Course Description: This year-long, college-level American government class is for advanced high school students who have already studied U.S. history.

Course Structure: The first trimester of this course, which will coincide with the 2026 midterm elections, focuses on elections, voting patterns, political parties, political socialization, polling, public opinion, and the Electoral College. Weeks 9 and 10 (the weeks before and after the election) will emphasize the role of the media. We will also zero in on the presidential elections since 1992, with a special focus on the contested election of 2000 and the beginning of “red state/blue state” voting patterns, to help students understand how we have arrived at this particular moment in American political life.

ln the second trimester we will study the Articles of Confederation, the Constitution, federalism, the judicial and legislative branches, state and local governments, and foreign policy.

The third trimester will be devoted to civil liberties and civil rights, using concepts we have covered in the first two trimesters to study Supreme Court cases in which fundamental rights have been in tension.

There is no graded/ungraded distinction in this course; all students are expected to complete the full course, including all homework.

Prerequisites: Previous high school study of American history, especially the American Revolution period (1776-1789).

Instructor: Laura Fokkena

DETAILS:

Suggested age range: High school juniors and seniors

Outside work: On average, students will have 25-40 pages of reading and 60-90 minutes of short videos/multimedia each week. Our main textbook is available for free (with login) from the Modern States web site. Videos and other multimedia are taken from Crash Course’s U.S. Government and Policy series‍, Khan Academy’s AP/College US Government and Politics course, and selected episodes from the Civics 101 podcast. Short quizzes and discussion questions highlight important themes.

When & where: Tuesdays and Fridays on Zoom from 11:30-12:30 Eastern Time. 1st trimester: Sept. 8 - Dec. 4, 2026. No class Nov. 24 or 27. 2nd trimester: Jan. 5 - Mar. 26, 2027. 3rd trimester: Apr. 6 - June 25, 2027.

Fee: $900 for the full year; this includes a non-refundable registration fee of $10. