Unit 1: Foundations of American Democracy and the Constitution

4-5 Weeks (August 29-October 3)

This unit focuses on the background of democracy in America, the ratification of the Constitution. At the
core of this will be the exploration of the debates regarding the scope and power of governmental
authority. You should be able to answer and/or know the following: What is a state, government, political
ideology, majority rule, the plurality system, a republic, a democracy, freedom of expression, a federal
system (federalism), a confederation, the rule of law, political culture, constitutionalism, legitimacy,
Federalists, Anti-Federalists? Why did the Articles of Confederation failed? What were political
compromises during the Constitutional Convention? How is separation of powers manifested in the
Constitution? What are the formal powers of each branch? How do checks and balances protect from the
abuse of power? What are checks and balances and separation of powers? How does judicial review
work? What are characteristics of federalism and how are powers shared? To what extent does the
Constitution protect liberty and ensure order? How relevant are Constitutional debates in making policy
today?

Textbook reading:
-Abernathy, Chapters 1-3Janda, Chapters 1-4
Foundational Readings: Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation, Federalist 10,
Federalist 51, Brutus 1
Interpretation of Data:
-A variety of charts, political maps, graphs, political cartoons, video clips, internet sites (such as
PEW Research Site), newspapers, pollster data and other media for analysis and interpretation
Required Cases

Sample Activities:
- Constitution Negotiation: After conducting a close read of the Declaration of Independence,
and Articles of Confederation, students will negotiate what a new Constitution would need to live
up to ideals expressed in the Declaration of Independence and weaknesses of the Articles of
Confederation. (CON-1)
-Federalist Town Hall: Students will engage in a mock ‘town hall debate’ taking the positions of
Federalists and Antifederalists. Using evidence from Federalist 10, Federalist 51, and Brutus 1,
students must convince opposing sides whether or not to ratify the Constitution.
-Checks and Balance Case Study: Students will use Articles I-III of the Constitution to
determine whether or not certain behaviors by each branch of government are permissible.
Scenarios will be based on real life examples an Court cases.
-Federalism Court Analysis: Students will analyze how McCullough v. Maryland, Gibbons v.
Ogden, Hart of Atlanta v. US, and US v Lopez relate to federalism and determine how they
balance power between states and the federal government.
-Current Event Connection: Students will use media outlets to connect an issue to topics of
the unit.
Unit 2: American Political Ideologies and Beliefs (2.5 weeks)
3 Weeks (October 8- October 24)
This unit analyzes the beliefs that citizens hold about government and their behaviors, how they
impact the government’s behavior, and shape policies. How and why do we vote the way we
do? What is political socialization? What is public opinion and how it is measured? What is the
impact of gender, religion, ethnicity, occupation, age, and income on political behavior? What
type of information can be gathered from polls and how accurate can is it? How has the US
political landscape changed over time? How does the political behavior affect what the
government does? How does political ideology shape debates around policy? (CR-4, CR-6, CR-
7, CR-9) (PMI-4, MPA-1, MPA-2)

Textbook reading:
-Abernathy, Chapters 10-12, Janda, Chapters 5 & 7
Supplemental and Primary Readings
- Woll Reader: Buckley v Valeo, Rozell, Mark and Wilcox, Clyde, Interest Groups and the
American Political System, Key, V.O., The Responsible Electorate, Berelson, Bernard,
Lazarsfeld, Paul and McPhee, Williams, Democratic Practice and Democratic Theory
Barone, Michael, The Power of the Presidents’ Pollsters
Interpretation of Data
-A variety of charts, political maps, graphs, political cartoons, video clips, internet sites (such as
PEW Research Site), newspapers, pollster data and other media for analysis and interpretation
Specifically: http://people-press.org/; http://people-press.org/reports/;
http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1207/republican-party-identification-slips-nationwide-pennsylvania-
specter-switch

Sample Activities

Opinion Graph Analysis: Students will analyze, examine, and observe trends in current public
opinion polls. By identifying their distributions and overall patterns, students will determine the
implications the polls could have on the given public policy.

