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American Government

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Quarter Four

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Week of 3.6-3.10: Political Parties
3.6.: Decode DC (reading, podcast)
3.7: Intro to political parties, in-class textbook reading (pg. 232-248) Cornell notes
3.8: Webquest
3.9: Webquest
3.10: Textbook Quiz: political parties, Webquest poster due by the end of the period (will present after spring break)
Homework: Textbook reading 183-201 (Cornell notes in journal due 3.24)
Political Parties-- pick one for your research!

Week of 3.22-3.24: Political Ideology
3.22: Present Political party research (small groups graphic organizer), Political Party research paper intro and begin research

3.23: Political Party research paper-- continue research
3.24: Political Party research paper-- continue research
Homework: Research paper (due 3.27)
Homework: textbook reading 204-229 (Cornell notes in journal, due 3.31)

Week of 3.27-3.31: Campaigns, Voting and Elections
3.27: Political Party research paper due, begin DBQ part A,
N
otebook check
Homework: 1 page notes (front side only) for supplemental use on DBQ-- Primary source readings only
3.28: In-class DBQ (quarter three post-test),
3.29: Citizenship, Textbook, In-Class Readings, Lanahan Exam (quarters 1-3 cumulative)-- Multiple choice exam with some short answer
3.30: In-class reading, Intro PPT: Campaigns, voting, and elections (PPT below, read and Cornell notes)
3.31: Textbook quizzes (2): Political Ideology and Participation, Intro: Campaign ad videos and worksheet
​Homework: Lanahan "Going Dirty" 506-514 
1. How does the author distinguish between negative campaign ads and dirty tricks?
2. Provide two examples which support the author's argument that, "aggressive campaign tactics have been a vital part of the American political system from the very start."
3. Do you agree with the author's statement that, "vots in a legislative body can be twisted to make it seem something they are not. But there's plenty of information available to overcome such distortions, if voters only make minimal efferts to educate themselves" ? Why or why not? Provide information from previous readings to support your opinion
​

Week of 4.3-4.7: Campaigns, Voting and Elections
4.3: Give and Take: Lanahan reading​
Begin work on Political campaign ads--

•Working individually or in groups up to 3, you will be creating a political advertisement for a candidate running for president.
•The ad must be a video at least 1-2 minutes long, discuss at least 2 major issues important to the candidate, and use at least 5 propaganda techniques in order to receive full credit.
•Your political campaign ad can be about a real candidate during the 2016 election cycle, or you may use a fictional candidate (from a book, movie, tv show, etc.)
​4.4: Political campaign ads-- graphic organizer/storyboard, film in class, edit in class
4.5: Political campaign ads-- film in class, edit in class, in-class reading
4.6: Democracy in America Video, Political campaign ads
Homework: Email Mendoza your video link on youtube
​4.7: Quotation analysis quiz, Political campaign ad project due today!
Homework: Pre-reading/listening for Monday Discussion
DecodeDC#185
Washington's Farewell Address

Homework assigned Monday(4.10): PDF reading 475-497 (due Wednesday, 4.12)

Week of 4.10-4.13: Campaigns and Elections
4.10: DecodeDC discussion
Homework: PDF reading pg. 475-497 (due Wednesday, 4.12)
4.11: Campaigns and elections-- political cartoon creation
4.12: Campaigns and elections reading quiz
4.13: Begin Unit: Civil Liberties and Public Policy PPT
In-Class Reading: Establishment Clause
In-Class Reading: CS Monitor
In-Class Reading: Justice Scalia Dissenting Opinion
Questions-- 1) What is the final decision of the Supreme Court? Was a decision made?
2) List Justice Scalia's strongest arguments in your journal. List his weakest arguments. Do you agree with the decision of the court not to take up the case? Why or why not?
3. Respond to the three issues (with justification from other cases, or from previous readings, where applicable) in your journal.
If you have finished: Read the following Supreme Court case decisions with a partner-- were any decisions surprising to you? Why or why not? 

