AP Reading Assignments/Calendar

Reading: In order for students to be successful in a college level course, it is essential that they maximize their time and complete all assigned readings prior to class discussions. The readings, lectures and discussions will figure prominently in the content of the quizzes and examinations. The students are expected to learn the basic material in their assigned readings. In class they are expected to apply their knowledge in analyzing and evaluating political issues based on their readings.  All assigned reading must be completed before attending class

Textbooks, Materials and other Resources:

  1. Required Text :

Wilson J.Q. & Dilulio, J. J. (2008) American Government Institutions

and Policies. (11th edition) Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company.

  1. Supplementary materials:
    1. Source Materials: Books

Woll, Peter (2011) American Government: Readings and Cases(19th edition) Pearson Longman. (text can be purchased online at various sites)

  1.  Source Materials: News and Internet

   Articles from news sources will be referenced weekly. Other internet sites will be referenced as we approach that particular topic.

 

Note:  Students are expected to utilize news and internet resources to fully grasp current events and other concepts covered throughout the course. Computers with internet access are available in the school’s information center, as well as the AP Government classroom. 

Timeframe

Topic/Subtopics

Readings -Textbook and Supplemental Sources

Weeks 1 – 4

8/23-9/16

 

Ch. 1- 8/25

 

Ch. 2- 8/31

 

Ch. 3- 9/7

1. Constitutional Underpinnings of the US Government

  • Formulation and Adoption of Constitution
  • Separation of Powers
  • Federalism
  • Theories of democratic government

 

Wilson & Dilulio: chapters 1-3

 

Woll Reader: (to be assigned at a later date)

Reading 1. John Locke, Second Treatise, Of Civil Government

Reading 4. James Madison, Federalist 47, 48, 51.

Reading 5. Laurence H. Tribe and Michael C. Dorf, How Not to Read the Constitution.

Reading 6. Alexander Hamilton, Federalist 16, 17

Reading 7. The Anti-Federalist Papers No. 17

Reading 12. McCulloch v. Maryland, (1819)

Reading 13. Gibbons v. Ogden, (1824)

Reading 14. United States v. Morrison, (2000)

Reading 15. Gonzales v. Raich, U.S. Supreme Court (2005)

Reading 16. Wickard v. Filburn, (1942)*

 

Other:  Related Current Events

Internet Articles & Sources

Historical Documents and Court Cases

Weeks 5 – 9

9/19-10/20

 

Ch. 4- 9/19

 

Ch. 7- 9/28

 

Ch. 8- 10/10

 

2. Political Beliefs and Behaviors

  • Beliefs that citizens hold about their government and leaders
  • Processes by which citizens learn about politics
  • The nature, sources and consequences of public opinion
  • The ways in which citizens vote and otherwise participate in political life
  • Factors that influence citizens vote and otherwise participate in political life
  • Factors that influence citizens to differ from one another in terms of Political Beliefs

Wilson & Dilulio: chapters 4, 7-8

 

Woll Reader: (to be assigned at a later date)

Reading 31. James Madison, Federalist 10

Reading 32. E. E. Schattschneider, Party Government

Reading 33. Sir Ernest Barker, Government by Discussion

Reading 34. Report of the Committee of Political Parties, American Political Science Association, Toward More Responsible Two Party System

Reading 35. David R. Mayhew, Divided We Govern

Reading 36. V.O. Key, Jr., A Theory of Critical Elections

Reading 37. Bernard R. Berelson, Paul F. Lazarsfeld, and William N. McPhee, Democratic Practice and Democratic Theory

Reading 38. V.O. Key, Jr., The Responsible Electorate

Reading 43. David B. Truman, The Governmental Process

Other:

Related Current Events

Internet Articles & Sources

Weeks 10-14

10/24-11/22

 

Ch. 9- 10/24

 

Ch. 10-10/31

 

Ch. 11- 11/7

 

Ch. 12-11/14

3. Political Parties, Interest Groups and Mass Media

  • Political Parties and elections (Functions, Organization, Development, Effects on the political process, Electoral laws and systems)
  • Interests groups, including political action committees (Range of interests represented, activities of interest groups, effects of interest groups on the political process, unique characteristics and roles of PAC’s in the political process)
  • Mass Media (Functions and Structures of the media, Impacts of media on politics

Wilson & Dilulio: chapters 9-12

 

Woll Reader: (to be assigned at a later date)

Reading 39. Jeffrey M. Berry, Madison's Dilemma

Reading 40. Buckley v. Valeo, 424 U.S. 1 (1976)

Reading 41. Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, United States Supreme Court, 2010

Reading 42. Daniel R. Ortiz, The Democratic Paradox of Campaign Finance Reform

Reading 44. Pendleton Herring, The Role of Interest Groups in Government

Reading 45. Larry J. Sabato, The Misplaced Obsession with PACs

 

