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College in High School American Politics

Course Description

This is an introductory course in American politics.  The course is suitable for beginning political science students or students who wish to complete the course as part of a “general education” requirement for college.  The purpose of the course is to teach students about the American political system and the broad concepts social scientists use to study politics.   

Course Big Ideas

  • What is the essence of politics?
  • How does the U.S. Constitution seek to find and respect the “will of the people”? 
  • To what extent do several American political system elements represent the “will of the people?”
     

Course Essential Questions

  • How did the context of the writing of the U.S. Constitution affect the priorities of its framers when outlining a new form of government?
  • What continuities and changes are essential to an understanding of the institutions of the U.S. federal government?
  • How has the American political system changed since the writing of the U.S. Constitution?

Course Competencies

  • Contextualization
  • Perspective Analysis
  • Interpretation
  • Reasoning
  • Synthesis

Course Assessments

  • Thinking Skills-Based Assessments
  • Writing Prompts/Discussion Forums
  • Project/Problem-Based Learning

Course Units