AP Gov/Economics-3rd Assignments

Having calculated all of your expenses, enter them in to your HTML-14 Expense/Budget Tracker to find out whether or not you are in the red (went into debt) or in the black (have surplus cash at the end of 6 months). I've attached a fresh copy of HTML-14 - you can copy and paste your info from the previous version. Then answer the reflection questions contained in HTML-15.

I wish you the best of luck in life and hope that you've gained some skills, new ways of thinking, and insight into yourself and society as a result of our time "together." Don't ever hesitate to reach out if I can be of assistance.

In our final week of incurring expenses (note: in real life you will have unexpected expenses, like needing repairs for your car, phone, or body (medical expenses), etc.), you will calculate how much it costs to feed yourself, get dressed for work and play, and find out how much you can/already spend on entertainment.

I've also included information about how to write a check, balance your checkbook and file taxes. These activities do not have any assignment attached to them but are valuable if you have not done them before in real life.

This week, you will begin trying to find an apartment and vehicle, and plan for the costs of utilities, furniture, student loans and transportation.

As you calculate each, include that information in your Six Month Budget (just for month one, for now). If you are over budget in month one, don't freak out - you may come out ahead once you're earning money to offset the high start up costs of a car and security deposit

Attached is the first week of our How to Make a Living project. Plan to spend time each day on the assignments. I will give an overview in our Zoom meeting. Students repeatedly tell me this is one of the most valuable things they learned in high school, so do yourself a favor and find out how to be financially independent!

I've included an instructional video in case you missed the Zoom meeting.

To practice your Argumentative FRQ skills, choose two (or more) of the prompts in the document. For each, write a defensible thesis (remember: BECAUSE ...), identify evidence from two documents and one SCOTUS case.

Please take a photo of your organized notes (could be in piles, could be one big stack with labeled stickies, etc.) to receive credit for participating this week. Upload, send in email, or send in Remind.

Attached are instructions for the "Road to the White House" assignment, which is a summative assessment of what you have learned in this unit on Linkage Institutions.

You may work with a partner (NO GROUPS OF THREE OR MORE) or alone. If you work with a partner, please have both partners submit the assignment individually as a redundancy in case someone forgets to turn their work in.

POI-07 - YOUR Political Ideology Essay

PERSONAL POLITICAL PROFILE ESSAY
Directions: You will be writing a 2-page essay analyzing your own political beliefs through the concepts of socialization, public opinion, ideology, public opinion, and partisanship. Your essay will draw on your own opinions as well as discussions with your parents, poll data found online or in the textbook, and information in the textbook (Chapter 11)

Topics to include in your essay:
1. Political Socialization
Evaluate the different agents of socialization (family, school, religion, peers, the media) and their impact on you. You do not need to mention every agent of socialization; pick the most influential on you and your political opinions. Dig deep and think not only about the most recent election year(s), but consider the following:

• What is your earliest political memory?

• How have political events of your lifetime (Hurricane Katrina, 9/11, the Great Recession, presidential elections, debates over immigration, same-sex marriage, etc.) personally affected you?

• How do you think your gender, class, race, religion, region, or unique experiences impact your political views or differentiate your viewpoints from your peers or even from your family? (Again, you do not need to list all factors – just focus on those that speak to you.)

• How politically active are your parents? What political values have they discussed with you or hoped to impart? DISCUSS these questions with your parents or family members. (You don’t need to formally interview them, but do talk to them about your essay and incorporate the discussion into your own reflections on how you’ve come to certain beliefs.)

2. Political Ideology
Based on the PEW research online class poll we did, as well as on in-class conversations and the reflections above regarding political socialization… How would you define your political ideology on the spectrum from strong liberal to strong conservative (with various points in-between)? What does this ideological identification or label mean in terms of your views on the role of government and social issues? Research and cite current polls online (PEW or other polling data) to compare your ideological leanings with the broader American public and, specifically, with your demographic (age, region, race, etc.).


 
3. Party Identification and Partisanship
Do you identify or plan to register (when you are voting age) with a currently active political party (Democrat, Republican, Green, Libertarian), or are you still exploring party platforms? How strongly are you committed to or interested in one particular party and why? Do you think you will likely vote in the future based on party affiliation or based on specific candidates and their platforms/issues?

Note: Research the official party platforms (not the current candidates) and refer to specific party values or issues of the parties.

• Democratic Party: https://www.democrats.org/party-platform
• Green Party: http://www.gp.org/platform
• Libertarian Party: https://www.lp.org/platform
• Republican Party: https://www.gop.com/platform/


4. Political Trust
Overall, how much trust do you have in the following aspects of American political culture?
• Trust in institutions (government)
• Trust in political actors (voters as well as candidates/officeholders)
• Trust in the political process.
In other words, do you believe that the system works, or are there areas that concern you?

Essay Requirements:
Paper must be two (2) pages (typed, double-spaced, 12 point font with 1-inch margins).
Paper must cite at least 1 recent poll and at least 1 specific reference to ideas or information in the course readings (cite page #s from the textbook) as context for your analysis.
Paper must be grammatically correct with no spelling errors (please proofread).
The assignment is a narrative essay, NOT a question and answer worksheet. The nature of the questions means that much of the essay will be your personal opinions and reflections. You do not need to answer every part of every question above, but do touch on each topic in some way that relates to your personal beliefs and experiences.
If you are struggling with reaching the page count, go back and reflect and expand on the topics. I know from speaking with you in class that you have many ideas and thoughts to share. If all else fails, talk to your parents some more :)

Attach and submit your research paper here