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AP
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Teacher:
Mrs. Rachel Califf
Email: rachelcaliff@comcast.net / thecaliffs@gmail.com
Exam Date: Tuesday,
Required Class
Materials: (Feb. 15, 2012 note: I am currently considering several online e-reader /
e-text options, in place of the Wilson text, that would include embedded
quizzes and other activities to aid comprehension, but I haven’t finalized this
decision yet. Following are my text choices in the absence of such a change:)
·
American Government: Institutions &
Policies by Wilson, DiIulio and Bose, 13th edition published January
2012, ISBN-10: 111183007X or ISBN-13:
·
2002 AP
·
Subscription
to Americans Governing. (www.americansgoverning.com)
($25.00) Though the subscription is typically only 6 months in length,
Americans Governing will extend it to an 8 month subscription for the purposes of
our course only! DO NOT register for this subscription until the start of the
course in September, or else your subscription may end before the class does.
Subscription instructions will be sent at the beginning of the course. This
subscription is non-refundable in the event of withdrawal from the course.
Optional Text: (I do not require supplemental texts and I will not be teaching or
assigning from them. However, sometimes students find the additional practice
necessary and beneficial. I recommend giving the class a couple of weeks before
deciding whether or not your student may benefit from additional resources.)
·
Fast
Track to a 5: Preparing for the AP United States Government and Politics
Examination by David G. Benson and Karen K. Waples
(to accompany American Government 10th and 11th editions
by Wilson and DiIulio) ISBN-13# 978-0-618-95451-3 http://www.amazon.com/American-Government-Advanced-Placementprint-Eleventh/dp/0618954511/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1329348253&sr=8-1
Tuition fee: $425, plus course materials. Registration ends
Class Description:
The primary purpose of this
class is AP exam preparation. In preparing for the exam, students will study
and learn about the constitutional history of the United States Government, the
various political beliefs and their history, political parties, elections,
interest groups, mass media, Congress, the presidency, the bureaucracy, the
federal courts, public policy, civil rights, and civil liberties. Students will
study how these various mechanisms are organized, interact and are conducive to
democracy.
The syllabus includes text
and online supplementary readings; online quizzes; essay questions taken from
previous exams; discussions; group projects (such as the drafting of a mock
legislative bill); two class games; design-your-own-poll; article and political
cartoon analyses; and a full practice exam that doubles as the class final.
Weekly political
discussions with classmates (both academic and social) take place via message
board, where we post messages (like a bulletin board) that can be read and
responded to throughout the week. The activity is designed to encourage
students to explore and engage current political issues with openness, civility
and responsibility. This year, students with Facebook
accounts will be able to join the class’ Facebook
“group” page, where they will be able to share political articles, cartoons,
links, etc. I anticipate that this group page will encourage greater interaction
between students and with current events on a daily basis. (I also anticipate
that this will encourage greater engagement with the course material, by
linking it to what is usually distracting
Facebook usage and turning it to productive usage!) Students do not need
to “friend” each other or myself in order to access
the group page. The page is, however, a “closed” group and so only students who
are (or have been) enrolled in the course, will be able to access and view
content there. (Students are neither required to have Facebook
for this course, nor are they required to join the group page.)
As the instructor, I
closely monitor and provide feedback and evaluation for all course assignments.
In addition, a wide variety of opportunities for student-initiated discussion
exist and while it is not always possible for me to be a part of every such
discussion, my students are held to a high standard of respectful discourse and
are encouraged to alert me to any conversations taking place that may violate discussion
guidelines. I’m available to my students via website, email and phone to answer
questions and concerns. I expect my students to complete their assignments by
the assigned deadlines, take responsibility when they don’t and to maintain
high levels of honesty and openness about their assignments with both myself
and with their parents.
