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AP
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Teacher: Mrs. Rachel Califf
Email: rachelcaliff@comcast.net
Required
Class Texts:
v Primary
textbook To Be Announced
v 2002 AP
US Government Exam (released by the College Board and available through
Pennsylvania Homeschoolers for approximately $5.00 + S/H)
Optional
Texts:
v American
Government:
v Barron’s
AP US Government and Politics by Curt Lader, 2008, #
ISBN-10: 0764138200 and/or # ISBN-13: 978-0764138201
Tuition
fee: $375, plus books. Registration begins
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, 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; current
and world event discussions; group projects (like the drafting
of a mock legislative bill); two class games; scavenger hunts;
design-your-own-poll; the Civic Involvement Project; article and political
cartoon analyses; and a full practice exam that doubles as the class final.
The class syllabus also includes weekly discussions with
classmates and teacher. These discussions (both academic and social) take place
via a message board, where we post messages (like a bulletin board) that can be
read and responded to later. The web-board is designed to give students a
chance to explore and engage current political issues with openness.
As the instructor, I closely monitor and provide timely
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, 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
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 the 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.
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. To this end, students are invited and encouraged to
share articles with political relevance on the wwwboard for discussion. I also
regularly post articles relating to current political events. Typically, the
articles that I post will reflect my political interests and views. All such
reading is, therefore, optional. Students are not required to read articles
that are posted, though they are strongly encouraged to make the news venue of
their choice part of their daily routine. If they choose to read the articles
posted, they are invited and encouraged to dissect, discuss and evaluate the
current issue, the viewpoint and the author bias portrayed. 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 (as evidenced by the article
and cartoon analyses assignments) 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 on 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.
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 familiar with basic essay-writing skills. Students must be self-motivated and punctual with assignments. All political perspectives are wholeheartedly welcomed.
Teacher
Qualifications & Bio: This will be my tenth year teaching AP American
Government & Politics. I am a
Student
Teacher Qualifications & Bio: I’m Treen
Marquis, a student from the 2008-2009 course. I
started this class with very little formal knowledge of
INSTRUCTOR
NOTE: Treen performed exceptionally
well in the course, passing with an A+, no small feat. Besides his academic
commitment to the course and his evident passion for the subject, he was also
quite deft at respectfully and intelligently negotiating tense discussions over
controversial topics, often soothing troubled waters. This is a skill I highly
admired and appreciated. I hope that my students will emulate his diligence,
passion and respectful nature. It is why I have requested and am honored to
have him to assist me in leading this year’s course.
3 -
Highly Interactive
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