Campaign Web Pages

Several sites may require you log into your CHS Google accounts in order to view. Nancy Li, Progressive Panda Party
Tom Ferry, Advancing America
Travis Hill, Pride and Glory Party
Snigda Mamillapali, The Optimus Prime Party
Dan Chen, The Phoenix Party
Mike Thomas, The Toucan Party
Riley Hasson, The Beacon Party
Han Zou, The Potpourri Party
Hasher Nisar

Period 8 Candidate Debate

The Year in Cartoons

Washing Post's Year in Political Cartoons

Gerrymandering 101

Ever wonder why the CT 5th Distict includes Meriden, New Britain, and Kent?  OK, probably not.  However, the answer lies in the manner in which politicians draw electoral districts after every census.  So why is this a big deal?  If you are one of the 12% who aprove of the job Congress is doing, maybe it's not.  Gerrymandering is tried and true political artform that has been going on since the dawn of American politics.  

Blog Response due Friday 7:30 am.

(How) Should states and or the federal government or courts address the issue of gerrymandering?  Be sure to fully explain your response.  

The Campaign Project

Below are the links you will need throughout the exercise.

The Campaign Trail Project
Planning Sheets
Rubrics

Be sure to check in often as I will be updating due dates, etc.

Important Due Dates:
Party Platform (Print Copy):  12/2 in class              
Press Conference and Propaganda: 12/8Media Event: 12/12 (8), 12/13 (6)                 
In-­Class Debate:  12/14

Newspaper: 12/16
Final Speech: 12/20
Final Website: 12/23 (Includes all elements, including TV commercial, platform, propaganda, news, etc.)

The Soap Box

We are going to establish our own little "Speakers Corner" where each of you will be required at some point to speak, pontificate, bloviate or otherwise hold the podium for the proscribed period of time, followed by a period where your classmates may challenge your ideas, assertions, etc. The rules are as follows:
1) You may speak on any political issue you feel strongly about, so long as your speech does not violate school rules, attack an individual, harm or belittle your peers, etc.
2) You may not take a position previously argued.
3) You must speak uninterupted for 2 full minutes. Failure to do so will result in losing credit and having to repeat the process.
4) Debate may continue for an additional 8 minutes for a total of 10 minutes per speaker. We will typically schedule 4-5 speakers per Soap Box Day.

Public Opinion at Cheshire HS

First:
Run through the online simulation on MyPolySciLab. Did you make the right decisions? What mistakes did you make? How will you avoid these pitfalls in the future?

Now:
A political candidate has hired you to find out about political attitudes, preferences and beliefs amoung the CHS population. He/she, essentially wants you to create a profile of the population to be used in shaping an upcoming campaign. You will be responsible for:
• Determining a method to establish a random sample of the population,
• Develop a series of questions identifying issues of importance and political attitudes, etc. (questions should be neutral and yield valid data)
• Draft a profile of your population that your client can use to shape his/her upcoming campaign. You will present this profile to the class.
• Draft a 1-2 page explanation of your methodology, including an explanation of your sampling, question design and validity of your responses.

SURVEYS MUST BE SHARED W/ ME BY FRIDAY 10/21.
DATA WILL BE PRESENTED BEGINNING THURSDAY 10/27 (P8) AND FRIDAY 10/28 (P6)

YOUR REFLECTIONS (1 PER GROUP - 2 pages max)Address each of the following.
How did you choose your sample? Why is this random?
Did you calculate a margin of error? If so, how? If not, why not?
Did your results yield enough data to create profiles? Why/Why not?
How did you address non-response or those unable to respond?
What changes would you make if repeating this exercise?
Final thoughts?

Responses due 11/4 (1st 2nd Quarter Grade)

Current Issues 10/10

Sorry for the delayed post. Below are three current stories making headlines today. Read all three. Which you you find most appealing or interesting? Why? Which story is the most significant? Be sure to explain your answers with references to the articles.

Occupy Wall Street: Newcomers bring their worries and hopes to New York protest
What’s Next for Apple?
Perry Video Attacks Romney on Health Care

Responses are due Thursday by 7:30am.

Typology Exercise - Where Do You Fit???

Use the Template and the PEW Research site to complete the typology exercise. Hopefully, you are already on the correct side of the aisle!

Typology PowerPoint

Inside the Obama White House

Now that you have viewed Inside the Obama White House, what did you find surprising or interesting? Would you want to live there, or be interested in working there? Why/Why Not?

Due Friday 7:30am.

9/11 Ten Years Later

"9/11 Attacks - 102 Minutes That Changed America
For 102 minutes on September 11, 2001, the world looked on in horror as terrorists flew hijacked passenger planes into New York City's mighty twin towers, destroying the iconic buildings and killing more than 2,700 people. Watch unfiltered videos from nine New Yorkers who witnessed the day that changed America."
9/11 Attacks — History.com Interactive Maps, Timelines & Games." History.com — History Made Every Day — American & World History. Web. 09 Sept. 2011. .

"Remembering 9/11 - Oral History Exercise
Use this document as a guideline to conduct your own oral history of the effect of 9/11 on your family and/or friends. You may interview a parent, older relative or sibling and record his/her memories of that day. You may record responses in writing or with an audio/video device. If you choose an audio or video device, you must convert into a format that can be uploaded into Google docs such as windows media, or burn your file to a DVD. I cannot allow you to use personal jump drives in my computer to submit work. You will be sharing some of your material with the class.