Political Ideology Speed Dating: Students will engage in a political ideology “speed-dating” in
which students play the roles of liberals, conservatives, and libertarians and are asked to
compare and contrast their positions on a wide range of contemporary issues (legalization of
marijuana, U.S. foreign involvement, immigration policy, taxes and economic policy, abortion
restrictions, firearms possession).

Public Opinion Current Issue Paper: In a short paper, students will analyze data regarding a
current policy issue. They will research and explain the issue, analyze the data from numerous
polls and will finally connect the data to majoritarian and pluralist perspective of public opinion.
Unit 3: Political Participation and Linkage Institutions (6.5 weeks)
October 29- December 5
This unit focuses on ways citizens and groups participate and are connected to government
through linkage institutions. The unit will begin by connecting political behavior to voting patters.
Students will then carefully examine how the media, political parties, interest groups impact
government and policies. Additionally, students will examine how election laws and rules impact
citizen and linkage group participation.

How do the Constitution and legislation protect voting? What are the models of voting behavior? How
does legislation impact voter turnout? What is the mass media and what have its biggest mediums been?
What are the consequences of having privately owned media? How and why does the government
regulate the media? What impacts does the media have on shaping public opinion, how citizens gain
knowledge of the political system, shaping the electorate and policy making, framing issues, political
socialization, and elections? What are the functions of political parties? How do political parties differ
from interest groups? How are they organized? How has the two party system played out through time?
What are the consequences of a two party system? What are the ideologies of the two parties and how
have they changed over time? What is realignment? What have trends in party identification been among
various racial, ethnic, gender, and socioeconomic groups? What are interest groups and examples of
each type? How and where do they access government? What is posited about factions in Federalist 10?
What are differences between interest group politics and movement politics? How do interest groups
differ from political parties? What are strategies of lobbyists? How does single member voting plurality
function? How are candidates nominated for Congress and the President? How does campaigning differ
in the House and Senate? What are different types of primaries and their impacts? What is a critical
election? How does the electoral college work? How are presidential campaigns run? How do the two
parties differ in the nomination process? How has financing campaigns changed through time? What is a
critical election?

Textbook reading:
-Abernathy, Chapters 13-16; Janda Chapters 6 ,7, 8, 9, 10

Foundational Readings: Twelfth, Fifteenth, Seventeenth, Nineteenth, Twenty-Fourth, and

Twenty-Sixth Amendments, First Amendment

Required Case: Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission

Supplemental and Primary Readings:
- Excerpts from: Herrnson, Paul, Interest Groups, PACs and Campaigns, Mitchell, Alison, A
New Form of Lobbying Puts Public Face on Private Interest, Kurtz, Howard, The Master of Spin,
Judis, John – The Mighty Middle, Caldwell, Christopher, The Southern Captivity of the GOP
Woll Reader: Divided We Govern, Theory of Critical Elections
-Federalist Paper No. 10, New York Times Co v. United States, Buckley v. Valeo, Shelby v.
Holder, Voting Rights Act of 1965

Interpretation of Data (CR 7):

A variety of charts, political maps, graphs, political cartoons, video clips, internet sites (such as
PEW Research Site), newspapers, pollster data and other media for analysis and interpretation
Specifically: http://www.livingroomcandidate.org

Sample Activities:
Voter Fraud Debate: Students will excerpts from the case Shelby v. Holder, the Voting Rights
Act of 1965, and arguments for and against voter ID laws and debate them. Following the
debate, students will create an argumentative essay on whether or not voter ID laws protect
election integrity or suppress turnout.

Role of the Media Analysis: Students will be shown nightly news and Sunday morning talk
show segments, compare and contrast coverage, and identify the roles of the media as a
linkage institution.

Political Party Convention: Students will read the party platforms of the Democratic,
Republican, Libertarian, and Green parties. In a mock convention, students will present key
positions and compare and contrast them to the other parties. In a brief quick write, students will
explain how the winner take all system would impact minor parties.

Primary Election Comparison: Students will compare and contrast the different types of
primary elections and explain how trends in turnout and voter behavior in each.

Electoral College Critique: Students will read the Twelfth Amendment, and positions for and
against the electoral college and will create an argumentative essay on whether or not the
electoral college should be replaced with a national popular vote.

Citizens United Critique: Students will read the opinions in Citizens United v. FEC as well as
arguments for and against the ruling and create an argumentative essay on whether or not the
decision is fair or not.

