AP U.S. Government and Politics: Course Outline

  1. Unit 1: Underpinnings and Documents of American Government
    1. Chapter 1: Constitutional Beginnings
      1. Lesson 1: American Democracy
        1. Topic 1: The Nature of Governments
        2. Topic 2: Theories of Democracy
        3. Topic 3: The Policy-Making Cycle
      2. Lesson 2: English and Enlightenment Traditions
        1. Topic 1: English Documents and Democracy
        2. Topic 2: Enlightenment Political Philosophies
    2. Chapter 2: American Documents
      1. Lesson 3: Documents from the Revolution and Beyond
        1. Topic 1: Thomas Paine's "Common Sense"
        2. Topic 2: Declaration of Independence
        3. Topic 3: The Policy-Making Cycle
      2. Lesson 4: Constitution Building
        1. Topic 1: The Articles of Confederation
        2. Topic 2: The State Constitutions
        3. Topic 3: The U.S. Constitution
      3. Lesson 5: The Constitution
        1. Topic 1: Constitutional Principles
        2. Topic 2: Structure of the Constitution
      4. Lesson 6: The Bill of Rights
        1. Topic 1: The Purpose and Intent of the Founders
        2. Topic 2: The Bill of Rights
        3. Topic 3: Amendments After the Bill of Rights
    3. Chapter 3: American Federalism
      1. Lesson 7: Layer Cake Federalism
        1. Topic 1: Defining Federalism
        2. Topic 2: Separation of National and State Governments
      2. Lesson 8: Evolution of Federalism
        1. Topic 1: Cooperative Federalism
        2. Topic 2: Fiscal Federalsim
  2. Unit 2: Political Beliefs, Behaviors in Parties, Campaigns, and Elections
    1. Chapter 4: Political Parties and Voting Behavior
      1. Lesson 9: Political Parties
        1. Topic 1: Political Party Eras
        2. Topic 2: Third Parties
      2. Lesson 10: Party Function and Structure
        1. Topic 1: The Function of Parties in America
        2. Topic 2: Organization of Parties
      3. Lesson 11: Party Identification
        1. Topic 1: Factors that Lead to Party Identification
        2. Topic 2: Realignment and Dealignment
      4. Lesson 12: Voting Behavior and Intensity
        1. Topic 1: Demographics
        2. Topic 2: Intensity
    2. Chapter 5: Elections
      1. Lesson 13: Financial Participation in Elections
        1. Topic 1: Cost of Elections
        2. Topic 2: Interest Groups and Political Action Committees
        3. Topic 3: Campaign Finance Reform
      2. Lesson 14: Congressional Elections
        1. Topic 1: Incumbency
        2. Topic 2: House and Senate Elections
      3. Lesson 15: Presidential Elections
        1. Topic 1: The Electoral College
        2. Topic 2: Primaries, Caucuses, and Conventions
        3. Topic 3: General Elections
  3. Unit 3: The Institutions of Government
    1. Chapter 6: The Legislative Branch
      1. Lesson 16: Structure of the House of Representatives
        1. Topic 1: Composition of the House
        2. Topic 2: Committees and the Iron Triangle
      2. Lesson 17: Structure of the Senate
        1. Topic 1: Composition of the Senate
        2. Topic 2: Power, Committees, and Debates
      3. Lesson 18: Passage of a Bill
        1. Topic 1: Route of a Bill through Congress
        2. Topic 2: Veto Power and Judicial Review
    2. Chapter 7: The Executive Branch
      1. Lesson 19: The Nature of a President
        1. Topic 1: Qualifications and Qualities
        2. Topic 2: Rules and Contingencies
      2. Lesson 20: Presidential Roles
        1. Topic 1: Express Roles
        2. Topic 2: Traditional Roles and Special Powers
      3. Lesson 21: The White House
        1. Topic 1: Executive Offices and Staff
        2. Topic 2: Presidential Management Models
      4. Lesson 22: Presidential Politics, Polls, and the Press
        1. Topic 1: Approval Ratings and Public Perception
        2. Topic 2: Polls and Polling
        3. Topic 3: Media and Press Coverage
      5. Lesson 23: The Budget
        1. Topic 1: The Office of Management and Budget
        2. Topic 2: Surpluses, Deficits, and the National Debt
        3. Topic 3: Budget Timetable
    3. Chapter 8: The Bureaucracy
      1. Lesson 24: The Nature of the Bureaucracy
        1. Topic 1: Perceptions of the Bureaucracy
        2. Topic 2: Organization of the Federal Bureaucracy
        3. Topic 3: Bureaucratic reform
      2. Lesson 25: The Cabinet
        1. Topic 1: The Origins of the Cabinet
        2. Topic 2: The Modern Cabinet
        3. Topic 3: The Cabinet Practice
      3. Lesson 26: Other Bureaucratic Bodies
        1. Topic 1: Regulatory Agencies
        2. Topic 2: Government Corporations
      4. Lesson 27: Checks on the Bureaucracy
        1. Topic 1: Legislative and Executive Constraints
        2. Topic 2: Congressional and Judicial Constraints
    4. Chapter 9: The Judiciary
      1. Lesson 28: The Federal Court System
        1. Topic 1: Constitutional and Legislative Courts
        2. Topic 2: The United States Supreme Court
      2. Lesson 29: Historical Supreme Courts
        1. Topic 1: John Marshall and Roger Taney
        2. Topic 2: Earl Warren
        3. Topic 3: Warren Burger
      3. Lesson 30: The Nature of the Supreme Court
        1. Topic 1: Judicial Activism and Restraint
        2. Topic 2: Judicial Review and Construction
      4. Lesson 31: The Modern Supreme Court
        1. Topic 1: The Selection Process
        2. Topic 2: The Confirmation Process
  4. Unit 4: Civil Rights and Civil Liberties
    1. Chapter 10: Civil Liberties: The Bill of Rights Today
      1. Lesson 32: Incorporation
        1. Topic 1: Unalienable Rights
        2. Topic 2: Selective Incorporation
      2. Lesson 33: The Establishment Clause
        1. Topic 1: Wall of Separation
        2. Topic 2: The Establishment Clause in Court
      3. Lesson 34: The Free Exercise Clause
        1. Topic 1: Free Exercise of Religion
        2. Topic 2: The Free Exercise Clause in Court
      4. Lesson 35: Freedom of Speech
        1. Topic 1: Significance of Free Speech
        2. Topic 2: Rights and Limitations of Free Speech
      5. Lesson 36: Freedom of the Press
        1. Topic 1: Free Press History
        2. Topic 2: Rights and Limitations on Free Press
      6. Lesson 37: The Fourth Amendment
        1. Topic 1: Reasonable Searches and Seizures
        2. Topic 2: The Exclusionary Rule
      7. Lesson 38: Due Process and Criminal Rights
        1. Topic 1: Self-Incrimination
        2. Topic 2: Speedy and Public Trials
        3. Topic 3: The Right to Counsel
        4. Topic 4: Capital Punishment
    2. Chapter 11: Civil Rights
      1. Lesson 39: Civil War Amendments and the Civil Rights Movement
        1. Topic 1: Civil War Amendments
        2. Topic 2: The Civil Rights Movement
      2. Lesson 40: Post WW II Civil Rights Legislation
        1. Topic 1: The Truman Era
        2. Topic 2: The Eisenhower Era
        3. Topic 3: The Kennedy - Johnson Era
        4. Topic 4: Affirmative Action