I. Course Description:

This course is designed to be a self-directed study of U.S. government. Students are responsible for completing units on the Constitution, civil liberties, the Congress, the Presidency, the Judiciary, and the electoral process. Classes are organized on a 3-day cycle built into the school's 6-day cycle. There is one small group meeting, one full class meeting for lecture, discussion, film, etc., and one testing period. Some units will take two school cycles to complete, but most units are based on the single 6-day school cycle. The remaining free time should be used by the student to research, read, and write papers on assigned topics as well as prepare for traditional unit tests.

II. Course Objectives:

     A. Content: The student should understand…
          1. The constitutional principles that are the 
              foundation of our government.
          2. The individual freedoms and responsibilities
              of a U. S. citizen.
          3. The legislative process and the many influences
              that affect how a bill becomes law.
          4. The adversarial relationship of our executive
              and legislative branches of government.
          5. The role of the Supreme Court as the highest
              court in the United States.
          6. How and why people vote as they do and their
              relationship to political parties and interest
              groups.
     B. Skills: The student should develop…
          1. Critical thinking skills by applying constitutional
              principles to case studies or problem solving
              situations.
          2. Writing and research skills to succeed at the
              college level.
          3. Organizational skills to work independently in a
              college-style learning environment.


III. Grading Policy:

Each unit will be evaluated by a unit test and a take-home paper of 3-5 pages in length dealing with an important topic in that unit. The paper is due on the day of the unit test and will depreciate one letter grade each school day that it is late. After five school days the paper is an F. If it is submitted after this time, the highest grade that can be achieved is a 50. If it is never submitted, the grade will be a ZERO.

The Marking Period Grade will count 40% of the Final Course Grade. The Final Exam will count 20% of the Final Course Grade. If a student maintains an A average for both marking periods, he will be exempt from the final exam.

IV. Course Outline:

     First Quarter ( 7 cycles )
          Unit 1: The Constitution & Principles of
                      Democracy
                      Chapter 1 : Principles of Government
                      Chapter 3 : The Constitution
                      Chapter 4 : Federalism
          Unit 2: Civil Liberties & the Constitution
                      Chapter 19: The First Amendment
                      Chapter 20: Right To Privacy
                                          Rights of the Accused &
                                          Punishment
                      Chapter 21: Equal Justice Under the Law
          Unit 3: The Legislative Process
                      Chapter 10: The Congress
                      Chapter 12: Congress in Action

     Second Quarter ( 7 cycles )
          Unit 4: The Executive Branch
                      Chapter 13: The Presidency
                      Chapter 14: The Presidency in Action
          Unit 5: The Judicial Branch
                      Chapter 18: The Federal Court System
          Unit 6: Political Behavior: Government by the
                      People
                      Chapter 6: Voters & Voting Behavior
                      Chapter 7: The Electoral Process
                      Chapter 8: Mass Media & Public Opinion