—Equal Protection (CR6)

• Analyze statutes and court cases that demonstrate how the US Constitution protects the rights of individuals from discrimination
• What is the distinction between civil liberties and civil rights?
• Role of the Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause
• Dred Scott v. Sanford (1857)
• The Civil War Amendments: Thirteenth, Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments
• The Civil Rights Acts of 1865 to 1875
• The Civil Rights Cases
• Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)
• Barriers to voting
• The white primary
• The grandfather clause
• Poll taxes
• Literacy tests
• Acts of violence and intimidation
• Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954) and Brown v. Board of Education (1955)
• Reversal of Plessy
• Court-ordered desegregation “with all deliberate speed”
• De facto v. de jure segregation
• The Civil Rights movement
• Examine changes in civil rights legislation (e.g., Civil Rights Act of 1964, Voting Rights Act of 1965,

Civil Rights Act of 1968, affirmative action programs, Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990)

• The Women’s Rights movement
• The Nineteenth Amendment
• Feminism
• Equal Rights Amendment
• Gender discrimination cases in the courts
• Gender discrimination in the workplace
• Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
• Sexual harassment cases
• Wage discrimination
• Equal Pay Act of 1963
• Affirmative action
• Regents of the University of California v. Bakke (1978)
• Adarand Constructors, Inc. v. Pena (1995)
• Age discrimination
• The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967
• Mandatory retirement
• Rights of Americans with disabilities
• The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
• Rights of gays and lesbians
• Bowers v. Hardwick (1986)
• Lawrence v. Texas (2002)
• Gays in the military “Don’t ask, don’t tell”
• Same-sex marriages
• Defense of Marriage Act of 1996
• Recent developments
• Rights of juveniles
• In Gault (1969)
• Twenty-sixth amendment
• Rights of children in civil and criminal cases
• Age of majority
• Roper v. Simmons (2005)
• Discuss Arkansas laws applicable to juveniles
• Bullying  
• Juvenile court
• School laws

• Additional suggested reading assignments (CR8)
• Article review:  Individual current articles to be assigned
• Possible essays (CR9)
• Analyze political institutions as obstacles and as opportunities to racial minority groups in the struggle for political influence.

 

VII. State and Local Politics

 

1. State and Local Government (CR4)

• The US Constitution and the state governments (CR1)
• State constitutions
• Why so long?
• The constitutional convention and the constitutional initiative
• Analyze the separation of powers and checks and balances at the state and local level
• Discuss the purpose, organization, authority, and functions of state executive branches
• A weak executive
• Reform
• The governor’s veto power
• Discuss the purpose, organization, authority, and functions of state legislatures
• Apportionment
• Direct democracy: The initiative, referendum, and recall
• Discuss the purpose, organization, authority, and functions of state judicial branches
• Trial courts
• Appellate courts
• Judicial elections and appointment
• Discuss the organization of various forms of local government
• Legal existence of local government
• Local government units
• Municipalities
• Counties
• Towns and townships
• Special districts and school districts
• Consolidation
• Paying for state and local government (CR5)
• State and local government expenditures
• State and local government revenues
• Sales tax
• Property tax
• Nontax revenues
• Additional suggested reading assignments (CR8)
• Article review: Individual current articles to be assigned