AP
GOVERNMENT / MACROECONOMICS – DR. ASTUTO
Welcome to the class! For many of you, this will be your first
taste of what a college course is going to be like. That means you have the advantage of
challenging yourself academically without the stress of being in a strange new
place, being homesick, dealing with the strange bathing/sleeping/study habits
of Roommates From The Unknown, etc.
Before we get to the assignment part, I want to give you a
little preview of some of the other activities we have in store for the coming
year. Yes, our main jobs this year will
be 1) to pass the AP tests in these subjects, and 2) to get you your five
points in each course so you can graduate in June. However, there are other things going on
which will give you the opportunity to: learn by doing, engage in some
worthwhile academic activities outside the traditional classroom setup, and
maybe even earn some scholarship money/prizes/extra credit [I wonder which one
of those three you will come to think is the most valuable]. Here are some of the things you can look
forward to in my class for the coming school year:
FIU/Gordon
Institute for Public
Policy and Citizenship Studies – Intelligence/Security Simulation: Once each semester FIU puts on an
elaborate role-playing simulation. Past subjects have included the Cuban
Missile Crisis, peace talks in the Horn of Africa, and the attack on Pearl Harbor. As
my students you have an excellent chance to be chosen to participate in one of
these simulations.
FIU/Gordon
Institute for Public Policy and Citizenship Studies – Summer Institute on National Security Studies:
This week-long institute held in June after school lets out
features a more in-depth experience than the one-day simulation workshops can
provide.
Smithsonian Student Travel:
Inauguration 2009:
Through the auspices of the
Smithsonian Institution & Museums, Cobra students will have the opportunity
to spend four days in Washington,
D.C. In addition to attending and witnessing both
the Inauguration and the parade, students will visit institutions and monuments
and have the opportunity to meet some of the movers and shakers in the Nation’s
Capital. This program is not restricted
to AP class members, seniors, or even students (yes your parents can go . . .
if you don’t mind bringing them along).
For more details about this trip go to www.smithsonianstudenttravel.com
and enter tour number 456622.
National Vocabulary Championship: This battlefield of words will pit
you against competitors from all over the country. For the past two years the finals have been
broadcast on Game Show Network. The NVC
offers thousands of dollars in scholarship money to successful students.
Stock Market Challenge: Your team will be given the computer password to a (simulated) $100,000
investment account and turned loose on the world of stocks and bonds. Winning
teams are eligible for prizes.
InvestWrite: This essay competition challenges
you to analyze and resolve an investment issue.
In addition to class credit, winners at the state and national
level qualify for trips, computers, and other prizes.
Florida
Economics Challenge:
Held in the spring, 2008 was the first year this national competition
was open to Florida students, and one of South Miami’s teams finished in the Top Ten
statewide. I’m looking for an even
better performance this year.
Dade
County
Model United Nations:
After an absence of several years,
we are hoping to return to the event this year.
Keep in mind these are all subject
to change/cancellation due to time constraints, the budget ax, and so
forth. The summer assignment includes
a variety of reading, research and analysis tasks. These will not only give you
a
chance to build up your GPA before you even enter my classroom, but will help
prepare you for the coursework this year.
You should make note of the website I plan use for the summer
assignments www.schoolnotes.com/33155/astutodr.html. You should be able to find an updated version
of this announcement as well as additional information. If you are receiving this as a hard copy
rather than an electronic document, it means there has been some problem
connecting with your e-mail address, so you will need to pay particular
attention to the web page. NOTE:
Schoolnotes is planning on making some changes this summer, which may cause the
e-mail address to change. I will e-mail
information to the class mailing list during the summer; if you have an
alternate e-mail you can use you should let me know right away. My e-mail is kastuto@dadeschools.net and I plan
to
check it throughout the summer.
Remember, the assignment is due
the first day of school so be sure to have it ready, and be ready to
discuss the reading you did.
SUMMER READINGS
AND ASSIGNMENTS
Websites – visit the following websites:
Give a
one-paragraph description of the offerings of each website and explain
how it will benefit you in the course. DUE DATE: first day of class. You will have two separate
pages – one for AP Government and one for AP Macroeconomics. You can
see my web page at www.schoolnotes.com/33155/astutodr.html also.
Media Over
the summer read and view the following:
Nightly newscast (e.g., “The
Jim
Lehrer Newshour”), “Nightly Business Report” (PBS), a Sunday morning newsmaker
program (such as “Face
the Nation,” “Meet the Press,” or “This Week”), your
daily newspaper AND a national-scope newspaper such as The New York Times or
The Washington Post (NOT ‘USA Today’), a business publication such as The Wall
Street Journal, Business Week or Fortune. NOTE: print resources can
be accessed on line or at your local public library.
Keep a reading/viewing log
(day/date/time) w/notes. Pay special attention to
stories/events regarding Congress, the sitting President, the election
campaign, the Supreme Court, the Federal Reserve, economic indicators &
foreign trade. You will be tested on this information during
the first week of school (I will be watching/reading them too). I expect you to have entries for every week
of the summer, so don’t let this slide until the last week before school; do it
a little at a time and it will be much easier! DUE DATE: first day of class.
Books – read at least one book from each
category, more if you can (not just the shortest from each
category!). You will have to participate in a group discussion,
contributing your observations & interpretations. These are also fair game for the first test
we have in class after the start of the school year. The more outside
reading
you do this summer, the better prepared you’ll be for the courses and tests. DUE DATE: first week of class.
GOVERNMENT
All the King’s Men; The Federalist Papers; 1776; Inherit
the Wind; To Kill a Mockingbird; The Prince/Utopia; 1984; Gideon’s Trumpet;
Wealth and Democracy – A Political History of the American
Rich
ECONOMICS
New Ideas from Dead Economists: an
Introduction to Modern Economic Thought; The Jungle; The Worldly Philosophers;
The Grapes of Wrath; Maestro – Greenspan’s Fed and the American Boom; The
Choice: A Fable of Free Trade and Protectionism
Top Ten List
Since primary season is ending and
the presidential campaign is about to begin in earnest, we have a unique
opportunity this summer to see in action much of what we will be studying in
the coming year. Follow the developments in the presidential
campaign over the summer and rank the top ten developments/stories in importance. Each
item should be accompanied by an explanatory paragraph justifying the ranking
you assign to the story. DUE
DATE: first day of class.
Basic Preparation Materials
There are a few things I can tell
you now that you should be sure you have for class:
Loose-leaf binder with tabs/dividers
– this will be a place to file your class notes, project materials, homework,
etc. It should either be big enough to
accommodate both Government/Politics and Macroeconomic materials, or you may
want separate binders for each subject.
REMEMBER: whichever subject you are taking first semester, you need to
hold onto the notes to help you prepare for the AP tests in May.
Ruled loose-leaf paper – pages
yanked out of ring binders or torn out of composition/spiral bound books are
not acceptable for turning in assignments.
3” x 5” OR 4” x 6” ruled index cards
– some of these will be for notes, some will be for you to create your own
flashcards/information cards.
3” x 3” Post-it notes (or similar –
brand is not important)
Pens
and pencils.
A
way to conveniently bring your text and workbook(s)/reader(s) to class each
day.
Remember to keep an eye on the website and your e-mail for
updates/changes.
Have a safe & happy summer; I look forward to seeing you
in August!
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