Participation in Government
Mr. Thoman
High School of American
Studies
Fall, 2007
Course Information:
Participation in Government (PIG) is a required course for all public high
school students in the state of New York. There is no Regents exam that follows
this class, but it is mandatory to pass this class in order to graduate from
high school.
The reading load will be lighter than earlier
Social Studies classes, and this class should be fun. It is meant to be a
highly interactive course that allows for significant student input (and
hopefully less teacher dominance).
While this class may not be as taxing on the
brain as AP American History (or Economics), it is still a class to be taken
seriously. This course is designed to prepare you for a major aspect of being
an adult in this country: an active citizen. You will have many competing
demands this spring, with senior social events and college right around the
corner. While the teacher will do much to take into account the demands on your
time this semester, you will still be expected to take the class projects
seriously, and take an active role all course activities.
Key Components of the class
á
Introduction
to Government: What is it? Do
we really need it? What are the various theories of government? What are the
different types of government? How does our democracy function? Just how
democratic is our government? What are the different layers of government in
our society? How does the US government compare with that of other governments around the world?
á
Mechanics of
Government: How is our government set up? How are government officials elected to
office? Do we have a democratic
system in place when it comes to electing our President? How does a bill ultimately become a
law?
á
Issue
to be focused on for 2007: Energy policy: What is it? What steps are being taken by our
government to address the challenges that come with climate change and
diminishing fossil fuel resources?
á
Congress
of 2007: With a new Congress
in place in which the Democrats are in control of both Houses, lots of new
legislation has been / will be introduced. We will periodically chart the progress of bills that are
being introduced, and see where they wind up. Questions to be addressed? What are the prospects for continued Democratic Party
dominance? Has the Democrat
controlled Congress been any more effective than the Republican dominated
Congresses?
á
Examination
of Presidential Candidates: About ten individuals have already
declared that they are candidates for President. Since most of you will all have a chance to vote in the next
Presidential election (2008), it will be important for you to get to know these
candidates.
á
Government
Simulation: This will be a
major part of the semester. The class will become a simulated version of the US
Senate, with each student taking on the role of a selected Senator. There will
also be a Presidential election with lobbying, campaigning, and political ads
as integral parts of the exercise. The class will be broken up into Committees,
with each group taking on a major issue, crafting a bill, presenting it for
debate on the floor, and ultimately bringing it for a vote to the Senate (with
the final word being made by the President).
Text to be used in this class:
William McClenaghan, MagruderÕs American Government, 2005
How is the class grade determined?
|
Component |
% of grade |
Description |
|
Projects |
40% |
There will be one to two projects for each
marking period: some involving groups, and others individually based. If a project is turned in late, five points
are deducted for each day late. |
|
Exams |
20% |
There will be on average one multiple
choice and one essay exam per marking period. All exams are closed book exams. If absent for an exam, make sure to bring in a note from
home. |
|
Quizzes |
20% |
For every reading assignment, there will be
a quiz that follows. There will be very little written homework. Instead, you
will be tested on the reading you do at home, whether it is from the text or
from other materials assigned in class. You will be able to use notes with
some quizzes. Quizzes will always be given at the start of the period. If you
should come to class late, and miss the quiz, NO make up will be given unless
there is a note brought from home the following day. |
|
Participation |
20% |
Discussion and engagement in class
activities will be an important part of most classes. Simply being a big
talker won't necessarily garner high marks. Most important is the content and
quality of what is said! This is the one part of the grade that is
subjective, and if it is the feeling of the teacher that you are making a
real effort to stay engaged with the material, it should translate into a
nice participation grade. Regular lateness, excessive and unexcused absences,
efforts to do unrelated work in class, or behavior that exhibits a lack of
effort will only hurt this part of your grade. All students begin with an ÒaccountÓ of 75 points. Points will be added or deducted from
this foundation. Absences,
latenesses, and disruptive comments will mean points lost, while positive
contributions and good group work will mean points gained. |
http://www.thomania.org/school is
the place to go when you have missed an assignment, need links for a project,
or simply want to check your grade in the class. If out for any reason, make use of this site, so you will
not come to class behind in your work.