Advance Placement (A.P.) Program in Government and Politics offers exams in both United States Government and Comparative Government. Students are encouraged to attempt both tests. Juniors and/or Seniors in A.P. Government and Politics will be given instruction in preparation for both exams. Students may take an A.P. test only one time in any given year. Students who take the A.P. U.S. Government course and exam earn "Civics" credit.
U.S. Government Units: (1st Semester)
I. Constitutional Underpinnings of the United States Government
II. Political Beliefs and Political Behaviors
III. Political Parties, Interest Groups, and Mass Media
IV. Institutions of National Government: The Congress, the Presidency, the Bureaucracy, and the Federal Courts
V. Public Policy
VI. Civil Rights and Civil Liberties
Comparative Government Units: (2nd Semester)
I. Sources of Public Authority and Political Power
II. Relationship Between State and Society
III. Relationship Between Citizens and States
IV. Political and Institutional Frameworks
V. Political Change
VI. The Comparative Method
* Case Studies: Great Britain, Russia, China, Mexico, India, Iran, and Nigeria