AP Comparative Government and Politics Reading and Writing Workshop
Reading and Writing Workshop: Political Ideologies and Beliefs
Objective:
Students will analyze foundational political texts, evaluate key political ideologies, and develop analytical writing skills through SAQs and FRQs.
Materials:
Session 1: Introduction to Political Ideologies
Key Topics: Liberalism, Conservatism, Socialism, Communism, Fascism
Activity:
Session 2: Social Contract Theory and Government Legitimacy
Key Topics: Social Contract, Consent of the Governed, Democracy
Activity:
Session 3: Democracy and Political Culture
Key Topics: Democratic Values, Political Participation, Authoritarianism
Activity:
Final Writing Assignment:
Students will write an argumentative essay answering the question:
"What is the most effective form of government for balancing individual liberty and social order?"
This workshop provides a rigorous yet accessible approach to political ideologies using public domain texts while reinforcing AP Comparative Government and Politics skills.
Objective:
Students will analyze foundational political texts, evaluate key political ideologies, and develop analytical writing skills through SAQs and FRQs.
Materials:
- The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels (1848)
- On Liberty by John Stuart Mill (1859)
- The Social Contract by Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1762)
- Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville (1835)
- The Federalist Papers (selected essays, 1787-1788)
Session 1: Introduction to Political Ideologies
Key Topics: Liberalism, Conservatism, Socialism, Communism, Fascism
Activity:
- Read excerpts from On Liberty (Mill) and The Communist Manifesto (Marx and Engels).
- Compare liberalism and socialism based on the authors' arguments.
- Identify and explain one argument John Stuart Mill makes in favor of individual liberty.
- Explain how Karl Marx critiques capitalism.
- Compare one similarity and one difference between Mill’s and Marx’s perspectives on government and society.
- Evaluate the extent to which government should regulate the economy, using evidence from both Mill and Marx.
Session 2: Social Contract Theory and Government Legitimacy
Key Topics: Social Contract, Consent of the Governed, Democracy
Activity:
- Read excerpts from The Social Contract (Rousseau) and The Federalist Papers (Madison or Hamilton).
- Discuss how different systems justify government power.
- Describe Rousseau’s concept of the "general will."
- Explain how Federalist No. 10 justifies a large republic.
- Compare how Rousseau and Madison view the role of citizens in decision-making.
- Analyze the strengths and weaknesses of direct democracy and representative democracy. Use Rousseau and The Federalist Papers as evidence.
Session 3: Democracy and Political Culture
Key Topics: Democratic Values, Political Participation, Authoritarianism
Activity:
- Read excerpts from Democracy in America (Tocqueville).
- Debate the advantages and disadvantages of democracy.
- Identify one characteristic of American democracy that Tocqueville praises.
- Explain how Tocqueville describes the role of civil society in maintaining democracy.
- Compare Tocqueville’s views on democracy with another thinker’s perspective from previous sessions.
- Assess the claim that democracy depends on strong civic institutions, using Tocqueville and another author from the workshop.
Final Writing Assignment:
Students will write an argumentative essay answering the question:
"What is the most effective form of government for balancing individual liberty and social order?"
- Use at least three texts from the workshop as evidence.
- Provide a clear thesis statement and structured argument.
This workshop provides a rigorous yet accessible approach to political ideologies using public domain texts while reinforcing AP Comparative Government and Politics skills.