American Government: Democracy in Crisis?
Jr. American Government
Mr. Peterson
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: petersonAP.weebly.com
Course Goals:
American politics are as unpredictable as the people they represent. What the people demand, elected politicians try to deliver. So what happens when there are so many voices making different demands of our politicians? What does such a situation mean for our government, our democracy, our nation?
This is a class that is as much about who we are as a people as it is about our government and how it rules us, protects us, provides for us, and gives meaning to our collective voice. This class will take students on a tour of this divisive world. We are living in a time where the stakes are high and decisions are being made that will impact all of us for the rest of our lives. With that in mind, you will embark on a journey to fully embrace the privilege of citizenship, your responsibilities toward the law and fellow citizens, and your duties relative to the survival of the American republic.
By the time this year is over, you will be able to do the following:
Mr. Peterson
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: petersonAP.weebly.com
Course Goals:
American politics are as unpredictable as the people they represent. What the people demand, elected politicians try to deliver. So what happens when there are so many voices making different demands of our politicians? What does such a situation mean for our government, our democracy, our nation?
This is a class that is as much about who we are as a people as it is about our government and how it rules us, protects us, provides for us, and gives meaning to our collective voice. This class will take students on a tour of this divisive world. We are living in a time where the stakes are high and decisions are being made that will impact all of us for the rest of our lives. With that in mind, you will embark on a journey to fully embrace the privilege of citizenship, your responsibilities toward the law and fellow citizens, and your duties relative to the survival of the American republic.
By the time this year is over, you will be able to do the following:
- List and describe the articles of the U.S. and Ohio Constitutions.
- List and describe the 27 Amendments to the U.S. Constitution.
- Explain the origin of American republican democracy.
- Explain the principle of separation of powers and the system of checks and balances that limits the power and reach of our government.
- Articulate the manifold ways in which we, as citizens, can and should participate in our democracy.
- Apply the things learned in this class to current events occurring locally, nationally, and globally.
- Unit 1 Foundations (History and Key Documents)
- Unit 2 Institutions (Legislative, Executive, Judicial Branches)
- Unit 3 Civil Liberties & Rights (Protection of Individual Rights)
- Unit 4 Participation (Influencing the Government)
- Unit 5 Public Policy (How Laws are Applied to the People)
- Unit 6 State & Local Government (Democratic Principles Applied at State and Local Levels)
- Unit 7 Political Economy (Interactions Between Government and the Economy)