AP U.S. Government and Politics

This course is the equivalent of an introductory college-level course. Students explore the operations and structure of the U.S. government and the behavior of the electorate and politicians. They gain the analytic perspective necessary to evaluate political data, hypotheses, concepts, opinions, and processes. They learn how to gather data about political behavior and develop their own theoretical analysis of American politics. They also build the skills they need to examine general propositions about government and politics, and to analyze specific relationships between political, social, and economic institutions. Students prepare for the AP® Exam and for further study in political science, law, education, business, and history.

One semester

• The Lanahan Readings in the American Polity, third edition, (Serow and Ladd, editors)
• American Government, Lowi et al., eighth ed.

American History or equivalent, and a grade of B or higher in most recent Social Studies course