Welcome to the United States Government course. It is a fun time to be studying US politics, especially with the upcoming 2016 Presidential election. I am looking forward to spirited classroom discussions about the issues, events, and candidates of the day.
This course is designed to provide students with important facts, concepts and theories of US government and politics. The class is divided into five sections including: The Foundations of American Government, Political Behavior, and the Legislative, Judicial, and Executive Branches of our government. We will look at typical patterns of US political process, explore voter behavior, and analyze various public policies. Throughout the course students will be asked to interpret data and visuals relevant to US politics, including charts, graphs, and political cartoons. In addition, all students will be required to write a research paper on a political topic of their choice.
This course is required for graduation from Logan. Students will read a portion of the textbook each week. I've attached a planned reading schedule for our course, but it may be amended as we see how the semester progresses. In addition, bring your Chromebook each day so you can access current articles, polls, political cartoons, and graphs in the news. Be prepared for regular quizzes on both the textbook reading and in class activities. We will have a test at the end of each of our units.
You can keep up with the daily and weekly assignments and study materials for our course by accessing our web page at: http://daveforrest.net/usgov
If you need additional help, be sure to ask. I’ll be glad to arrange a time to meet with you during lunch or before or after school.
Looking forward to a great year with you!
Mr. Forrest
dforrest@nhusd.k12.ca.us