Hopewell High School

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McConnell, Edwin

Grading Procedures

Grades are determined by the total number of points accumulated during a grading period. Homework, work done in class, and other assignments are all assigned a point value for the task. Tests are double weighted for the number of points on the test. For example, a fifty point test counts as one hundreds points in the gradebook. Make-up work must be completed by the appropriate date assigned by the school district.

Classroom Rules

Students are to be in class on time. Students should always have a notebook and a writing utensil. Students are to be respectful to each other and adhere to the guidelines contained in the Student Handbook. I try to extend courtesy to all students and provide them with the opportunity to correst their own behavior before taking further steps.

US Civics Syllabus

The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the basics of our system of government, our political system and the interaction between citizens, government personel and agencies, and policies that are created.

The main points are as follows:

Demographic trends

The Constitution

The Bill of Rights

Congress

The presidency

The Court system

Political campaigns

Electoral politics

Public opinion and the media

Economic systems and behavior

The legal system

Domestic policy

Foreign policy

World Cultures Syllabus

This course is designed to introduce students to the major themes of World History from the prehistoric era until today's world. The attempt is made to demonstrate the ideas, inventions, innovations, and actions that have shaped the modern world.

The topics covered are:

Prehistoric man

Early Civilizations

Greece, Rome. and the Middle East

The rise and impact of Christianity

The Middle Ages

The Renaissance and the Reformation

The Age of Exploration

The Era of Revolution

The Industrial Revolution

The Revolution of Ideas

The dawn of the Twentieth Century

World War I

The global effects of the Great Depression

World War II

The Cold War

The Middle East in the 20th Century

The collapse of global communism

Economic globalization

Challenges of the 21st Century

AP US Government and Politics Syllabus

The purpose of this course is to provide an in depth exposure to the American system of government, the American political system, the American policy-making apparatus, and the characteristics of the American people. As much as possible, I attempt to use contemporary events to illustrate the material being covered in class.

The course focuses on:

The Constitution

Federalism

The Bill of Rights

Civil Rights

Public Opinion and the Mass Media

Political Parties

Campaigns and elections

Campaign Finance

Interest Groups

Congress

The presidency

The federal court system

The bureaucracy

Tax and spending policies

Monetary and Fiscal Policy

Foreign Policy

Energy and Environmental Policy

Social Welfare Policy

State and local governments

Mr. McConnell

[email protected]

Phone: 724-375-6691. ext. 2311

Biography

I graduated form Hopewell Area High School in 1969, attended Harvard University from September 1969 until June 1973 when I graduated with a Bachelor's Arts degree in General Studies, focused on Sociology, Government, and History. I attended Geneva College from January 1988 until December 1989 for my Pennsylvania Instructional I certificate which I received in January, 1990. I was hired as a full time Social Studies teacher in August, 1995, and have been employed by Hopewell since then.