Description:

As Thomas Jefferson wrote to Richard Price in 1788, "wherever the people are well informed they can be trusted with their own government." That's what this course aims to do!

US Government and Politics is a year-long political science and civics course for high school students to build their knowledge of essential political structures and processes. Key themes in the course include Congress, Presidency, Bureaucracy, American Legal System and the Courts (30%); Constitutional Underpinnings of American Democracy (15%); Political Parties and Interest Groups (15%); Political Beliefs and Behavior (20%); and Civil Liberties and Civil Rights (15%).

Students will learn about the formal and informal machinery that "makes the system go" -– including the so-called "fourth branch of government," the bureaucracy we know so well here in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. By the end of the course, students will also be able to explain the development of civil rights and liberties from their constitutional roots and through several Supreme Court cases; how political parties and interest groups work; the structure of elections; and the means by which citizens learn about politics and form political beliefs. Students will understand enduring issues, including separation of powers, checks and balances, and then tension between majority rule and minority rights.

LevelsThe course provides a substantive, full-credit experience in either an Honors or On-Level track. Honors and On-Level students meet together and share core preparation each week, but assignments and assessments are differentiated, with longer readings, more practice of synthesis and analysis, and additional writing at the Honors level. Both tiers offer a serious, full-credit experience. A student who wishes to move up or down a level during the year may consult with the instructor. Students register online for the same course, but must indicate which level they wish to study via e-mail by August 15.

Schedule: This section will be held entirely ONLINE as virtual conferences with a Monday morning meeting from 9:00 am - 9:55 am, and a Thursday afternoon meeting from 3:00 pm- 3:55 pm via Canvas Conference. Recordings will be made for students with schedule conflicts. Please note that this section is intended to be online for the full year for most. Openings in the live, in-person Friday morning section may be possible for a handful of students when COVID gathering limitations are lifted.

Prerequisites: Students must be highly-skilled readers at the high school level or above; or else have very robust assistance at home with weekly reading assignments.

Workload: Students should expect to spend 3-5 hours per week outside class meetings for reading and homework, a range which may vary based on reading speed. Note that the core textbook is written at a basic college level, while other materials are targeted at either a high school audience or the news-reading public.

Assignments: All assignments will be posted on password-protected Canvas classroom management site. There, students access assignments, upload homework, take automated quizzes and tests, track grades, and message instructor and classmates. These are due by 10 AM on Thursdays before each Friday meeting to promote active, knowledgeable discussion in class. There will be a summer assignment that is due on September 10, before the first class meeting. The class Canvas site will open on August 3 with introductory information, a syllabus, and the initial assignment.

Assessments: Points will be assigned for completed homework, projects, quizzes, and tests. A letter grade will not be assigned, but parents can use total points earned versus total points offered to assign a grade for purposes of a homeschool transcript. Parents can view total points earned at any time through the Canvas site.

This course was structured to allow interested students to prepare for the College Boards' CLEP exam in American Government. Time spent on major course themes intentionally mirror the CLEP test's percentages. Students interested in taking the CLEP exam will have to register and pay for those exams individually. This course is not offered at an AP level, but the instructor is willing to advise experienced students who wish to independently prepare for the AP United States Government and Politics exam in May 2021. Additional preparation outside of class, particularly in essay-writing and analysis of Supreme Court cases, would be needed for AP.

https://clep.collegeboard.org/history-and-social-sciences/american-government
https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/courses/ap-united-states-government-and-politics/exam

Textbook/Materials: Students should purchase or rent Keeping the Republic: Power and Citizenship in American Politics, Brief 8th Edition by Christine Barbour and Gerald Wright (ISBN-13: 978-1544316215). Electronic versions are available. Be sure to purchase the EIGHTH (8th) edition that is also labeled "BRIEF." Other readings will be provided by the instructor.

Credit: Homeschool families may wish to count this course as a component full year, one-credit course in US Government, Civics, or Humanities for purposes of a high school transcript