Interest Group Case Study: Students will research an interest group and create a presentation
in which they explain the tactics used to influence policy making amongst various institutions of
government.

Unit 4: Interactions Among Branches of Government December 10-

February 6 (Nine weeks including break)
This unit explores the structure, operating procedures, and technicalities of congress, the
presidency, the bureaucracy, and the federal court system Students will analyze the major
formal and informal arrangements of power and the relationships among the four institutions.
With each sub-topic, students will discuss who holds the power and the struggles for varying
balances of power. There will be study on how different national institutions have evolved to
possess power and how crises can dramatically change the balance of power within the
government.

What are the powers of Congress? How is Congress elected? What effect do incumbents have on
elections? How have reapportionment, redistricting, and gerrymandering played out? How do majority
parties affect the operation of each house? How does a bill become a law? How do committees,
congressional expertise and seniority, and oversight play a role in the law making process? How does
parliamentary procedure differ in both houses? What powers are exercised in both houses? What is the
impact of the Senate filibuster? What are the impacts of Senate confirmation powers? How do political
parties impact congress? What are the formal, informal, inherent, and delegated powers of the Executive
Branch and President? What are the President’s war making powers? How is the Executive Branch
structured? What are differences between the pocket veto and line item veto? What are impacts of veto
power? How does the President use impoundment, rescissions, executive orders, and executive
agreements? How does the President’s relationship to the public affect his/her policies? What is the
Presidents relationship to the Legislative Branch and lawmaking process? What are the effects of divided
government? How was the bureaucracy created and how has it changed? What are the functions of
government corporations, independent agencies, and regulatory commissions? What are entitlements,
discretionary spending, and mandatory spending? How does the Executive and Legislative branch control
the bureaucracy? How does the bureaucracy implement policy? To what extent does the Judicial Branch
have power? What is the jurisdiction of the Federal Courts? How is the Judicial Branch organized? What
is the relationship between the Federal and state courts under the dual system of justice? What are bills
of attainder, bills of pains and penalties, and habeas corpus? How are appeals procedures in the federal
courts? How do cases arrive at the Supreme Court and how are they decided? What factors contribute to
court appointments at the Federal level? How does each branch of government impact economic, social,
and foreign policy?

Textbook readings:
-Abernathy, 4,5,6,7; Janda, Chapters 11,12,13,14, 17,18

Foundational Readings: Federalist 70, Twenty Second Amendment, Articles I-III, Federalist 78

Required Cases: Shaw v. Reno, Marbury v. Madison

Supplemental and Primary Readings

- Excerpts from: Sinclair, Barbara, Party Leaders and the New Legislative Process, McFadden,
Robert D., Kifner, John, Klienfield, N.R., Public Acts, Private Matters & Sullivan, Kathleen M.,
The Jurisprudence of the Rehnquist Court, “Why We Love Our Congressmen, But Hate
Congress”
-Woll Reader: Barber, James, The Presidential Character, Ex Parte Milligan, Brennan, How the
Supreme Court Arrives at Decisions
-Handout Excerpts from Magleby
-Marbury v. Madison, Federalist Papers No. 55, 57, 68, 70 & 78
Interpretation of Data
-A variety of charts, political maps, graphs, political cartoons, video clips, internet sites (such as
PEW Research Site), newspapers, pollster data and other media for analysis and interpretation

Sample Assignments

Structure Comparison: Using Article 1, Sections 1,2,and 3 of the Constitution, Students will
compare and contrast the structure and powers of the house and Senate.

Gerrymandering Simulation and Quick-write: Students will be given a map a state and voter
registration by county. Using guidelines as established by Shaw v. Reno, Baker v. Carr, and the
Constitution, students will try to draw as many districts as possible that favors a party. Following
the activity, students will complete a quick-write in which they analyze how gerrymandering
impacts representation in Congress, elections, and policy.

Mock Congress: Students will participate in a Mock Congress by researching a policy issue,
drafting bills, marking up bills in committees, debating bills on the full floor, and voting on bills.
Each class will complete a written reflection analyzing how the activity demonstrated differences
in the rules and operation of the House and Senate.