https://billofrightsinstitute.org/cases/

Week of 4.18-4.21: Civil Liberties and Civil Rights
4.18: Civil Liberties quotation analysis quiz
4.19: Peer review of quotation analysis, possibly begin Democracy in America; Civil Liberties
Homework: Civil Liberties-- Safeguarding the Individual PDF (Tocqueville and Locke readings ONLY) due 4/21
4.20: Watch Democracy in America, discussion
4.21: Give and Take/quiz on Civil Liberties readings (2)

Week of 4.24-4.28 Civil Liberties and Civil Rights
4.24: Constitutionality Discussion-- begin research, due 4.27
Quotation Analysis (1)

4.25:  Intro to DBQ Project, In-Class readings (Civil Rights)
Homework: Complete reading if not completed in class
4.26: Constitutionality Discussion--due today
4.27: Civil Rights, quotation analysis rewrite
4.28: Civil Liberties, Civil Rights Exam
Notebook Check

Week of 5.1-5.5 State and Local Government
​5.1: Bring your own device-- working on DBQ Project individually
5.2: Bring your own device-- working on DBQ Project individually
5.3: Bring your own device-- working on DBQ Project individually
THIS IS THE LAST CLASS PERIOD YOU WILL HAVE TO WORK ON YOUR PROJECT UNTIL THE DUE DATE-- 5.15
No late work will be accepted for this project

5.4: State and local government intro
5.5: State and local government continued, quotation analysis
Homework: Pre-reading/listening
1. DecodeDC #192
2. What's the Solution?
​3. Donald Trump and Polarized America


Week of 5.8-5.12 State and Local Government
5.8: Decode DC discussion
5.9: States and Local Government webquest
5.10 State and Local Government webquest, DBQ progress check-- Brainstorm, question, SOAPS, analytical questions for each document
5.11: Tribal sovereignty, a seat at the drum video
5.12: Tribal sovereignty, a seat at the drum video, DBQ Progress check-- DBQ rough draft (at least 2 pages- front+back=1 page)
Homework: select an Arizona Tribe and begin research

​Week of 5.15-5.19 Tribal Sovereignty
5.15: Tribal Sovereignty (complete presentation), DBQ project due NO LATE WORK ACCEPTED
5.16: Tribal Sovereignty presentations
5.17: 
DBQ Benchmark Exam part A

5.18: U.S. Civics Exam-- Galileo (this test is required by AZ law for graduation and will not count towards an assessment score in the gradebook)
5.19: DBQ Benchmark Exam part B


Week of 5.22-5.25 Finals
5.22: Review for final exam (50 multiple choice questions, 50 pts).
5.23:
Final Exam (period 1)
5.24: Final Exam (period 6)
5:25: Makeup day 

Syllabus
honors_government_syllabus.pdf
File Size: 108 kb
File Type: pdf
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syllabus_scavenger_hunt_honors_government.pdf
File Size: 69 kb
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Textbook

Textbook Information

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Our textbook for this course will be American Government by Timothy O. Lenz and Mirya Holman. This book has been published and is available free online as an open source education resource. Click on the file below to download and save as a PDF file.



americangovtext.pdf
File Size: 10060 kb
File Type: pdf
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supplies
  • A 3-ring binder (at least 3-inch) with plenty of loose leaf paper (college rule)
  • Writing instruments (pencils, blue or black pens are acceptable)
  • A spiral notebook labeled "Journal"

Required Reading:
The Lanahan Readings in the American Polity 
(You may purchase, or rent your book from Amazon.com-- or any other website, if you rent from Amazon, you will need it for the entire year, and therefore must rent TWICE)



