In this advanced course, students will go deep into US government and the American political system. Students will be challenged to think critically throughout the course. Sign up today to receive solid preparation for future rigorous college courses. This course is also an excellent preparation for students who plan to take the AP US Government and Politics test or American Government CLEP test.

How to get the most out of United States Government and Politics, Part One with Paul Hyatt:

• First, read the course materials for each week. Reading is not punishment. It is probably the most important way that we grow in knowledge. Set aside about a half an hour to one hour each day to read your Bible, the books for your courses, and perhaps even something for the pure enjoyment of reading (in my case, anything by Tolkien). You will benefit, greatly, from this in life.

• Then, have a notebook ready and available for taking notes. This is very important as people generally retain knowledge better by writing it down, by hand.

• Watch all videos each week. In these videos, I will guide you through the key concepts that you need to have a firm grasp of in order to attain mastery of the material covered in this course. These videos are to be a tool for you to use in order to be successful.

• Do the assignments and any extra work assigned for that week.

• Once the course is completed to the parent's satisfaction, there is a Certificate of Completion at the end to be filled in for your records. Homeschool Connections does not provide record keeping.

Special Notes: All course materials provided FREE. This course includes a writing component.

This is Part One of a two-part course. Students are expected to sign up for Part Two, offered in the Spring semester.

Total Classes: 12

Duration: 55 minutes

Prerequisite: None

Suggested Grade Level: 11th to 12th grade

Suggested Credit: 1 full semester Government

Instructors: Paul Hyatt

Course Description: This course will present students with an in-depth look at the foundations, institution, organization, operation, and policies of the United States’ government. Part One will focus exclusively on the American political system. In particular, students will study the language of the U.S. Constitution and the theories upon which it was founded, including federalism and the separation of powers, the organization, functions, and interdependency of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches, the evolution and function of the American Party System, voting, and elections in the United States, including the campaign process and various social and economic policies.

This course closely follows the AP United States and Politics curriculum. Students are encouraged to take the AP or CLEP test after the completion of this two-part course.

Course Outline:

Unit One

• The purposes of government

• Theories of democratic government

• The first attempt at government: The Articles of Incorporation

• Key constitutional underpinnings including separation of powers, checks and balances and federalism

• The Anti-Federalists’ fears

Unit Two

• The Executive Branch

• The Legislative Branch

• The Judicial Branch and Marbury v. Madison

Unit Three

• Political parties and platforms

• The evolution of the American Party System

• The nature of modern political campaigns

• What does it mean to be a citizen

• The electoral process and electoral college

• Different types of elections

• Roles that party organizations, PACs and money play in campaigns

Unit Four

• The Policy-Making Process

• Social Welfare Policy

Course Materials: All materials provided free. Students will be reading the United States Constitution and other foundational documents, portions of the Federalist Papers, landmark Supreme Court cases, and other relevant materials provided by the instructor.

Homework: Expect to spend roughly two hours a week outside of class reading the assigned weekly course materials, completing automated quizzes (for immediate feedback), and writing an occasional essay.

Technical Help: If you have any technical trouble or questions about course content, please email us at homeschoolconnections@gmail.com.

©2023 Homeschool Connections and Paul Hyatt. All rights reserved.

This course is designed by Paul Hyatt.

• This material is only to be used for its intended purpose by active subscribers of Homeschool Connections. Any other use without explicit permission is in violation of the seventh commandment (yes, the 7th commandment) and in violation of US and International copyright laws.

• You may print or download to local hard disk extracts for your personal homeschool and non-commercial use only. This is not to be used for homeschool co-ops without express written permission from Homeschool Connections.