From raps about James Madison to presentations of political “heroes vs hacks” and lessons ranging from a variety of topics surrounding politics and democracy, AP Government (AP Gov) is a valuable high school class offered at FHC.
In this class, students gain important knowledge and skills that will be extremely useful as they are expected to make political decisions at the polls moving forward. AP Government student, senior Ella Sanford, appreciates how important the class is to real-life situations.
“Living in America,” Ella said, “it’s very important to know your rights and know how the government operates to have a better understanding of it so you can be a more informed citizen and voter and make better educated decisions.”
Talking about current events helps start class by teaching topics that are relevant and crucial for an understanding of the world around you.
A favorite part of class for many AP Gov students is discussing the importance of current events and debriefing about the news and political topics currently happening in the world. From wars and conflicts to humanitarian aid and peace projects, having a grasp on current events is helpful for anyone interested in politics.
AP Gov and film teacher Jeff Manders reflects on how students aren’t as aware of current events and government policies in the modern age.
“Students are so well connected with the world around them,” Manders said, “yet [sometimes] they have no idea what’s happening in our society and in our government.”
AP Gov is a semester-long class that can count either as an elective credit or as a social studies/civics credit for high school students, typically juniors and seniors. All students in Manders’ AP Gov classes last year received scores of fours and fives on the AP exam, the standard final test scored out of five points.
The success of students on the AP exam highlights the effective teaching style in the AP Gov classroom and shows just how helpful the fast-paced and immersive learning environment in AP Gov is.
Senior Rebecca Maddox, an AP Gov student in Mr. Manders’ class, explains that if you manage the reading and assignments effectively, the class isn’t as difficult as some may assume.
“There is a lot of reading to do—about a chapter every week. However, the chapters are not terribly dense and the reading is not difficult,” Rebecca said. “Mr. Manders’ teaching style is lecture and in-class assignment heavy, and it is extremely important to make sure you turn in assignments on Canvas. However, the workload is manageable if you stay on top of the assignments.”
Fitting a year’s worth of content into only a four or five month-long semester is a daunting task for any. However, Manders balances the content of the class seamlessly, ensuring that each student gains the knowledge about government needed for political awareness in society. Learning the history of our government from the foundations of the United States to political eras and presidents, AP Gov is the ideal class and is important for all students and Americans.
With many young voters being uneducated about some of the most important government policies, having a class to educate students about to be able to vote in national elections is crucial for the success of our country.
“AP Gov is a great opportunity to learn a lot about how our national government operates,” Manders said, “and how you play a role in this process.”
Especially for students pursuing a job in public policy, law, or the government, AP Gov not only can fulfill a civics requirement and give students college credits, but the class also provides a basic knowledge of information and skills needed for a career in a political field. A deep understanding of the government and current politics is necessary for government jobs to be fulfilled to satisfaction.
Even for students not interested in having a job in politics, AP Gov can still teach basic civics knowledge at an in-depth level needed for active participation in the United States and other democracies, such as how the government runs and the duties each citizen has.
“Everything connects back to government and politics,” Rebecca said. “There is always a political career that can be pursued in any field: environmental science, medicine, business, or education, to name a few.”
In AP Gov, students develop and craft writing pieces with supporting evidence to make arguments, respond to questions based on scenarios, and even compare and contrast Supreme Court Cases by demonstrating their connections to The United States Constitution.
By the application of political and real-world issues to the classroom and to the valuable writing skills that every high school student needs to feel confident with, AP Government is an extremely important class. For anyone interested in learning how the US government works, the impacts of politics on society, and more surrounding the civics of the world, AP Gov is a great option to fulfill the high school civics requirement.
“The more you can make yourself aware of our government and how it works and how it functions,” Manders said, “and why sometimes it doesn’t seem to be functioning right, the better you are at developing critical opinions.”
