AP Comparative Government and Politics

About This Course

This one-semester course is aligned with the Advanced Placement curriculum for AP Comparative Government and Politics and is equivalent to a one-semester introductory college course in comparative government and politics. The course uses a comparative approach to examine the political structures; policies; and political, economic, and social challenges of six selected countries: China, Iran, Mexico, Nigeria, Russia, and the United Kingdom. Students compare the effectiveness of approaches to many global issues by examining how different governments solve similar problems. They will also engage in disciplinary practices that require them to read and interpret data, make comparisons and applications, and develop evidence-based arguments.

Students will enroll in their Michigan Virtual instructor’s AP Classroom. If students intend to take the AP Exam, then they should be enrolled in an Exam Only section of AP Classroom created by their local school personnel. Students will then be enrolled in BOTH the Exam Only AP Classroom associated with their local school AND the online instructor’s AP Classroom associated with Michigan Virtual. Having completed this course, students will be prepared for the AP exam. The course does not include the AP Exam; students can contact their school’s AP Coordinator or the College Board to sign up to take the Exam. In order to maintain the integrity of AP standards, all AP course midterm and final exams must be proctored by personnel at their local school. Prerequisites:  None

Course Objectives: Upon completion of this course, students will be able to...

• Apply political concepts and processes in authentic contexts
• Evaluate and compare political concepts and processes among the course countries (China, Iran, Mexico, Nigeria, Russia, and the United Kingdom)
• Analyze and interpret quantitative data represented in tables, charts, graphs, maps, and infographics
• Analyze and interpret text-based sources
• Explain how political scientists use data analysis to explain the political behavior of individuals, groups, organizations, and governments
• Develop an argument in essay format

Course Outline:

Unit 1: Political Systems, Regimes, and Governments

Unit 2: Political Institutions

Unit 3: Political Culture and Participation

Unit 4: Party and Electoral Systems and Citizen Organizations

Unit 5: Political and Economic Changes and Development

Unit 6: AP Exam Review & Prep

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: Required Textbook: Karen Waples, Comparative Government: Stories of the World for the AP Course, 2023 BFW Publishers. ISBN (Digital): 9781319524401 | ISBN (Hardcopy): 9781319443238. For purchasing options, visit Comparative Government: Stories of the World for the AP Course | BFW Publishers.
Course enrollment does not include the AP Exam fees. Students may be responsible for their AP exam fees when registering for the exam with their local school's AP coordinator.

Scoring System: Michigan Virtual does not assign letter grades, grant credit for courses, nor issue diplomas. A final score out of total points earned will be submitted to your school mentor 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.

Ensure that your school or district network and device administrator establishes network access permissions or exceptions for online resources relevant to the course in which you are choosing to enroll. Ref., Michigan Virtual Course Allow List

Please review the Michigan Virtual Technology Requirements.

Instructor Support System: For technical issues within your course, contact the Customer Care Center by email at CustomerCare@michiganvirtual.org 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 customercare@michiganvirtual.org 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, discussion-based assessments (one-on-one conversations with your teacher), 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: The official course descriptions for Advanced Placement courses and information about their exams are located on the College Board AP Central website.

Michigan Virtual prepares students in AP courses for the AP exam, but does not offer the exam test itself. It is the responsibility of the school or parent to register for a local administration of the AP exam.

Students will enroll in their Michigan Virtual instructor’s AP Classroom. If students intend to take the AP Exam, then they should be enrolled in an Exam Only section of AP Classroom created by their local school personnel. Students will then be enrolled in BOTH the Exam Only AP Classroom associated with their local school AND the online instructor’s AP Classroom associated with Michigan Virtual.

There are required due dates in AP courses. The pacing of due dates in AP courses aligns to the completion of all lessons and required assignments and assessments prior to the national AP exam date related to this course title. The calendar of AP exam dates is published by the College Board (Exam Calendar).