GENERAL DESCRIPTION: This semester-long course marks the culmination of civic literacy that will prepare students to vote, participate in community activities, and implement the responsibilities of citizenship. AP United States Government and Politics is a college-level course designed to: • Enable students to develop an in-depth understanding of the institutions of American government and American political behavior • Prepare students to successfully take the Advanced Placement Government and Politics exam in the spring. • Provide students with curricular information, study methods, and class performance strategies that will enable them to achieve success in future collegiate political science courses. OBJECTIVES: Through the below units of study, students will gain a fundamental understanding of the framework of American government, the structure and responsibilities of each branch, political motivations of voters, and legislators, the interrelationship between politics and government, the infusion of political behaviors into governmental activities and incentives, and an increased insight into their responsibilities as voters and citizens, pursuant to the California state content standards for government (available in their entirety online at http://www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss/hstgrade12.asp) and the Advanced Placement curricular requirements. Students will also enhance critical thinking and analytical skills through independent research, writing, presentations, and awareness of current events,