Join this timely and dynamic upper-level civics course covering history, government, politics, law, economics, and more -- for a broad yet compelling overview helping your student fully understand the US government and elections this year. This course meets many American Government course requirements.

How to get the most out of U.S. Citizenship and Civics: American Government with Jason Negri:

• First, read the course materials below before the first class meeting.

• Then have a notebook ready and available for class notes each live session.

• Read assignments before class meetings

• Watch that week’s recording if you need to revisit information from our live session.

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

• Once the course is completed to the parent's and professor’s satisfaction, there is a Certificate of Completion at the end to be filled in for your records.

Total Classes: 11

Duration: 55 minutes

Prerequisite: None

Suggested Grade Level: 11th to 12th grade

Suggested Credit: 1 full semester Government or Civics. Follow with Introduction to Law in the spring for additional credit.

Instructor: Jason Negri, MS/JD

Instructor email: jason@jasonnegri.com

Course Description: This upper-level high school course is an introduction to all things “civics.” Immigrants to the United States need to pass a test to become citizens -- and we tend to take our American civic knowledge for granted. Through this course, help your student “cover a little bit of everything” in what is needed for civics intelligence -- including history, government, politics, law, and economics. (Check out the course outline below for detailed course topics covered!) Together, these topics give a frame of reference to understand this “experiment in ordered liberty” that we call America.

Course Outline:

• Class 1 – Introduction

Introduction to class and overview

INS Civics exam 

• Class 2 – Political theory/history

INS exams

Define “law” – ask for their definitions, parse Aquinas’ definition

Review Aquinas’ 6 forms of government.

English Common Law

The concept of “rights” in society – the Western tradition vs. non-Western traditions

Magna Carta - http://www.constitution.org/eng/magnacar.htm

The Rule of Law 

• Class 3 – History

Declaration of Independence

The cost; What happened to the Signers?  Sacrifice

Why write a declaration at all?  Why not just revolt?  Answer: Justification 

• Class 4 – History

Characteristics of the various state governments:

Popular sovereignty – the final political authority rests with the people/voters

Limited government – the Federal govt only had the power granted to it by the Constitution & the people

Separation of Power/checks and balances – 3 branches with different roles

Franchisement – broader than in any other country in the world at that time 

The Articles of Confederation  

• Class 5 – History / Government 

In-class discussion/debate on Bill of Rights (Alien exercise)

Federalist 1 and 51

Diffusion of Power:

• • Separation of powers; checks & balances.  How practically does it work?

  • Federal vs. States’ rights

• Class 6 – History/Government

The US Constitution: 

Who refused to sign the final form of the Constitution and why?

Powers of Congress – express power & implied powers (Necessary & proper clause) 

• Class 7 – America Grows / Modern political scene

Major historical events in America’s development

Election – what is the electoral map looking like?

What are the projected battleground/swing states?

The 2-party system – good or bad? 

• Class 8 – America Grows (cont.)

Discuss: Federal Reserve; Electoral College; Confirmation Bias; Democratic Socialism 

• Class 9 – Election Post-mortem

Discuss the results of Tuesday’s Elections: national, state and local. What happened in your district? What are the likely implications? 

• Class 10 - Economics

Discuss “I, Pencil”

Free market capitalism 

• Class 11 – Economics

Discuss “The Unfreedom of the Free Market”

Does the State have a role to play in the economic welfare of its citizens? Is free-market capitalism really the moral thing to do?

Course Materials: All course materials are provided free by the instructor: “I Pencil” essay; INS exam; Federalist 1 and 52; Magna Carta: Declaration of Independence; U.S. Constitution, including the amendments; and other readings.

Homework: Expect to spend approximately one to two hours weekly current-events reports (most weeks) plus a five to six-page paper at the end of the course. Graded by the instructor.

Answer Key: An answer key booklet is included with this course.

If you have any questions please contact us at homeschoolconnections@gmail.com.

©2020 Homeschool Connections and Jason Negri. All rights reserved. This course is designed by Jason Negri.

• 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.