Full course description
Course Description
U.S. Government is a single semester course that provides students the foundational knowledge of the United States government and related institutions to be effective participants in American civil life. In U.S. Government, students will trace the development of the Constitution to better understand the organization of government at the federal, state, and local level. Additionally, students will analyze how political behavior is influenced by a variety of institutions, including the political parties, the media, and interest groups. Finally, students will investigate the rights and responsibilities of citizenship in the United States.
Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS)
UTHS courses are designed in alignment to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) which define the skills and content to be taught in each course and grade level in the state of Texas.
Semester Topics
- Unit 1: Foundations and Principles of the U.S. Constitution
- Unit 2: Introduction to the U.S. Constitution
- Unit 3: The Institutions of Government: The Legislative Branch
- Unit 4: The Institutions of Government: The Executive Branch
- Unit 5: The Institutions of Government: The Judicial Branch
- Unit 6: Political Participation
Course Objectives
Upon completing this course, you will be able to—
- explain the major intellectual, philosophical, political, and religious traditions, ideas, and documents that influenced the founding of America;
- examine the debates and compromises that impacted the creation of the founding documents, like the U.S. Constitution;
- evaluate constitutional provisions for limiting the role of government, including republicanism, checks and balances, federalism, separation of powers, political sovereignty, and individual rights;
- categorize government power as national, state, or shared;
- describe the structure and function of the legislative branch;
- understand the structure and function of the executive branch;
- examine the structure of the judicial branch, including the different court systems in the United States;
- examine the way the judicial branch interacts with the legislative and executive branches of government;
- compare different sides of the political spectrum;
- analyze the function and impact of political parties, interest groups, and the media on public policy.
Required Course Materials
Please visit the Computer Requirements page to view minimum device, internet, and application requirements for all UT High School courses. Generally, a desktop or laptop device five (5) years or newer with access to an office suite, such as Microsoft Office or Google Workspace, will be adequate to participate in most UTHS courses.
Unless otherwise noted, students are responsible for purchasing or securing all the following course materials:
- Textbook: A textbook is not required for this course.
- Interactive Notebook: A paper or digital composition book is acceptable. For paper composition books, please also have the following items on hand:
- Pens or Pencils
- Tape or Glue
Course Organization
Students must complete the course in sequence: You will not be able to access the next unit until all work in the preceding unit is completed. You may take your final exam only after completing all units and submitting all graded assignments.
- Units: Each unit includes multiple lessons and graded assignments as well as ungraded practice quizzes to help you check your understanding of the material.
- Summative Assessments: Each course includes two online, virtually proctored summative assessments testing your understanding of the material presented in the preceding 2-3 Units.
- Format: Online, Multiple-choice
- Time Allowed: 1 hr 30 min
- Final Exam: Each course includes an online, virtually proctored final exam testing your knowledge of all material presented in the course.
- Format: Online, Multiple-choice
- Time Allowed: 3 hrs 20 min
Course Grade Weighting
Your final course grade is calculated by weighting the three assignment groups displayed in the table below:
| Assignment Group | Total Assignments | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Graded Assignments | 12-18 | 50% |
| Summative Assessments | 2 | 25% |
| Final Exam | 1 | 25% |
Online Proctored Exams
All course exams, including both summative assessments and the final exam, must be completed online. Students must test online with Proctorio and are required to add the Proctorio extension to either their Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome browser—installation instructions are provided in the student's course. Proctorio uses a student's computer, web camera, and microphone to record video of both the student and their desktop during the exam. Then, UTHS instructors review the student's exam video data collected by Proctorio. Only authorized UTHS staff and instructors can view the exam recordings. Student data is not shared with any persons or organizations outside of UTHS and are deleted after one year. We encourage you to visit Proctorio's Data Security and Privacy site pages to learn more about how we protect student date.