Executive Order Case Study: Students will research contemporary executive orders, connect
them to legislation, the bureaucracy, and address any potential conflicts with Congress and the
Courts.

Budget Conflicts: Using information from the most recent government shutdown, students will
identify conflicts between Congress and the President in writing the budget.

Bureaucracy and Rule Making Case Study: Students will research a bureaucratic agency and
draft a position paper arguing whether the agency’s budget should be preserved, cut, or
expanded by explaining the role of the agency in implementing public policy and creating policy
through regulations.

Judge Nominations: Students will be given profiles of judges up for nomination. Considering
geographic, cultural, and political factors in Congress, students will decide whether or not the
nomination was an adequate pick and why.

MID YEAR REVIEW UNIT: FEBRUARY 11-FEBRUARY 28 (Overlaps

with February Break)

Unit 5: Civil Rights and Civil Liberties

Five weeks March 3- March 31
Through the U.S. Constitution, but primarily through the Bill of Rights and the 14th Amendment,
citizens and groups have attempted to restrict national and state governments from unduly
infringing upon individual rights and from denying equal protection under the law. Sometimes
the court has handed down decisions that protect both public order and individual freedom, and
at other times the Court has set precedents protecting one at the expense of the other. In this
unit, you will closely analyze conflicts of freedom and order.

How are our rights protected and limited(LOR-2)? How has the Bill of Rights been applied in respect to
religion, expression, privacy, due process? What have the implications of various Supreme Court rulings
been on our rights(CON-6)? How has the Supreme Court incorporated our rights? How have states been
th
limited by the due process clause of the 14 Amendment(LOR-3)? What are current debates regarding
civil liberties, civil rights, freedom, and order? How has the Constitution been used to promote civil rights
and equality(LOR-3)? How have citizens engaged with the government to advance civil rights and civil
liberties? What laws, programs, and policies has the government implemented as a result of citizen
engagement? How has the government implemented and enforced civil rights for various groups?

Textbook readings:
-Janda, Chapters 15 &16; Magleby 14&15
Foundational Readings: Bill of Rights, Thirteenth-Fifteenth Amendments, Letter from a
Birmingham Jail

Required Cases: Engel v. Vitale, Wisconsin v. Yoder, Tinker v. Des Moines, Schenk v. United
States, New York Times Co v. United States, McDonald v. Chicago, Gideon v. Wainwright, Roe
v. Wade, Brown v. Board of Education

Supplemental and Primary Readings:

-Excerpts from: Dershowitz, Alan, Is the Criminal Trial a Search for Truth?, Kymlicka, Will,
Multicultural Citizenship
-Woll Reader: Gideon v Wainwright, Engel v Vitale, NY Times Co. v Sullivan,
-Excerpts from Magleby
- Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey,
Plessy v. Ferguson, Mapp v. Ohio, DC v. Heller, Texas v. Johnson, Brandenburg v. Ohio,
Lemon v. Kurtzman

Interpretation of data:
A variety of charts, political maps, graphs, political cartoons, video clips, internet sites (such as
PEW Research Site), newspapers, pollster data and other media for analysis and interpretation

Sample Assignments:

Selective Incorporation Case Log: Students will create a visual organizer of required and
supplemental Supreme Court cases explaining the significance of their rulings, how they have
incorporated a specific provision of the Bill of Rights on to states, and whether or not the ruling
limits or protects one’s rights

Restricted or Not: While studying the First, Second, Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Amendments,
students will explore scenarios relevant to specific cases and explain whether the behavior is
restricted or not. The will use rulings, majority, and dissenting opinions to support their claims

Moot Court: Students will participate in a Supreme Court simulation in which they will argue
opposing sides of a case dealing with a contemporary issue such as affirmative action,
campaign donor disclosure laws, gerrymandering, religious freedom restoration acts (RFRAs),
concealed carry laws, bulk collection of telecommunications metadata by the federal
government, and online speech by students/adult citizens. Students must support their
argument by citing and explaining the precedents of relevant Supreme Court cases that address
the same constitutional issue.

Argumentative Essay: Picking one of the required cases, students will argue whether or not
the ruling have restricted or protected freedoms.

Civil Rights Teach Out: Students will research legislation, policies, and programs that address
the civil rights of various groups in the United States.