美國政府與政治（公民）- 學期課程

The course objective is to introduce students to the principles behind the United States’ government and political institutions and to enable students to interact with various viewpoints. Students will understand the historical development of our current political situation, analyze the political process, and describe how various political groups function today.  The goal is for students to become familiar with public policies, our Constitutional underpinnings, and political behavior in our society.  Students should then be able to appropriately apply their understanding to evaluate how just and appropriate various political actions are. 

The course will include engaging group discussions in the weekly live session.   Students should use video and audio during the live class, which helps encourage smoother discussions and more engagement. Parents may request an exception to this requirement.   Current events will occasionally be discussed if relevant to the class topic. 

This class is designed to satisfy typical 1/2 credit high school government requirements.  Parents need to make their own judgement based on the regulations is their state / country.  I recommend this class for the 10th grade level (or higher).  Students in younger grades (8th and 9th) should do fine if they are somewhat advanced. 

Some weekly course concepts include:
 - What is legitimate government and how did the Founders envision it?
 - The historical development of our governing system
 - What different types of federalism have been debated and utilized in American government?
 - The three branches of national government (their functions, original design and current practices)
 - Political parties and their role in American government
 - Elections and the electoral college
 - The policy-making process and influential groups
 - What is the role of the bureaucracy?
 - The Constitution and the limits it places on government activities
 - How does the media shape perceptions?
 - America's role in the world (past and present)
 - How Americans can participate in our government