Other:

Related Current Events

Internet Articles & Sources

Weeks 15-27

11/28-3/2

 

Ch. 13- 11/28

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ch. 14- 1/3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ch. 15- 1/26

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ch. 16- 2/13

4. Institutions of National Government: The Congress, the Presidency, the Bureaucracy and the Federal Courts

  • The major formal and informal institutional arrangements of power
  • Relationships among these four institutions and varying balances of power
  • Linkages between institutions and the following: Public opinion and voters, interest groups, political parties, the media, sub-national governments

Congress

 

Wilson & Dilulio: chapter 13

 

Woll Reader: (to be assigned at a later date)

Reading 55. James Madison, Federalist 53, 56, 57, 58, 62, 63

Reading 56. Woodrow Wilson, Congressional Government

Reading 57. Morris P. Fiorina, The Rise of the Washington Establishment

Reading 58. Lawrence C. Dodd, Congress and the Quest for Power

Reading 59. Edmund Burke, Speech to the Electors of Bristol

Reading 60. David R. Mayhew, Congress: The Electoral Connection

Reading 61. Richard F. Fenno, Jr., Home Style and Washington Career

Reading 62. Senator Evan Bayh, Why I’m Leaving the Senate*

 

The Presidency

 

Wilson & Dilulio: chapter 14

 

Woll Reader: (to be assigned at a later date)

Reading 46. Alexander Hamilton, Federalist 70

Reading 47. Mark J. Rozell, George Washington and the Origins of the American Presidency*

Reading 48. Clinton Rossiter, The Presidency -- Focus of Leadership

Reading 49. Richard E. Neustadt, Presidential Power

Reading 50. James David Barber, The Presidential Character

Reading 51. Ex Parte Milligan 71 U.S. 2 (1866)

Reading 52. Boumediene v. Bush, President of the United States, United States Supreme Court, 2008

 

The Bureaucracy

 

Wilson & Dilulio: chapter 15

 

Woll Reader: (to be assigned at a later date)

Reading 53. Peter Woll, Constitutional Democracy and Bureaucratic Power.

Reading 54. James Q. Wilson, The Rise of the Bureaucratic State

 

The Judiciary

 

Wilson & Dilulio: chapter 16

 

Woll Reader: (to be assigned at a later date)

Reading 63. William Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England 1765

Reading 64. Alexander Hamilton, Federalist 78

Reading 65. Marbury v. Madison, 1 Cranch 137 (1803)

Reading 66. John P. Roche, Judicial Self-Restraint

Reading 67. Daniel Webster - Counsel for Defendant Borden in Luther v. Borden (1849), Why Courts Cannot Fairly Decide Political Questions

Reading 68. Luther v. Borden, 48 U.S. 1 (1849)

Reading 69. William J. Brennan, Jr., How the Supreme Court Arrives at Decisions

Reading 70.Sandra Day O’Connor, The Obligation to Follow Precedent*

Reading 71. In Re Slaughter-House Cases, 83 U.S. 36 (1873)*

Reading 72. Oral Argument Before the Supreme Court: McDonald v. Chicago (2010)

Reading 73. McDonald v. Chicago, United States Supreme Court (2010

 

Woll Reader: (to be assigned at a later date)

Reading 43. David B. Truman, The Governmental Process

 

Other: Related Current Events

Internet Articles & Sources

Supreme Court Opinions

Weeks 28-32

3/5-4/4

 

Ch. 17- 3/5

 

Ch. 18- 3/9

 

Ch. 19- 3/14

 

Ch. 20- 3/19

 

Ch. 21- 3/27

 

Ch. 22- 3/29

 

5. Public Policy

  • Policymaking in a federal system
  • Formation of policy agendas
  • The role of institutions in the enactment of policy
  • The role of bureaucracy and the courts in policy implementation and interpretation
  • Linkage between policy processes and the following: Political institutions and federalism, political parties, interest groups, public opinion, elections, policy networks.

Wilson & Dilulio: chapters 17-22

 

Woll Reader: (to be assigned at a later date)

 

Other:

Related Current Events

Internet Articles & Sources

Weeks 34-37

4/10-5/4

 

Ch. 5- 4/10

 

Ch. 6- 4/23

6. Civil Rights and Civil Liberties

  • The development of civil liberties and civil rights by judicial interpretation
  • Knowledge of substantive rights and liberties
  • The impact of the 14th Amendment on the constitutional development of rights and liberties

Wilson & Dilulio: chapters 5-6

 

Woll Reader: (to be assigned at a later date)

 

Other:

Related Current Events

Internet Articles & Sources

Week 38 will be review for the AP Examination.   5/7-5/11

Week 39 – AP Test 5/15

Weeks 40 – 41 will be dedicated to students preparing for and conducting an end of the year project.