Week One: Syllabus, benchmark testing, how to avoid plagiarism
Week Two: Athenian Democracy
Week Three: Roman Republic
Week Four: Enlightenment Philosophers
Week Five: Enlightenment Philosophers
Week Six: American Ideology
Week Seven: The Constitution and American Democracy
Week Eight: The Constitution and American Democracy
Week Nine: Federalism and Separation of Powers
Week Ten: The Constitutional Basis of Federalism
Week Eleven: The Constitutional Basis of Federalism
Week Twelve: Congress
Week Thirteen: Congress
Week Fourteen: Congress
Week Fifteen: The Presidency
Week Sixteen: The Executive Branch—the Federal Bureaucracy
Week Seventeen: The Budget—the Politics of Taxing and Spending
Week Eighteen: Midterm
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Week Nineteen: The Federal Courts
Week Twenty: The Supreme’s Greatest Hits
Week Twenty One: The Supreme’s Greatest Hits
Week Twenty Two: Public Opinion and Political Action
Week Twenty Three: Public Opinion and Political Action
Week Twenty Four: Interest Groups
Week Twenty Five: Interest Groups
Week Twenty Six: The Mass Media and the Political Agenda
Week Twenty Seven: The Mass Media and the Political Agenda
Week Twenty Eight: Political Parties
Week Twenty Nine: Political Parties
Week Thirty: Campaigns, Voting, and Elections
Week Thirty One: Campaigns, Voting, and Elections
Week Thirty Two: CIVIL LIBERTIES AND PUBLIC POLICY
Week Thirty Three: CIVIL RIGHTS AND PUBLIC POLICY
Week Thirty Four: America in a Changing World
Week Thirty Five: America in a Changing World
Week Thirty Six: Final


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About The Podcast

"DecodeDC has a broad mandate: to help Americans understand how crucial political issues affect everyday life. We do this by using every narrative tool we can – from straightforward analysis to podcasts to interactive graphics to video. We want to be a reliable, honest and, when appropriate, highly entertaining source of insight and explanation of Washington, D.C.'s people, culture, policies and politics, but mostly we want to be useful."

About the Founder

"Andrea Seabrook is the founder of DecodeDC. Seabrook, who joined Scripps News in the fall of 2013, left NPR in July 2012 where she was a long-time Congressional Correspondent. Seabrook hosted Weekend All Things Considered, was a regular guest host of All Things Considered, Weekend Edition, and Talk of the Nation, and worked with NPR's Planet Money team. 
Seabrook left Scripps News in early June 2015, but DecodeDC continues to adhere to one of her primary goals: provide coverage of Washington’s people, culture, policies and politics that is educative and enjoyable."
Honors Government: Decode DC
Plagiarism
PLagiarism information - click here

Plagiarism Definition and Outcomes: 
Trine University

ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT
    
The University prohibits all forms of academic misconduct. Academic misconduct refers to dishonesty in examinations (cheating), presenting ideas or the writing of someone else as one’s own (plagiarism) or knowingly furnishing false information to the University by forgery, alteration, or misuse of University documents, records, or identification. Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, the following examples: permitting another student to plagiarize or cheat from one’s own work, submitting an academic exercise (written work, printing, design, computer program) that has been prepared totally or in part by another, acquiring improper knowledge of the contents of an exam, using unauthorized material during an exam, submitting the same paper in two different courses without knowledge and consent of professors, or submitting a forged grade change slip or computer tampering. The faculty member has the authority to grant a failing grade in cases of academic misconduct as well as referring the case to Student Life.

     PLAGIARISM
     You are expected to submit your own work and to identify any portion of work that has been borrowed from others in any form. An ignorant act of plagiarism on final versions and minor projects, such as attributing or citing inadequately, will be considered a failure to master an essential course skill and will result in an F for that assignment. A deliberate act of plagiarism, such as having someone else do your work, or submitting someone else’s work as your own (e.g. from the Internet, fraternity file, etc., including homework and in-class exercises), will result in an F for that assignment and could result in an F for the course.

Other links
Interesting Links
Build Your Resume
Writings on Democracy
Citizenship Test
hgovfinaldbqcreation.docx
File Size: 962 kb
File Type: docx
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