This one-semester course prepares students for informed and responsible participation as citizens in the American representative system. Students deepen their awareness of the values expressed in the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and other foundational documents of the United States. Students learn the purposes and structures of government within the American federal system. Students gain a deeper understanding of the role of the United States in its relations with other nations. Students also learn how citizens exert influence on public affairs and decisions. By participating in this course, students are better prepared to exercise the rights and responsibilities of American citizenship. Prerequisites: None
Course Objectives: Upon completion of this course, students will be able to...
- distinguish personal and civic responsibilities by applying their understanding of the idea of citizenship under the American constitutional democracy
- explain what became the foundations of American political philosophies
- explain the purpose of the U.S. Constitution by analyzing its historical significance and development
- evaluate how the Constitution secures the rights of Americans, and they will examine how the Constitution can adapt to a changing world
- explain how the branches of the American government operate
- apply their understanding of the election system to discuss how citizens can affect change through political participation
- explain the structure and functions of local and state governments
- apply content knowledge to explain how citizens can affect public policy
Course Outline:
Unit 1 - Citizenship and the Responsibilities of Citizens
Unit 2 - Foundations of American Political Philosophies
Unit 3 - The U.S. Constitution
Unit 4 - The Bill of Rights and Amending the Constitution
Unit 5 - Branches of the Federal Government
Unit 6 - The Electoral Process
Unit 7 - State and Local Governments
Unit 8 - Citizens and Public Policy
Resources Included:Online lesson instruction and activities, opportunities to engage with a certified, online instructor and classmates, when appropriate, and online assessments to measure student performance of course objectives and readiness for subsequent academic pursuits.
Additional Costs: None
Scoring System: Michigan Virtual does not assign letter grades, grant credit for courses, nor issue transcripts or diplomas. A final score reported as a percentage of total points earned will be sent to students upon completion of a course. Your school mentor is also able to access this score within the Student Learning Portal. Schools may use this score for conversion to their own letter grading system.
Time Commitment: Semester sessions are 18-weeks long: Students must be able to spend 1 or more hours per day in the course to be successful. Summer sessions are 10 weeks long: Students must be able to spend a minimum of 2 or more hours per day, or about 90 hours during the summer, for the student to be successful in any course. Trimester sessions are 12-weeks long: Students must be able to spend 1.5 or more hours per day in the course to be successful.
Technology Requirements: Students will require a computer device with headphones, a microphone, webcam, up-to-date Chrome Web Browser, and access to YouTube.
Please review the Michigan Virtual Technology Requirements: https://michiganvirtual.org/about/support/knowledge-base/technical-requirements/
Instructor Support System: For technical issues within your course, contact the Customer Care Center by email at [email protected] or by phone at (888) 889-2840.
Instructor Contact Expectations: Students can use email or the private message system within the Student Learning Portal to access highly qualified teachers when they need instructor assistance. Students will also receive feedback on their work inside the learning management system. The Instructor Info area of their course may describe additional communication options.
Academic Support Available: In addition to access to a highly qualified, Michigan certified teacher, students have access to academic videos and outside resources verified by Michigan Virtual. For technical issues within the course, students can contact the Michigan Virtual Customer Care by email at [email protected] or by phone at (888) 889-2840.
Required Assessment: Online assessments consist of formative and summative assessments represented by computer-graded multiple choice, instructor-graded writing assignments including hands-on projects, model building and other forms of authentic assessments.
Technical Skills Needed: Basic technology skills necessary to locate and share information and files as well as interact with others in a Learning Management System (LMS), include the ability to:
- Download, edit, save, convert, and upload files
- Download and install software
- Use a messaging service similar to email
- Communicate with others in online discussion or message boards, following basic rules of netiquette
- Open attachments shared in messages
- Create, save, and submit files in commonly used word processing program formats and as a PDF
- Edit file share settings in cloud-based applications, such as Google Docs, Sheets, or Slides
- Save a file as a .pdf
- Copy and paste and format text using your mouse, keyboard, or an html editor’s toolbar menu
- Insert images or links into a file or html editor
- Search for information within a document using Ctrl+F or Command+F keyboard shortcuts
- Work in multiple browser windows and tabs simultaneously
- Activate a microphone or webcam on your device, and record and upload or link audio and/or video files
- Use presentation and graphics programs
- Follow an online pacing guide or calendar of due dates
- Use spell-check, citation editors, and tools commonly provided in word processing tool menus
- Create and maintain usernames and passwords
Additional Information: N/A