COURSE NAME: AP US Politics and Government

SCHOOL DISTRICT: Cairo-Durham

INSTRUCTOR: Bryan Pisano

FULL YEAR

MAXIMUM TOTAL CLASS ENROLLMENT - 20

COURSE PREREQUISITES: An 85 average in social studies. Student must be a Junior or Senior.

BRIEF COURSE DESCRIPTION / OUTLINE:

The Advanced Placement U.S. Government and Politics program is designed to teach U.S. constitutional
government based on principles of philosophy, political beliefs and behavior, political parties and interest
groups, national institutions and policy processes, and law. Emphasis is given to the relationship of the
citizen to the structure and function of the American constitutional system.

Students will combine the study and analysis of political theory and political science in the effort to
understand the relationship between political philosophy and political life. The course will illustrate the
manner in which political philosophy and theory concerns itself with providing a theoretical basis for which
political activity takes place.

The course is designed to enable students to develop a critical perspective of government and politics in the
United States. The nature of the American political system, its development over the past two centuries,
and how it works today are examined. Both general concepts and specific case studies are stressed.
Emphasis will be placed on increasing the techniques of evaluating, refuting, comparing, contrasting,
analyzing, and supporting ideas.

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