Course Description:

Course Overview
AP Test
Course Goals
Student Assessment
Grading
Tardies
Make-Up Work (excused absences)
Make-Up Work (unexcused absences)
Late-work
Assignments
Textbook

Course overview:

The Advanced Placement course in United States Government and Politics is designed to give students a critical perspective on politics and government. This course involves both the study of general concepts used to interpret United States politics and an examination of the various institutions, groups, beliefs, and ideas that make up American politics. The course is taught with college-level texts. Preparation for the A.P. test will be an integral part of the course.

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The A.P. Test:  

The Advanced Placement exam is offered on Monday, May 4 this year. It will contain a multiple-choice section which students are given 45 minutes to complete. The exam also contains a written-response section in which students are given 100 minutes to write on four topics. As with other A.P. tests, the exam will be graded on a scale of 1 (no recommendation) to 5 (Extremely well qualified).

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Course Goals:

·         Examine the philosophical underpinnings and pragmatic realities of modern American democracy.

·         Determine how the structure and function of federalism has changed over time and how those changes have affected policy making at the local, state, and national levels.

·         Analyze the development of political equality and individual in order to formulate perspectives on contemporary civil rights and civil liberties issues.

·         Analyze how popular sovereignty is exercised in modern American electoral politics through political parties, interest groups, and public opinion.

·         Evaluate how the U.S. government exercises authority through the interaction of the three separate branches of government.

·         Provide students with the necessary knowledge and skills to take the A.P. test in U.S. Government.

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Student Assessment:

Students will be graded using a variety of assessment tools including (but not limited to) short response papers, longer research papers, in-class speeches and debates, short quizzes, in-depth unit tests, and homework. Some in-class assignments will require student attendance for credit. Absences should be arranged with Mr. Koepping prior to the event if difficulties arise.  

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Grading:

Students will have the opportunity to earn 200-300 points each semester.  The grading scale will be as follows:

90-100%            A                     80-89%             B                      70-79%             C

60-69%             D                     Below 60%     F

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Tardies:

Students are expected to be in the classroom when the bell rings.  Doing otherwise will result in a tardy. If a student gets four tardies during one semester, Mr. Koepping will send a referral to the attendance office. Following school policy, students wishing to get into the class after five minutes will first need to visit the attendance office.

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Make-up work (for excused absences):

·         Any assignment made prior to a student’s excused absence is due on the day of their return to class.

·         Missed tests will be made up within a week of the student’s return during a time agreed upon with the teacher.

·         Assignments given during an excused absence are usually due one class day for every class day of absence after the student’s return. So a student missing three periods will have four class periods to submit make-up work (three periods plus the day of their initial return). Students who need more time should speak to Mr. Koepping as soon as they return from the absence.

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Make-up work (for unexcused absences):

·         Tests that are not taken and assignments that are not turned in because of unexcused absences will not be accepted upon the student’s return. Students will receive a zero for those assignments and those tests.

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Late work:

·         Taking into account the vagaries of high school life, Mr. Koepping will accept work one calendar day late for full credit. If an assignment were due on Monday, he would accept it on Tuesday (but not Wednesday morning) for full credit.

·         Students will lose 10 percent of the value of an assignment for each additional calendar day (excluding weekends) the work is late. For example an assignment that is due on a Monday that is turned in on Wednesday will be worth a maximum of 90 percent of the points possible, on Thursday that would fall to 80 percent, on Friday it would be worth a maximum of 70 percent. Work that is more than three calendar days late (excluding weekends) will not be accepted.

·         Work or makeup tests will also not be accepted after a quarter or semester is completed. A quarter or semester is considered complete when the students have attended the final class of that grading period.

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Assignments:

·         Students can expect to have assigned homework every night.

·         Papers should be typed or neatly handwritten

·         If a student has a serious problem that may delay their turning in an assignment, they may speak to Mr. Koepping BEFORE the due date to determine if an extension is possible. To get an extension a student must make their request before the class when an assignment is due.

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Textbook:

Theodore J. Lowi and Benjamin Ginsburg, American Goverment: Freedom and Power (W.W. Norton and Company: New York), 6^th edition, 2000

Ann Serow and Everett C. Ladd., eds, The Lanahan Readings in the American Polity, (Lanahan Publishers, Inc.: Baltimore), 3^rd edition, 2003

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