The course will begin with a study of the historic foundations of the American system including the founding documents. Students will then explore the three branches of American government and their roles. Building on this, students will be introduced to the American political and electoral process, along with the rights and responsibilities of American citizens. Next, students will investigate the nature of the relationship between government and economy, including a comparative consideration of differing political-economic systems. In so doing, the student will be introduced to the fundamentals of economics, and how the different types of economics systems attempt to answer the basic economic questions. Particular attention will be given to the role of supply and demand, pricing, competition and entrepreneurship, business and labor, banking and financial markets, taxes and spending, fiscal policy, and trade in a free-enterprise system attempting to meet the challenges of an increasing globalized economy. Finally, students will look at the role of state and local governments as they interact with the national government.
Note: This course is designed based on review of U.S. Government and Economics courses in the United States, to meet the high school graduation requirements for those states. In order to meet the content requirements for graduation, the student will the use highly-regarded Marauder’s American Government as the primary text. This will be supplemented with the eText version of Economics and additional primary and secondary sources.