Course Syllabus
Government Syllabus
Instructor: Ms. Soderquist
Course Overview: American Government is a class designed to acquaint students with the origins, concepts, organizations, and policies of the United States government and political system. To increase comprehension, students will read and analyze relevant primary and secondary source documents and incorporate these ideas into the assigned material.
Texts: Magruder’s American Government The text will be used to supplement classroom material and as a reference for main ideas, key terms, and primary source readings.
Course Objectives:
During this course, students will:
- Understand the basic concepts of democratic thought .
- Analyze the formation, concepts, and components of the United States Constitution.
- Investigate the idea of federalism and explain the role of states and the national government in America’s political environment.
- Explore America’s political culture and examine the traits and beliefs of the American voter.
- Identify America’s major political parties, the core beliefs, and the impact special interest groups can have on their actions.
- Understand the electoral process in the United States.
- Examine the components and functions of Michigans state government.
- Analyze the organization and purpose of the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial branches of government.
- Understand the role and structure of the federal bureaucracy.
- Investigate the modern media and its impact on public opinion.
- Examine the concepts of civil rights and civil liberties and their impact on American society.
Assignments: Students will be assigned a variety of classroom assignments throughout the course of the class. These will be completed either as individual or collaborative group assignments. Work turned in one day late will be subject to a 10% point deduction from assignments overall point value. Work turned in after five days late will be subject to a 50% point reduction. Exemptions from this policy will be given upon verified absences such as documented illness, family emergency, and school related events. Students with excused absences will be given one day for every day missed to make up missed work. Students who exceed the allotted number of excused absences must provide documentation (doctor’s note, etc.) to avoid late work penalties. Assignments for this class will be posted on Canvas and emails and can be shared with you through Google Drive. Daily assignments will account for 25% of your overall course grade .
Projects: During the course of the school year, students will complete a number of projects as they pertain to specific ideas and principles. This will include current events, role playing, and oral / visual presentations. These will be completed as individual projects unless otherwise assigned. Projects will account for 75% of your overall course grade. ****Due to change if we go online completely*****
Quizzes / Exams: Quizzes may be given at any time during a specific unit of study to measure student achievement on a particular concept or idea. These will be short and graded in class. Unit exams will be given at the end of each unit. These will cover only the ideas covered from that unit. Unit exams will account for 75% of your overall course grade,and the fall semester final and the spring End of Course exam will account for 10% of the overall grade.
Notes: All classroom notes, study guides, and assigned readings will be posted either on Canvas or through group emails. Students will be individually responsible for printing off unit notes and study guides when assigned. This page can be accessed through Canvas and emails. ***Please keep a notebook with all of your work in it. To keep safe - I will ask you to take pictures of your completed assignments and email me periodically. DO NOT rip anything out of your notebook!***
Attendance / Tardies: Please refer to the student handbook regarding the attendance and tardy policy.
Food / Drinks: Drinks are permitted as long as they have a lid and don’t become a problem. Food is allowed in the classroom, just pick up after yourself!
Classroom Behavior: Any behavior that disrupts the classroom environment will not be tolerated (this includes the use of cell phones and other electronics). Students who violate this policy may be removed from class and will have their parent(s) / guardians contacted.
Teacher Contact Info: Feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns that you may have regarding this class. It is important to remember two things: First, I can’t help you with a problem if I don’t know about it. Second,” bad planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part”.
Tentative assignments and due dates to pay attention to:
UNIT ONE
8/25 - Introduction to Government - What’s in a Name Activity - DUE 9/1
9/1 - Historical Context - American Revolution Timeline - DUE 9/3
9/8 - Articles of Confederation - Activity with types of government to define - DUE 9/10
9/10 - US Constitution Scavenger Hunt - DUE 9/11
9/14 - Federalist Papers Activity - DUE 9/16
9/16 - Federalism - Power structure between Federal Government and The States. - DUE 9/16
9/17 - Bill of Rights - activity. DUE 9/18
UNIT TWO - The Branches of Government (Articles one through three).
9/21 - Article one Activity - Introduction to Congress. - DUE 9/22
9/22 - Senate and House of Representatives Worksheets - DUE 9/25
9/28 - How a Bill Becomes Law - Assessment. - DUE 10/1
10/1 - Article Two - Introduction to the Executive Branch and the Bureaucracy. DUE 10/2
10/2 - Powers of The President and Roles of the President. - DUE 10/5
10/5 - Bureaucracy Superhero project - DUE 10/7
10/7 - Electoral College Assignment - DUE 10/9
10/12 - Article III - SCOTUS - Introduction brochure - DUE 10/12
10/13 - Marbury vs. Madison - Judicial Review - One pager - 10/14
10/14 - Federalist Paper #78 - One pager - DUE 10/15.
10/15 - Checks and Balances Activity - Public Policy Assessment - DUE 10/21
UNIT Three:
10/22 - Review Bill of Rights. 1st Amendment Rights Handout. - Due 10/26
10/26 - Breaking News Activity - DUE 10/29.
10/29 - Civil Rights Review - COURT CASES - due 11/2
****MAY NEED TO EXTEND DATES HERE****
UNIT Four:
11/2 - Interest Group Activity - DUE 11/4
11/4 - Political Socialization = spectrum chart and Political ideology quizzes. - DUE 11/5
11/6 - Political Parties Project - DUE 11/13.
11/16 - Campaign Finance Reform - DUE 11/18
11/18 - Lobbying in Action activity - DUE 11/19.
11/19 - The Media - Four types of media projects. DUE 11/20.
11/23 - Media Bias activity - DUE 11/24.
THANKSGIVING BREAK
UNIT Five:
11/30 - Foriegn Policy - Charts- DUE 12/3
12/4 - Create a Foreign Policy - DUE 12/8
12/8 - International Trade - Trade Superhero project - DUE 12/11
12/14 - EXAM WEEK :)
CHRISTMAS BREAK - Be safe and have fun!
Course Summary:
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