A.P.
Assignment #8: November 5,
2007
"The
Presidency"
1. Read: Read chapter eight in your textbook. Outline and make notes of the chapter—include
details and definitions. Be sure that
your notes include definitions of all of the terms listed on page 312. Be prepared for a quiz on the material next
Monday!
2. Current Events:
Find three articles related to the presidency; select
them from the following sources: drudgereport.com,
nationalreview.com, worldnetdaily.com, newsmax.com. Summarize each one and comment on its
relation to our topic of the week.
Discuss the apparent slant of the article and any questions or
controversies that it raises. Find one article that ties your topic to the
President—consult the same sources, and write it up in the same manner.
3. Test:
Review your test on Federalism. Rewrite your essays after consulting the
College Board website. You will find the
questions there—go to the AP site.
Select The Exams/The Questions/U.S. Government and Politics/ Free
Response Questions, 2003, 2005.
4. Something More:
Choose one of the following to research. Write a report of at least 750 words and
present your information to the class.
Be prepared to defend your assertions with ample specific, documented
evidence (due November 26).
&
Research the
nature of war powers. What are the
presidential and congressional powers at issue and has this conflict been
solved? What has been the role of the
Supreme Court in this debate?
&
Find copies of
three executive orders on different topics executed by one President. Use these documents to write a paper on the
nature and impact of executive orders.
&
Research the
vice-presidency of Dick Cheney. What
types of activities has he been involved in and why? Discuss the reasons for his extraordinarily
active role in Bush’s administration.
&
Visit the
homepages of three presidential libraries and compare what you find. What are the areas of focus of the three—how do
they differ and why?
&
Investigate the
President’s Cabinet and other advisors.
Write a paper in which you discuss the nature and functions of the
different individuals. Who are the
current officeholders and how have they affected the offices they hold?
&
Choose two
Presidents from history and write a paper discussing the impact they had on the
office.
&
Write a paper in
which you profile the four or five “best” Presidents in history and rank them
according to their achievements.