American+Govt


 * Welcome to your American Government class.**

This is your syllabus and overview of 1st Trimester assignments and its centerpiece project, Mock Congress. This trimester focuses on how laws are made, how to develop your political philosophy, and the Legislative and Executive branches of the federal government, as well as the functions of state governments.

I expect this to be one of the most hands-on, project-based classes here at SCHS. The purpose of this class, in the first trimester, is to learn:

//The roles of the Legislative and Executive branches of the federal government, in detail// //How a bill becomes law// //How to develop your own political philosophy and how that applies to the political process// //An appreciation for the American system of checks and balances//

Below are all of the positions available for Mock Congress:

Leads the executive agenda; tries to enact the agenda he/she was voted in for Appoints cabinet with similar views, relationships Edits and focuses agenda from subordinates NOTE: I cannot have a student with a history of late or sloppy work in this position, as it will influence the entire outcome of the project. This is an important position for a motivated student.
 * President** (elected) (1)

//Oversees defense policy, strategy//
 * Appointed Cabinet Members:** Secretary of Defense (1)

Secretary of State (1) //Oversees foreign affairs// //Advises president on agenda//

Department of Treasury (1) //Regulate the Federal Reserve// //Set interest rates// //Control inflation//

Department of Energy (1) //Recommend policy on energy issues// //Research the impact of a variety of energy problems and// //solutions in the US//

Department of Homeland Security (1)

Legislative Branch


 * President the of Senate (VP) (1)**
 * Speaker of the House (1)** – presides over the House

Responsible for representing the party as a whole Focuses agenda and strategy
 * House Majority leader (1)**

Representatives (15-20) Develop a political philosophy Responsible for representing the issues in your district Each representative will choose their own district to represent and will Sponsor bills that will benefit the interests of the district


 * House Minority leader (1)**


 * Senate Majority leader (1)**

Senators- 2 from each section of the country (NE, South,Midwest, NW, SW) (10)


 * Senate Minority leader (1)**

Structure of class

Week 1: Identify terms, branches, roles of government Begin your campaign if necessary Take the **political spectrum quiz** at __[]__ (You do not need to share results!)

Research positions you may want to take **Political current events due** Reading: TBA

Week 2: Elections Setting agendas, assigning districts, researching districts; study constitution Reading: TBA
 * Political current events due STATE OF STATE ADDRESS response (1 pg, double space)**

Week 3: Setting agendas, preparing state of union (Executive) composing bills Reading: TBA

Week 4: **State of the Union speech due; budget, bills due. LATE BILLS NOT ACCEPTED WITHOUT GOOD, PARENT SIGNED EXCUSE! I CANNOT NEGOTIATE ON THIS POLICY. If you do not participate with this part of the project, you are in effect lowering the experience of the rest of the class. You will be asked to turn in a lengthy research paper instead!** (turn in to Speaker, President, and Mr. K);

Week 5: **Congress in session**: Bill introductions (for generated bills), assignment to committees, committees set meeting times, divide workload, research duties –Jan. 13th; (need 1 hour strand)

Week 6: Committees; **Political current event due; response to an aspect of American political life (2 pg. double space)**

Week 7: Committees, committee assessment will take place sometime during weeks 5-7

Week 8: **Congress in session** Feb 3: debates (need 2 hour strand)

Week 9: Congress in session, vote on bills; send passed bills to President

Week 10: collect vetoed bills

Week 11: **Congress final session** Mar. 1 final vote on bills, end of Legislative session, President final pocket vetoes

Week 12: Media literacy assignment **due**; Constitution **test must be finished** by this time


 * Required products, First Trimester**

//Executive//: State of Union speech, Agenda or Department Agenda, Budget, constitution test, response to an aspect of American political life paper, political philosophy

President’s Agenda will include the refinement of policy recommendations from the various Cabinet heads, with a rating of most important to least important for each priority

Department Agenda will include a detailed breakdown of the three top priorities in your area of research/expertise

Budget: This work is done collaboratively with the entire Executive branch. The budget, simply put, lays out what the President would like to spend and how the President would like to see money collected for the expenses, and then list the difference (surplus or deficit)

For Fiscal Year 2011, the Federal government expects to received 2.713 trillion dollars in revenues. This is your baseline.

[]

These are the personal income tax rates, by income, in theUSfor 2010.Your budget will make recommendations on these tax rates.

[]

The budget will include a President’s message, which will set the tone desired from the Congress

//Legislative//: Positions, three bills per member, Constitution test, response to an aspect of American political life paper, political philosophy paper


 * Mock Congress Conventions:** Note: Procedures may differ slightly from the actual process of government, due to logistics, etc.

Houses meet separately, except for State ofUnion Committees meet in class time Congress in session is for debate, voting,

We will follow this process, MINUS THE SUBCOMMITTEE, when crafting and introducing our bills.

__http://mercury.educ.kent.edu/database/eureka/documents/HowABillBecomesALaw_TeacherAndStudent.pdf__

__COMMITTEES__

All Representatives and Senators will serve on at least two committees. These are the committees on which you may serve:

Committee Offices

 * [|Committee on Agriculture]
 * [|Committee on Armed Services]
 * [|Committee on the Budget]
 * [|Committee on Education and Labor]
 * [|Committee on Energy and Commerce]
 * [|Committee on Financial Services]
 * [|Committee on Foreign Affairs]
 * [|Committee on Homeland Security]
 * [|Committee on Natural Resources]
 * [|Committee on Oversight and Government Reform]
 * [|Committee on Rules]
 * [|Committee on Science and Technology]
 * [|Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure]
 * [|Committee on Veterans' Affairs]
 * [|Committee on Ways and Means]
 * [|Joint Economic Committee] (both reps and senators)
 * [|Joint Committee on Taxation] (both reps and senators)
 * [|House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming]


 * __ Grading __**

__Major Assignments__

Constitution test 100 points Craft 3 bills for mock Congress 45 points (15 each) Positions paper 20 points Media Literacy 50 points Response to an aspect of American political life (2 pg. paper) 75 points Political philosophy paper (1-2 pg. paper) 75 points Committee grading 20 points (10 points for self-assess, 10 for teacher assess) 20 articles on political current events 20 points Other small assignments as needed, points TBA

All work is accepted after revision and consultation with teacher. Please do not feel bad when I send work back; I send a lot of work back so that you can incorporate the feedback that I give. Feedback depends on individual learning needs.

NOTE: all work submitted via email should have the period and assignment placed on the subject line of the email.

Policies: SCHS policy allows students to earn an ‘Incomplete’ grade for students with late work. **All late work will be deducted 20% in points**. Every attempt is made for students to work around their own schedule, especially in regard to the Media Literacy project and the Constitution test, which are due by the end of the