"9/11 Memorial - Oral Histories

"Bearing Witness to History

"9/11 Timeline

Must be completed by class on Thursday 9/15

President Obama's Jobs Speech

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Evaluate president Obama's Speech. (You should be able to identify at least 5 key proposals he makes for spurring job growth in the US.) Where there specific ideas that you support or oppose? Why? Do you think that this speech will have influence members of Congress? Will it help create jobs? If you feel strongly about this speech, you should consider contacting our CT representatives and letting them know how you feel.

The Republicans Debate

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Grade the debate. Who do you think were the winners and losers? Why? Which ideas resonate with you or cause your blood to boil? Will this debate shake up the Republican race?

How did others see the debate? Check out online news sites to see how the debate was received by both conservative and liberal pundits.

Fact Checker

Weekly Readings Semester One

Week Sixteen Readings  12/12-12/23
Sabado and O'Connor Chapters 15-16.  Post tests due Jan. 3

Week Fourteen Reading 11/28-12/2
 Sabado and O'Connor Chapter 14.  Pre/Post test due Friday. (Post test for grade)

Week Eleven Reading 11/7-11/11 (We need to get caught up from the storm!!!)
Democracy in America
Public Opinion and American Democracy
Cornell West – Race Matters
The Phantom Public
Direct Democracy
Politicians Don’t Pander
Twelve Tribes
One Nation Divided
Polling and Democracy
The Other War Room


Week 8-9 Reading 10/17-10/28
Sabado and O'Connor Chapters 12 and 13.
Chapter Pre-Tests due Monday 10/24
Post-tests due Friday 10/28

Week Seven Reading 10/11-10/14
Introduction to Statistical Analysis
Major Components of Research Design

Week Six Reading 10/3-10/7
TEST Week Chapters 1-3
Read Chapter 11

Week Five Reading 9/26-9/30
TBA

Week Four Reading 9/19-9/23
American Government Chapters 3

WEEK THREE READINGS 9/12-9/16
American Government Chapters 1-2

WEEK TWO READINGS 9/5-9/9:



How Do We View Our Constitution?

O'Connor and Sabado Chpt. 1

From the Shared Folder
Second Treatise (Locke)
Locke and Jefferson
Americas Libertarian Roots (Keletsky)
Founding Fathers: A Reform Caucus in Action (Roche)
Framing the Constitution (Beard)
The Power Elite (Mills)
Diversity in the Power Elite (Zweigenhaft)
Interpreting the Constitution (Tribe)
Who Governs (Dahl)
The Constitution is Fundamentaly Undemocratic (Levinson)
The Constitution is Not Undemocratic (Vermeule)
The Merits of the Federal System(Bryce)
One Document, Under Seige (Stengal)

YOU SHOULD TAKE NOTES ON EACH OF THE READINGS WHICH INCLUDE;(1) IDENTIFYING THE AUTHOR'S MAIN THEME(S), (2) ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT, (3) AN EVALUATIVE STATEMENT ON THE MERITS OF THE READING, AND (4) OVERARCHING QUESTION RAISED BY THE READING.

We will have far too many readings of this nature for you to keep track of over the span of the course without taking thorough notes. YOU MUST DEVELOP YOUR NOTETAKING SKILLS.


UNIT I
Constitutional Underpinnings
Overview of our Constitutional Convention Exercise
Interesting editorial on Gov. Perry's book, "Fed Up!" As you undertake your constitutional convention, what do you think of some of the proposals made by Gov. Perry?

War and Independence
**Declaration and Resolves of the First Continental Congress (October 1774)
**Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death March 23 1775
**Speech on conciliation with America, March 22, 1775 Edmund Burke
**Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of taking up Arms,
July 6,1775
Plain Truth: Addressed to the inhabitants of America.. Candidus (James Chalmers)
Common Sense and
**The American Crisis by Thomas Paine

Towards a Constitution

Articles of Confederation
Notes on the Debates in the Federal Convention
**The Constitution
The Federalist Papers #s 47, 48 & 51
**Amendments to the Constitution

** Signifies READ ALL

Week One Readings

UNIT I
Constitutional Underpinnings
Overview of our Constitutional Convention Exercise
Interesting editorial on Gov. Perry's book, "Fed Up!" As you undertake your constitutional convention, what do you think of some of the proposals made by Gov. Perry?

War and Independence


**Declaration and Resolves of the First Continental Congress (October 1774)
**Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death March 23 1775
**Speech on conciliation with America, March 22, 1775 Edmund Burke
**Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of taking up Arms,
July 6,1775
Plain Truth: Addressed to the inhabitants of America.. Candidus (James Chalmers)
Common Sense and
**The American Crisis by Thomas Paine

Towards a Constitution

Articles of Confederation
Notes on the Debates in the Federal Convention
**The Constitution
The Federalist Papers #s 47, 48 & 51
**Amendments to the Constitution

** Signifies READ ALL

Welcome back and to AP Government!

Glad to see you. I hope you are prepared with your summer assignments and ready to hit the ground running.