C3_FRAMEWORK_SOCIAL_STUDIESAPhigh school
AP US Government and Politics
Understand how American democracy actually works -- from the constitutional design that created three competing branches to the civil liberties that protect you, the ideologies that divide the country, and the elections that decide who governs. Every unit is aligned to the College Board AP US Government CED and practices the document analysis, argument essay, and concept-application skills the exam tests.
5units
14topics
210questions
~5hours
Course Units
Learning objectives
- Explain how Enlightenment ideas (Locke, Montesquieu, Rousseau) influenced the design of the U.S. Constitution
- Analyze the principles of federalism and the division of power between federal, state, and local governments
- Compare the Articles of Confederation with the Constitution and explain why the Constitution replaced it
- Evaluate the tension between majority rule and minority rights in a constitutional democracy
- Explain how the amendment process, judicial review, and informal changes allow the Constitution to adapt over time
Topics in this unit
Learning objectives
- Analyze how checks and balances limit and distribute power among the three branches
- Explain the legislative process including the roles of committees, party leadership, filibuster, and conference committees
- Evaluate the scope and limits of presidential power including executive orders, vetoes, signing statements, and appointments
- Explain judicial review and analyze how the Supreme Court interprets the Constitution using judicial philosophies
- Analyze the role of the federal bureaucracy in implementing, regulating, and sometimes shaping policy
- Evaluate how inter-branch conflict and negotiation shape policy outcomes
Topics in this unit
Learning objectives
- Distinguish between civil liberties (protections against government action) and civil rights (protections against discrimination)
- Explain the incorporation doctrine and how the 14th Amendment applies the Bill of Rights to state governments
- Analyze landmark Supreme Court cases involving First Amendment freedoms (speech, press, religion, assembly)
- Evaluate the balance between individual rights and public safety in due process and search-and-seizure cases
- Trace the expansion of civil rights through legislation (Civil Rights Act, Voting Rights Act), litigation, and social movements
- Apply the three tiers of judicial scrutiny (rational basis, intermediate, strict) to equal protection claims
Topics in this unit
Learning objectives
- Compare liberal, conservative, and libertarian positions on economic and social policy issues
- Explain how political socialization shapes individual ideology through family, education, media, religion, and peers
- Analyze how public opinion is measured and how sampling methods, question wording, and timing affect polling results
- Evaluate the role of media (traditional and social) in shaping political attitudes and the concept of media bias
- Explain how the ideological spectrum applies to contemporary American politics including moderate and populist positions
- Analyze how demographic factors (age, race, gender, income, education, region) correlate with political ideology
Topics in this unit
Learning objectives
- Explain the structure of the U.S. electoral system including primaries, caucuses, the Electoral College, and congressional elections
- Analyze factors that influence voter turnout and voting behavior (age, education, income, race, registration laws)
- Evaluate the role of political parties in organizing elections, mobilizing voters, and shaping policy platforms
- Analyze the impact of campaign finance laws, PACs, Super PACs, and Citizens United on elections
- Explain how interest groups influence policy through lobbying, litigation, grassroots mobilization, and iron triangles
- Evaluate the role of traditional and social media in shaping political participation, campaigns, and public discourse
Topics in this unit