AP United States Government and Politics
(All material taken from the College Board website)
Course Content
Students study general concepts used to interpret U.S. government and politics and analyze specific
topics, including:
 Constitutional Underpinnings
 Political Beliefs and Behaviors
 Political Parties, Interest Groups, and Mass Media
 Institutions of National Government
 Public Policy
 Civil Rights and Civil Liberties
Course Goals and Objectives
Students successfully completing this course will:
 Describe and compare important facts, concepts, and theories pertaining to U.S. government
and politics.
 Explain typical patterns of political processes and behaviors and their consequences (including
the components of political behavior, the principles used to explain or justify various
government structures and procedures, and the political effects of these structures and
procedures).
 Interpret basic data relevant to U.S. government and politics (including data presented in charts,
tables, and other formats).
 Critically analyze relevant theories and concepts, apply them appropriately, and develop their
connections across the curriculum.
Curriculum Outline
I.
Constitutional Underpinnings of United States Government
5-15%
A. Considerations that influenced the formulation and adoption of the Constitution
B. Separation of powers
C. Federalism
D. Theories of democratic government
II.
Political Beliefs and Behaviors
10-20%
A. Beliefs that citizens hold about their government and its leaders
B. Processes by which citizens learn about politics
C. The nature, sources, and consequences of public opinion
D. The ways in which citizens vote and otherwise participate in political life
E. Factors that influence citizens to differ from one another in terms of political beliefs and
behaviors
III.
Political Parties, Interest Groups, and Mass Media
10-20%
A. Political parties and elections
1. Functions
2. Organizations
3. Development
4. Effects on the political process
5. Electoral laws and systems
B. Interest Groups, including political action committees (PACs)
1. The range of interests represented
IV.
V.
VI.
2. The activities of interest groups
3. The effects of interest groups on the political process
4. The unique characteristics and roles of PACs in the political process
C. The mass media
1. The functions and structures of the media
2. The impacts of media on politics
Institutions of National Government: The Congress, the Presidency, the Bureaucracy, and the
Federal Courts
35-45%
A. The major formal and informal institutional arrangements of power
B. Relationships among these four institutions and varying balances of power
C. Linkages between institutions and the following:
1. Public opinion and voters
2. Interest groups
3. Political parties
4. The media
5. State and local governments
Public Policy
5-15%
A. Policymaking in a federal system
B. The formation of policy agendas
C. The role of institutions in the enactment of policy
D. The role of the bureaucracy and the courts in policy implementation and interpretation
E. Linkages between policy processes and the following:
1. Political institutions and federalism
2. Political parties
3. Interest groups
4. Public opinion
5. Elections
6. Policy networks
Civil Rights and Civil Liberties
5-15%
A. The development of civil liberties and civil rights by judicial interpretation
B. Knowledge of substantive rights and liberties
C. The impact of the Fourteenth Amendment on the constitutional development of rights and
liberties
The Exam
The AP United States Government and Politics Exam is 2 hours and 25 minutes long. It includes a 45minute multiple-choice section consisting of 60 questions and a 100-minute free-response section
consisting of 4 questions.
Write, Write, Write
Students should expect a writing assignment every week. These assignments could happen in a variety
of ways, including, but not limited to, the following:
 Write to the prompt—list or bullet only the factual information called for in the questions while
keeping the responses in the “a, b, c” format of the question
 Short free write—write an introduction and then put the rest of the essay in outline format
 Groupthink—in small groups, write an essay response with one person acting as recorder or
design a scoring guideline for the questions and then analyze any differences between their
scoring guideline and the AP scoring guideline
Debate Topics
College Board highly encourages the use of debates in the classroom. Debates are not guaranteed, and
these topics are subject to change.
I.
Constitutional Underpinnings of American Government
1. Federalism is no longer necessary because most important issues are either national or
global in scope. The United States would be better off if the states served as administrative
districts, as in a unitary government.
II.
Political Beliefs and Behaviors
2. The United States should follow the pattern of numerous European nations that have
enacted a compulsory voting law.
3. Because of political apathy among young people, their issues are not adequately addressed.
III.
Political Parties and Interest Groups
4. Single-issue groups (i.e., Right to Life, NRA, NEA, Greenpeace) play a larger role in shaping
public policy than they should.
5. Multiparty political systems more effectively represent citizen interests than does the
American two-party system.
IV.
The Three Branches of Government
6. The U.S. Supreme Court is too heavily influenced by politics.
7. The United States should reduce its number of regulatory agencies because they generate
red tape, raise prices, and reduce competitiveness in the world market.
8. Judicial review is undemocratic. It permits nonelected judges to decide whether or not a law
is constitutional. It can frustrate the intentions of democratic governments by overruling the
actions of elected officials.
9. The president has become so powerful that there is no longer an effective balance of
powers.
V.
Civil Liberties
10. Affirmative action programs are necessary to safeguard equal opportunity in both education
and employment for minorities.
11. In the interest of public safety, the Fourth Amendment rights if those under 18 should be
severely limited.