Government
Course Credits: 15
Course Curriculum
City High School Government books plus various books and videos from the library and the private collection of the teacher, Michael Cronin.
Course Outline
I. Introduction to Government (Lesson for 9/9/07)
A. Origins of American Government
B. Types of Government
C. Characteristics of American Government - Democracy
II. 1607 (Lesson for 9/9/07)
A. Origins of New Nation -1620s-1760s
B. Declaration of Independence
C. Constitutional Convention - May 1787
III. US Constitution - Laws and Principles of the Constitution (Lesson for 9/16/07)
A. Basic Principles of US Constitution
B. Articles of Constitution
C. Federalists
D. Anti-Federalists
E. Federalist Papers
F. Bill of Rights - 1st 10 Amendments to the Constitution
IV. Federalism (Lesson for 9/16/07)
A. Roots of Federalism
B. Powers of government in a federal system
V. Role of Supreme Court in Federalism (Lesson for 9/23/07)
A. Personal Rights
B. Civil Liberties
C. Due Process Clause - Incorporation Doctrine
D. 1st Amendment Guarantees
E. 4th, 5th, 6th, and 8th Amendment cover rights of accused - "Innocent until proven
guilty"
VI. Civil Rights (Lesson for 9/23/07)
A. Roe v. Wade - 1973 - Supreme Court has allowed states to make decisions so long as it doesn't put an undo burden on woman. 4th Amendment - personal privacy.
B. Homosexuality - Court has not OKd homosexual acts but has said the 14th Amendment applies
to homosexuals as regards discrimination.
C. Provide freedoms to protect against self-incrimination, freedom of speech, choice of religion.
D. Positive acts governments take to protect individuals against arbitrary or discriminatory treatment based on categories so people can vote, be educated, and succeed in careers and ensure that all Americans have equal opportunity and participate in all aspects of national life.
E. Not until Civil War were individual rights given an audience with US Government. 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments freed slaves in U.S. society.
VII. The Life of Thaddeus Stevens, Reconstruction and the 14th Amendment (Lesson for 10/7/07)
VIII. Congress - Legislative Branch (Lesson for 10/14/07)
A. The Roots of the Legislative Branch and the Constitution
B. The Members of Congress
C. How Congress is Organized - Roles of political parties and the committee system.
D. Constituencies in Congressional District
IX. Executive Branch (Lesson for 10/21/2007)
A. The Making of the President
B. Electoral College
C. Qualifications for Office
D. Terms of Office
E. Constitutional Powers of the President - six main powers of the president
F. Development of Presidential Power
X. The Bureaucracy
A. Grew after New Deal, Johnson's Great Society
B. Reputation - long lines, federal shutdowns, excessive paperwork
C. Reality - responsible for many important government funded programs such as farm supports, welfare, census bureau, and highways.
D. 1816-1861 - Growth of Bureaucracy
E. Political Changes to Deal with a Large Bureaucracy
F. The Modern Bureaucracy
XI. Judicial Branch (Lesson for 10/28/2007)
A.The Creation of the Judicial Branch
B. Supreme Court Selection
C. The Gears of the Supreme Court
D. Some Facts about Supreme Court Justices
XI. Local Elections (Lesson for 11/4/07)
A. Iowa City Local Government and Local Governments in the state
B. Local Elections can get very personal - can be someone you know, neighbors or neighboring towns, etc.
C. Movie: "Anytown USA" - Part I
XII. Lecture by Joshua Wolf Shenk at MacBride Hall, University of Iowa - Lincoln’s Melancholy (11/5/07)
XIII. Part II of "Anytown USA" (Lesson for 11/11/2007)
A. Local elections and the interest they engender.
B. Iowa City 21 only referendum of 11/6/2007.
XIV. Iowa (Lesson for 11/25/2007)
A. The Indians of Iowa
B. Early Iowa history
XV. Iowa (Lesson for 12/16/2007)
A. Exploration and Early Settlement
B. Political Development in Iowa
C. Early religious influences
XVI. Iowa (Lesson for 12/23/07)
A. Iowa as a territory
B. Pioneer Settlement (Part I)
XVII. Iowa (Lesson for 12/30/07)
A. Pioneer Settlement (Part II)
B. Foreign and domestic immigration
XVIII. Blacks in Iowa (Part I) (Lesson for 1/6/08)
A. The Border with Slave State Missouri
B. The Salem Nineteen - Resistance to Slavery in the Hawkeye State
XIX. Comparative Government - Chinese Communism
A .Chinese Government - Part I (Early 1900's - 1930's) (Lesson for 1/28/08)
B. Chinese Government - Part II (1930's - 1949) (Lesson for 2/3/08)
C. Modern Chinese Government - (Lesson for 2/10/08)
D. Chinese Religious Freedom - Experiences of Wayne and Mary Walling as Chinese Missionaries today in China. (Lesson for 3/30/08)
XX. Comparative Government - Cuban Communism
A. History of the Cuban Government - Early Settlement (Lesson for 3/2/2008)
B. Fidel Castro's Rise to Power and Rule 1959-2008 (Lesson for 3/9/08 & 3/16/2008)
C. Cuban Government Today and Possible Post-Castro Government (Lesson for 3/24/08)
XXI. Right Wing Anti-Democratic Governments - Italian Fascism 1923-1945 (Lesson for 4/6/08)
A. Italy after WWI
B. Benito Mussolini
C. The Fascist State in Italy
D. Defeat and collapse of Mussolini's fascist state
XXII. Comparative Government - Spanish Fascism 1939-1975 (Lesson for 4/13/2008)