A.P. U.S. Government and Politics

2008 AP Exam Schedule

Announcements:

The AP Government and Politics Exam will be given on 08:00 AM, Monday, May 5, 2008.

	% of Grade	Number of Questions	Time Allotted
Section I	50	60	45 minutes
Section II	50	4 Mandatory Essays	1 hour, 40 minutes

AP Government and Politics

Introduction

This is essentially a college course that is rather demanding, and is one that requires you to put forth your best effort on a DAILY basis. Due to the challenging nature of the course, an extra grade point will be added to your course G.P.A. You have ample opportunity to demonstrate that you are academically competent learners, effective communicators, productive individuals, culturally aware individuals, and involved citizens.

Textbook

American Government Institutions and Policies (10^th edition). Cover it and bring it to class every day. This link will provide you with some additional resources. Text Book Link

Supplemental Textbook

L. Monk, The Words We Live By, Stonesong Press, 2003

Course of Study

Constitutional Underpinnings (Ch. 1-3, 22)
Political Beliefs and Behaviors (Ch 4, 7 & 8)
Political Parties, Interest Groups, and Media (Ch 9-12)
Institutions (Ch. 13-16)
Public Policy (Ch. 17-21)
Civil Liberties/Civil Rights (Ch 5-6)

(In your notebook, separate your notes for these units by tab dividers so that you will be organized to prepare for the AP test in May.)

Attendance

Regular attendance is ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL in this class.
I will strictly enforce the school attendance policy. Students with persistent attendance problems will be transferred to another government class.

Classroom Management

I CAN NOT OVERSTATE THE IMPORTANCE OF TAKING EXCELLENT CLASS NOTES. THEY WILL BE OF GREAT HELP NOT ONLY FOR THE TEST PREPARATION THIS YEAR, BUT ALSO FOR REVIEWING FOR THE AP TEST IN MAY.
Each one of you is expected to take an active part in class on a daily basis. When you enter this room, be prepared to think, ask questions, and make comments.
If you have difficulties in this class, come drop by for extra help.
If special problems arise, see me ASAP

Homework

Expect nightly reading assignments. TAKE THESE SERIOUSLY! You will be “in the dark” during the lectures and discussions if you do a poor job of reading or do not do the reading. You will also bomb the quizzes that are based upon the readings.
Late work is usually not accepted. If you are absent, you are responsible to see me upon return to find out what you missed, take tests, and see if there are any assignments that do not appear on the class calendar.

Grades

I use the following grading scale

A = 100-90
B = 89-80
C = 79-70
D = 69-60
F = Below 60

If you have any questions please feel free to contact Mr. Bisson at gbisson@cusd.net