AP American Government Summer Reading

The following is required for summer reading. This work is only for U.S. Government, not Comparative Government. Comparative Government will be covered first semester.

The Woll Reader can be ordered from ebay or cheap books.com for a really good price. The other two can be ordered from ebay also, or they have them at Hooked On Books in Collierville. All the books can be found on half.com (ebay) for under $10.00 total. Get most recent editions.

1. WoII Reader. Woll, Peter. American Government: Readings and Cases, 14th Edition. Boston, MA, Harper Collins,2002. (paperback) Get book before you come to class in January.

2. Read the following books and respond to essay-type questions on them. Irons,Peter. The Courage of Their Convictions: Sixteen Americans Who Fought Their Way to the Supreme Court. New York: Free Press,1988.

Matthews,Christopher. Hardball: How Politics Is Played-Told by One Who Knows the Game. New York: Harper Collins,1989.

You are to read these books and respond to the questions in order to be better prepared for your government class. The written assignment will be due the first day of class in January. It is also highly recommended that you follow the news this summer by watching TV news shows like "Meet the Press".

After reading the assigned books - answer both of the following essay questions. Be sure to address all parts of the question and use specific information whenever possible. Your work will be evaluated mostly on content, but style is also important, so pay attention to how you write as well as what you write.

Your essays should be approximately 500 words in length (longer, if you like). Typed work is preferred, but neatly written answers on lined paper (one side) are acceptable.

Question 1. :”To get ahead in life, you can learn a great deal from those who get ahead for a living ....People are jockeying for position, all the while keeping an eye on the competition... There’s a magnetism to this world of make-or-break.”
-Hardball, by Christopher Matthews

Explain how, according to Christopher Matthews, the game of politics is played, i.e., who gets ahead and why. Include a variety of “players” in your discussion- presidents, members of Congress, aides, etc. Evaluate just how “magnetic” the world is. Do not write in the first person.

Question 2. Using numerous examples from among the case studies in Peter Irons’ The Courage of Their Convictions, explain what you have learned about the following. You may use the first person.
a. people
b. protest
c. courage and convictions
d. the U.S. Supreme Court
e. the U.S. Constitution
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