| Course: Political Science I | |||
| 1st Nine Weeks | 2nd Nine Weeks | 3rd Nine Weeks | 4th Nine Weeks |
| Unit(s): 1, 2, | Unit(s): | Unit(s): | Unit(s): |
Unit 1: Theories and Historical Origins
• In this unit students will discuss why theories are important to the study of political science and draw conclusions about the classic political theorists.
• Students will also use appropriate technology and/or assigned materials to research and define the characteristics of contemporary political theories such as behaviorialism, postbehavioralism, systems theory, modernization theory, structural-functionalism, developmentalism, rational-choice theory, and new institutionalism.
• Students will also compare and contrast the evolution of classic and contemporary theories, make predictions, and defend their opinions about the future of political science theory in classroom activities, written reports, and/or brief presentations.
• Students will also participate in group or individual projects/activities to describe the features of different types of government, such as democracy, theocracy, republic, monarchy, dictatorship, communism, and socialism, use a map to label where each form of government is currently practiced or has been practiced in the past, and explain how each form of government arose throughout history.
• In classroom discussions or other activities, students will develop a logical argument for the origin of different types of government and hypothesize why some forms of government became obsolete.
Unit 2: Ideologies
• In this unit students will discuss and define political ideologies such as feminism, Marxism, Nazism, and capitalism. In small group discussions and/or other classroom activities, students will also connect and coordinate the four elements of perception, evaluation, prescription, and movement with political ideologies.
• As part of the class activities/discussion, students will make observations regarding the political culture of emerging nations or nations with recent current events, and predict what national or global trends could stimulate the formation of a new ideology.
-Safety Exams or Certifications | Unit 2: Ideologies
• As part of the class activities/discussion, students will make observations regarding the political culture of emerging nations or nations with recent current events, and predict what national or global trends could stimulate the formation of a new ideology.
Unit 3: Government Policies and Roles
• Students will use appropriate technology and/or assigned materials to examine and identify the roles played by local, state, and national governments in public and private sectors of the U.S. free enterprise system.
• Students will also research and identify the sources of revenue and expenditures of the U.S. government and analyze their impacts on the U.S. economy, compare and contrast the role of government in the U.S. free enterprise system and other economic systems, and explain the effects of international trade on U.S. economic and political policies.
• Students will present and discuss their findings with descriptive charts, diagrams, posters, presentations, and/or other classroom activities.
-Safety Exams or Certifications | Unit 4: The Election Process
• In this unit, students will use appropriate technology and/or assigned materials to review the process of electing public officials and other methods of filling public offices in the U.S. system of government and compare and contrast the effectiveness of telephones, television, print media, focus groups, and online resources in elections.
• Students will share their findings with descriptive charts, diagrams, posters, presentations, and/or other classroom activities.
• Students will also describe the cause-and-effect relationship of communication style in a campaign in classroom activities and/or mock situations/scenarios, and discuss the influence of political parties in elections as well as the phenomenon of political image.
Unit 5: Political Parties and Interest Groups
In this unit, students will identify interest groups and compare and contrast the positive and negative aspects of interest groups such as public interest research groups, lobbies, and political action committees.
Students will also examine the role of political parties in the U.S. system of government, discuss the functions of the two-party system, compare and contrast the role of third parties in the United States, and identify opportunities for citizens to participate in the electoral process at the local, state, and national levels.
-Safety Exams or Certifications | Unit 5: Political Parties and Interest Groups
• Students will also examine the role of political parties in the U.S. system of government, discuss the functions of the two-party system, compare and contrast the role of third parties in the United States, and identify opportunities for citizens to participate in the electoral process at the local, state, and national levels.
Unit 6: Public Opinion and Statistical Data and Analysis
• Students in this unit will use appropriate technology and/or assigned materials to investigate sources and influences of public opinion.
• Students will analyze the effect of public opinion on leadership, critique the reliability of public opinion and how it is measured, and compare and contrast the effects of expressed public opinion on poll items such as elections, elected official behavior, tax policy, services, and environmental protection.
• Students will share their findings with descriptive charts, diagrams, brief reports/presentations, and/or other classroom activities.
• As a course culminating activity, students will participate in an activity, project, and/or presentation that applies the concepts of statistical analysis to political science.
• Projects/activities will compare and contrast types of statistical data, such as in political science journals, public opinion polls, and surveys, and include one or more concepts used in statistical research.
STAAR Testing
Final Reviews/Exams
Spring CCA
-Safety Exams or Certifications |
Required Project:
Title: History of Philosophers
Description: Investigate the social and political happenings during your assigned philosophers’ time period and relate these to the political happenings and famous political people of the time period. Oral group reports must include visual aids / multimedia technology. | Required Project:
Title: Political Hot Topic Pyramid (from top to bottom)
Description: Students will work together in assigned pairs to research a hot button issue in today’s political landscape and create a pyramid to be displayed with information for a class presentation and walk around. Groups will be based on class size and number of topics available for quality research | Required Project:
Title: Split the World
Description: Students will choose either the eastern or western hemisphere. Students will then create a paper mache half globe with accurate geography on the rounded side of the half globe and labeled/colored appropriately. On the inside of the globe (the flat part) of the half globe students will identify and describe the types of government in that hemisphere of the world for all major and 10 minor countries. Students will then draw conclusions based on their findings and place on the globe as well at the bottom of the flat part. | Required Project:
Title: Image is everything
Description: Students will create their own political image and policy platform for the position they choose to run for. Project will be completed on an individual basis. Students will create a policy position, a social media platform/position, and their personal appearance. If students lack the apparel for appearance they can describe in detail what they want to look like in lieu of dressing up. Students can either create a social media profile to show the teacher, or students can choose to describe the platform and policy positions on the platform on a sheet of paper to turn in. Students will present themselves to the teacher on the due date and explain their Image. |
Additional Activities: Philosopher Profiles | Additional Activities: Governmental Timelines and Political Morphing of major countries throughout the world | Additional Activities:
Case Study: Roe v Wade (compare rulings) Case Study: Dobbs v Jackson’s Women’s Health Organization | Additional Activities: Role Play for Political Image |
| Employability Skills:Located in Main Curriculum Folder | |||
Employability Skills: -Professionalism -Ethics | Employability Skills: Teamwork-Problem Solving | Employability Skills: -Self Management Skill -Conflict Resolution-Leadership | Employability Skills: Communication Skills |
| CCMR: CTE CO Will Complete | CCMR: CTE CO Will Complete | CCMR: CTE CO Will Complete | CCMR: CTE CO Will Complete |
