High School US Government for Credit Recovery
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Number of Credits
0.5
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Estimated Completion Time
16-18 weeks
Responsible citizenship, including civil and political participation is essential to maintain a representative government that truly represents the people of the United States. In this course, students learn about the structure of government and how it shares power at the local, state and federal levels. This course also explores founding principles that inspired the Constitution and Bill of Rights, preserving the freedoms that students experience daily. Students will examine the processes of each branch of government, the election process, and how citizens can impact public policy. The media, interest groups and, influential citizens provide examples of how the government can be effected by informed and active participants. Students will examine the U.S. Court system, and become a part of the process by participating in the judicial decision making process. They will also discover ways the United States interacts with countries around the world, through domestic policy, foreign policy and human rights policy.
Module 01 - Citizenship
- Introduction to U.S. Government
- Impact of government on daily life
- Constitutional principles (i.e. representative government, limited government, consent of the governed, rule of law, individual rights)
- Naturalization
- Civic and political participation
- Service learning
Module 02 - Foundations
- Colonial reasons for independence from Britain
- Declaration of Independence
- Foundational principles i.e. Social contract, popular sovereignty, etc.
- Articles of Confederation
- U.S. Constitution
- Checks and Balances
- Three Branches of Government
- Bill of Rights
- Amendment process
- Federalist and Anti-federalist viewpoints
- Federalist Papers
- Federalism
- State and Local Government
Module 03 - Policy and Elections
- The Legislative Branch
- Bicameralism
- Congressional Powers
- Lawmaking processes
- Legislative Committees
- Public Policy
- The Executive Branch
- The Presidency
- The Cabinet
- Independent Regulatory Agencies
- Succession
- Political Parties
- Interest Groups
- Role of The Media
- State of the Union Address
- Political Communication Bias
- Electoral College
- Voter Demographics and Turnout
- Campaigns
- Primary and Midterm Elections
Module 04 - Courts and Civil Liberties
- The Judicial Branch
- Court Organization and Jurisdiction
- Trial Process
- U.S. Supreme Court
- Judicial Review
- Judicial Opinions
- Landmark Court Cases
- Civil Rights
- World Governments
- Democratization
- Domestic Policy
- Foreign Policy