COURSE DESCRIPTIONS Junior State of America Summer School at Georgetown University Washington, D.C. July 1 – 22, 2018 Table of Contents Advanced Placement/Honors Comparative Government & Politics 3 Advanced Placement/Honors U.S. Government & Politics 4 Honors Constitutional Law 5 Honors International Relations 6 Honors Media & Politics 7 Debate Workshop 8 Speakers Program 9 Administrators, Faculty and Staff 11 The Junior State of America & The Junior State of America Foundation 15 ​ 2018 JSA Summer School at Georgetown | 2 COURSE DESCRIPTION ADVANCED PLACEMENT/HONORS COMPARATIVE GOVERNMENT & POLITICS This course is a college-level introduction to political institutions and processes across the globe. It is designed to fulfill state educational requirements and to prepare students for the Advanced Placement examination in Comparative Government and Politics. This course has been ​ authorized by the College Board to use the “AP” designation for the 2018-2019 school year. Students are taught to analyze and explain patterns within countries’ political atmospheres through a political, economic, and social lens. They compare and contrast government processes and institutions abroad as well as deepen their understanding of leadership strategies. After completing the course, students will be able to use the skills they’ve learned in this course to explore current affairs and real-world issues. This course is aimed at allowing students to discover the intricacies of politics outside of the United States of America. Summer School students in this course take a midterm examination and participate in a researched, multi-period final simulation demonstrating their understanding of comparative politics. Faculty closely supervises all student research. Participation in classroom simulations, exercises, presentations, and discussion also contributes significantly to a student’s grade. The course is offered for high school credit and is equivalent to a one-semester Advanced Placement course in Comparative Government and Politics. For students from high schools that do not offer Advanced Placement courses, this class also duplicates an Honors Comparative Government course. Classes are held six days a week. Students accumulate over 85 classroom hours in the program. The assigned college-level textbook for the course is: ONeil, P. H. (2018). Essentials of comparative politics. New York: W. W. Norton & Company. ​ ​ Additionally, depending on their section assignment, students are assigned readings from a collection of scholarly articles, national journals, and selected chapters from outstanding works in political science. 2018 JSA Summer School at Georgetown | 3 COURSE DESCRIPTION ADVANCED PLACEMENT/HONORS U.S. GOVERNMENT & POLITICS This course is a college-level introduction to the dynamics of the American political system. It is designed to fulfill state educational requirements and to prepare students for the Advanced Placement examination in U.S. Government and Politics. This course has been authorized by ​ the College Board to use the “AP” designation for the 2018-2019 school year. Through lectures, college texts, scholarly articles, national journals, selected chapters from outstanding works in political science, case studies, and small group discussions, students learn the basic operating principles of the United States government as well as several theoretical and analytic models for understanding the process of American politics at the state and national levels. Course activities prepare students for the College Board AP exam in U.S. Government and Politics with writing exercises similar focused on AP-style questions. In accordance with the ​ AP course guidelines, specific topics include: - Constitutional Underpinnings - Political Beliefs and Behaviors - Political Parties, Interest Groups, and Mass Media - Institutions of National Government - Public Policy - Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Throughout the course, students learn the historical origins and foundations of the United States political system. They practice critically analyzing the roles democracy, political thought, civil liberties, and the Constitution play in the American political system and political institutions. Students use case studies to examine the structure and function of Congress, the Presidency, the courts, mass media, interest groups, political parties, the federal bureaucracy, and the part each of these institutions plays in the policymaking process. After completing this course, students have the tools to analyze American economic and political systems, interpret data relating to U.S. governmental affairs, and will be able to explain the roots of patterns within the political processes. Summer School students in this course take two examinations and write an 8-12-page analytical paper of university caliber demonstrating their understanding of American government. The term paper involves original research and extensive use of the Georgetown University Library. Faculty closely supervises all student research. Classroom material is augmented by a robust speakers program where students attend lectures from premier speakers in their fields. The course is offered for high school credit and is equivalent to a one-semester Advanced Placement course in U.S. Government & Politics. For students from high schools that do not offer Advanced Placement courses, this class also duplicates an Honors U.S. Government course. Classes are held six days a week. Students accumulate over 85 classroom hours in the program. The assigned college-level textbook for the course is: 2018 JSA Summer School at Georgetown | 4 Ginsberg, B., Lowi, T. J., Weir, M., Tolbert, C. J., & Spitzer, R. J. (2017). We the People: An th ​ Introduction to American Politics (11 ​ ed.). New York, NY: W.W. Norton and Co. ​ ​ ​ ​ COURSE DESCRIPTION HONORS CONSTITUTIONAL LAW In this college-level course, students explore the development of American Constitutional Law including the origins of the Constitution, the rise of judicial power, the development of the Court’s doctrine in the areas of federalism and economic regulation, the Court’s relationship to other branches of government, and the judicial protection of fundamental rights under the Bill of Rights. Numerous provisions of the Constitution and its amendments guarantee individual rights and liberties. However, conflicts over the meaning and application of such guarantees constantly arise, requiring the courts--ultimately the Supreme Court--to resolve them not only by interpreting the language of the Constitution but also by balancing the interests of the conflicting parties. To help make sense of all of this, the Constitutional Law course is organized around three questions: (1) What in the Constitution that is to be interpreted? What is its nature and what are its functions? What does it include? How does it legitimately change? (2) Who are the authoritative interpreters of the Constitution and what are the relations among them? (3) How should authoritative interpreters interpret the Constitution? Students read and analyze Supreme Court decisions with the goal of understanding constitutional doctrine. However, because court decisions also are a reflection of the political and social context in which they are made, students also look beyond court cases to the broader political and social background which is essential to understanding the nature of civil liberties and civil rights in the American constitutional system. Summer School students in this course take two essay examinations that test their knowledge of readings, lectures, guest speakers, and discussions, and write a 8-12 page analytical paper of university caliber demonstrating their understanding of constitutional issues in conflict and the workings of the Supreme Court. The paper either interprets a specific Supreme Court case or examines a topic concerning constitutional law, constitutional interpretation or the Supreme Court. Students must research their paper using a variety of legal and other sources, citing previous cases as precedents for their decision or brief. The term paper requires original research and extensive use of the Georgetown University Library. Faculty closely supervise student research. Classroom material is augmented by a robust speakers program where students attend lectures from premier speakers in their fields. While the class is offered for high school credit and is equivalent to a one-semester Honors Social Studies elective, it is taught at a college level. Classes are held six days a week. Students accumulate over 85 classroom hours in the program. 2018 JSA Summer School at Georgetown | 5 The assigned college-level textbook for the course is: Mason, A. T., & Stephenson, D. G. (2012). American Constitutional Law (16th ed.). Glenville, ​ ​ IL: Pearson Education, Inc. COURSE DESCRIPTION HONORS INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS This is an introductory college-level course designed to give students the tools to analyze key conceptual issues in international relations. Students learn about the key issues and actors in international relations. They analyze the origins and evolution of the international system and the role of the state, the nation, international organizations, ethnic groups, and other non-state actors in global affairs. Through the use of case studies of specific international situations, students explore various themes in international relations including globalization and political economy, the use of force, state formation and failure, international institutions,