AP U

Harwich = High School - AP U.S. Government and Politics<= /span> - Summer Project

Welcome to AP U.S. Government! I’m looking forward to a great year of studying and discussing government and politics.= You have two required assignments and one extra credit assignment due the first= day of class:

1. Read 1984, by George Orwell= , and answer the questions below. W= rite a paragraph in response to each question.

This novel is a class= ic political work that contemplates what our political future might be if we suffer another swing toward despotism as occurred in the 1930’s (and = many times before). It describes an absolute dictatorship that has arisen after a nuclear war, and the struggle= of one man against the tyranny of the system.

It was published in 1= 948 and was intended to show how such a drastic and horrific scenario could happen = in our lifetime. While 1984 has = come and gone without his dire prophesy being realized, some aspects of his visi= on can be seen today, and his warning about the future seems ever more appropr= iate - as we live under new threats of Weapons of Mass Destruction falling into = the hands of terrorists, and as the government exercises more and more power in= the name of protecting us from these threats, - warrantles= s wiretaps, data mining phone records, etc.

Book One

I: -What is the pur= pose of the Two Minutes Hate? What= is Winston’s reaction?

-Why does he start a diary?

II: &n= bsp; -Why does he consider himself a dead man?

III: -What is doublethink?<= o:p>

-Explain: “Who controls the past, controls the future; who<= /span> controls the present,

c= ontrols the past”

IV: -Describe Winston’s jo= b.

V: -What is Newspea= k? What is its purpose?

VI: -What was married life like = for Winston?

-What is the Party’s attitude toward sex?

VII: -Explain: “If there is hope,= it lies with the Proles.”<= /p>

-Explain: “I understand HOW: I do not understand WHY.”<= /p>

-Explain: “Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two = make four. If that is <= /span>

g= ranted, all else follows.”

VIII: -What did he hope to get out of talking = to the old prole?

-Why did he think he would be taken away that night?

Book Two

I: -How do th= ey hop to meet and evade the Thought Police?

II: -How is sex a political act?

III: -What is the purpose of sexu= al Puritanism, according to Julia?

IV: -What was behind the wall of darkness in Winston’s nightmare?

V: &n= bsp; -How did a lack of understanding help people remain sane?

VI: -Why does Winston feel he is “stepping into the dampness of the grave”?

VII: -What were Winston’s last memories of his mother?

-Explain: “The proles are human beings, we are not.”

-For Winston, what does it mean to stay human?

VIII: -What is the Brotherhood? How does it work?

IX: -After reading the sec= tion on Chapter 3, explain: “War is Peace.”

-After reading the section on Chapter 1, explain: “Ignorance is Strength.= 221;

X: -Why does the fu= ture belong to the proles?

-How did they get caught?

Book Three

I: -What does O’Brien mean? “Yo= u knew this . . . You have always known it.”

II: -Why was the questioning worse than the beatings?

-Why did he see O’Brien as both tormentor and protector?=

-Explain: “You haven’t controlled your memory. That is why you are here.”

-What is the significance of the four fingers?

-Does Big Brother exist? Explain.

III: -Why does the Party wa= nt power?

-How does the Party control reality?

-Why does the Party make everyone suffer?

-Explain: “A boot stepping on a human face – forever.”

-What hope does Winston cling to?

IV: -Explain the analogy of swim= ming in the current.

-How does he practice crimestop?

-How does he betray himself?

-What is the last step, according to O’Brien?

V: &n= bsp; -What happens to Winston in Room 101?

VI: -What is life like for Winst= on since he was released?

-Explain the last four words.

2. Complete the following assignment:=

Read the following se= lections in The Lanahan Readings in the American Poli= ty, and answer the accompanying questions.&nbs= p; These readings will give you an overview of some of the topics we wi= ll learn about this year, and will give us a foundation of knowledge and references as we approach each unit.

5. Cornel West, Race Matters, p. 22

-How is life different for African-Americans?

-What problems does West point out about how American society deals with race and how might these problems be addressed?=

25. Barbara Sinclair, The 60 Vote Senate, p. 162=

-How has the filibuster changed over the years?

-What is its impact today?

30. David Price, The Congressional Experience, p. 188

-What is life like for typical member of Congress?

-Explain the gap between the popularity of Congress and its members, and that between campaigning and governing.