I anticipate that students
will spend between 60 and 90 minutes daily on the course material and study
time, Monday through Friday, with written assignments due on Fridays by
I do offer, however, at
least one (completely optional) weekly “study chat” (via a site-based chat
client open only to students enrolled in the course) during which students have
the chance to interact with each other, my teaching assistant and myself and go
over the week’s quiz questions for review. It’s proven to be both an effective
study tool and a fun way to get to know each other! Unless my schedule changes
unexpectedly, I plan to offer these study chats on Thursday mornings at
Also, students and parents
should be aware that I do not offer extra credit for any independent study
groups or activities that take place outside of the classroom environment,
though students may find them helpful and I’d encourage students to engage in
whatever additional studies aid their retention of class content.
A secondary objective of
this class is to encourage students to be thoughtful, informed, and passionate
citizens. Through this class, students will come to understand the various avenues
through which they, as citizens, have the opportunity to organize and
communicate their interests and concerns. Students are therefore encouraged to
seek out civic and political opportunities in their own communities during the
class year, particularly through an extra credit Civic Involvement Project.
This project is student-directed and centers on your individual student’s
interests, time commitment and abilities. In the past, students have used the
project as an opportunity to campaign on behalf of their favored candidate,
write and submit editorials for publication, raise money for a favorite cause,
collect food for a local pantry, launch a publicity
campaign for a non-profit organization and volunteer hours in service to their
community. In a major change from previous years, this will be one of the very few opportunities by which students
may earn extra credit. I plan to streamline the course to make the main thing, the main thing.
Through weekly discussion
questions and careful moderation by the instructor, students are also
encouraged to examine the democratic process in historical context, in theory
and as applied to a variety of current and historical events and issues. The
interaction with classmates from a wide variety of political and experiential
backgrounds, in an atmosphere of honest and respectful discourse, gives
students a unique opportunity to (a) evaluate and research their own political
beliefs and the values that form those beliefs, (b) communicate those beliefs
in an intelligent and respectful manner, and (c) gain understanding about
others’ political viewpoints. Students are required to be respectful in all
communications and to have increased knowledge and mutual understanding as
their primary and personal goals for any political discussion. While I moderate
most discussion threads, many avenues for discussion exist beyond my monitoring
ability, so I ask students to alert me to any discussions taking place that may
violate these guidelines. Most such discussion is optional, with the exception
of instructor-initiated curriculum-based weekly questions.
I also encourage students
to maintain an awareness of current political events. My students should be
aware that while I do not leave my political views and bias at the door of the classroom,
they have no impact on my grading, as their political views are irrelevant to
their written assignments and the Collegeboard Exam.
I strive to teach students to recognize bias and thus believe in being open
about my own personal biases from the start. My students will know my
perspectives on some issues but will always feel welcome and respected enough
to share their viewpoints as well. I will strive to demonstrate for my students
how a person may hold strong convictions while simultaneously being respectful
of others’ beliefs.
Parents should also be
aware, before enrolling their student in this class, that
students will sometimes discuss or be exposed to issues of an adult or
controversial nature when it is relevant to current political events. This is
sometimes a result of student initiation or a result of discussion about news
threads online. As the instructor, I will require that students treat these
topics with maturity and appropriateness, but I do not, in most circumstances,
censor either controversial opinions or controversial topics simply because
they are controversial. If you are concerned about the topics that may be
discussed, I would encourage you, as a parent, to choose and remember your
log-in passwords so that you can monitor the course as well as your student’s
activity, progress and participation.
Lastly, the addition of the
Americans Governing website to our course curriculum has added both depth and
vibrancy to the material covered, giving students an opportunity to explore appropriate
individual topics within each chapter with more focus and thought. I encourage
you to visit the website (www.americansgoverning.com)
and do the “tour” for more information.
Who should apply: Reliable Internet and email access is required.
Homeschooled students grades 9 through 12 are welcome
to apply. Academic performance must be average or above, and student should be
very comfortable with communicating primarily via the written word. Students
must be self-motivated, punctual with assignments and demonstrate individual
initiative & responsibility. All political perspectives are wholeheartedly
invited and welcomed.
Teacher Qualifications
& Bio: This will be my 13th year
teaching AP American Government & Politics. I am a
3 - Highly Interactive
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