High School Government, Semester (Live and Self-Paced options)

The WriteAtHome Government semester course is meant to provide an introduction to the United States system of government within the historical context of its formation and development and major influences from historical political theory. This 16-week class will examine

• Classical concepts of democracy, republic, and law, and their development in the Enlightenment context of early American history
• The framing of the Constitution and its contents, the three branches of government, the development of amendments, and governmental and legal issues throughout American history
• Special topics concerning citizen involvement in the government, like voting, media and politics, political parties, local and national politics

The class will provide a foundation for students to engage in political life with confidence, not simply armed with an introductory understanding of what the system of US government is but instead why it is this way and how it has developed over time.

Student Expectations for Live Classes:

• Attend weekly class sessions (recordings will be available after each session)
• Complete weekly reading assignments
• Complete weekly quizzes and discussion posts
• One paper on a topic concerning US government (a politically significant concept, event, or political figure)

About Self-Paced Classes:

• Students have access to recorded lectures on each reading assignment.
• Students have access to weekly reading pacing guides and auto-graded quizzes.
• Although we recommend following the syllabus in order, students are free to choose what to read and when.
• Self-Paced classes do not include live class sessions or teacher support. 
• All recordings will be available from September 2 through the end of the following August.

Reading List:

Required readings will be assembled from various articles, primary sources, and textbooks available for free online, with links provided in the weekly required reading section of Canvas. The reading will be mostly synchronous with the weekly lessons.

Suggested Booklist:

If you prefer a physical copy of a book to read along with rather than the online links, we will list some suggestions here (TBA).