33. Thomas Cronin and Michael Genovese= , The Paradoxes of the American Presidency<= /i>, p. 212

            -Explain the nine paradoxes of the American Presidency.

45. David Yalof, Pursuit of Justices, p. 302

            -Describe the 10 developments that have shaped the modern selection of Supreme Court justices.

47. Anthony Lewis, Gideon’s Trumpet, p. 317

            -What does Clarence Gideon’s case show us about how the Supreme Court opera= tes?

62. Jeffrey Birnb= aum, The Lobbyists, p. 424

            -What is life like for a lobbyist?

            -What functions do lobbyists serve, positive and negative?

68. William Eggers, Government 2.0, p. 473

            -How has the internet changed campaigning?

83. Brian Anderson, South Park Conservatives, p. 598<= /span>

            -How has the “blogosphere” changed the m= edia and politics?

84. Michael Harrington, The Other Ameri= ca, p. 607

            -Summarize Harrington’s description of poverty in America.

            -To what extent has this changed since 1962?

3. The following assignment may be completed for extra credit:

In order to be a succ= essful student of United States Government, you need to get in the habit of follow= ing current political events. You= need to know who the leaders are, what decisions they are making, and how it may affect your life. To get in t= his habit, complete the following assignment:

For each week of the = summer (you can start after July 4), choose one important political event, and give the following information:

a.&n= bsp;      Summarize w= hat happened in a brief paragraph

b.&n= bsp;      List the me= dia source form which you got your information (date and page #/time)

c.&n= bsp;      Name one key decision maker in this event – their office and where they are from

d.&n= bsp;      State two or three political terms used in the story and give a brief definition

You should not repeat= the decision makers or terms, and you should use at least five different media sources.

The terms should be n= ew or unfamiliar to you (i.e., not “Senator”). Some examples of words you may come across are: Bully Pulpit, sound bite, photo op, Filibuster, Cloture, Apportionment, Gerrymandering, Conference Committee, bipartisan, judicial activism, soft money, CAFTA, etc.

The AP course is focu= sed on national politics, so your stories should as well (e.g., affordable housing= in Harwich or new Massachusetts<= /st1:place> seatbelt laws would not fit as well, though they are important stories). Foreign policy stories (where our government is involved) are OK.

Suggested media sourc= es:

A daily newspaper = 211; look at headlines, national news, editorials, oped page (opposite the editorials).

An online newspaper &= #8211; www.nytimes.com, www.washingtonpost.com are exce= llent

            - both also have member centers which offer free daily e= mails of the headlines, & politics pages:

            - www.nytimes.com/p= ages/politics/index.html, www.washingtonpo= st.com/wp-dyn/politics/

News magazines – Newsweek, Time, US News &World Report – all offer excellent weekly summaries

            - www.newsweek.com, www.time.com, www.usnews.com – publish online Sunday/Monday

Nightly network news = – 6:30 on ABC, NBC, and CBS

Weekly news shows = 211; most are on Sunday mornings (e.g. ABC’s This Week – 10:30 on Channel 5)

            - PBS has a couple Friday night – McLaughlin Group (7:30), Washington W= eek in Review (9PM)

Cable news networks &= #8211; CNN, MSNBC, FoxNews, etc. – also offer we= bsites – www.cnn.com is excellent

            -CNN also has a daily show- Inside Politics at 4 PM – check out www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/ =

Various other sources= – e.g. if you have a yahoo.com home page, you can set it up to give you the <= o:p>

            headlines from the Associated Press (AP) every time yo= u log on

Online blogs – lots = of them – www.polticalwire.com a= nd www.fivethirtyeight.com are my favorites!

Please bring all your= weekly stories in the first day of class. You may email me your weekly assignments if you would like comments = on them, or if you have any questions: dickson@harwich.edu =

Additional Suggested Summer Reading

These are good books on politics. You can receive extra credit for h= anding in a reflection on any of these, or other political books.

Man of the Hou= se, Tip O’Neill with William Novak

All Politics i= s Local, Tip O’Neill

Thirteen Days<= /i>, Robert Kennedy

All the President’s Men, Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward

Democracy in A= merica, Alexis de Tocqueville

Hard Ball,= by Chris Matthews

The Courage of= their Convictions, by Peter Irons

The System, by David Broder and = Haynes Johnson

Dreams from my Fat= her, = Barack Obama

Presidential Power= , by Richard Neustadt=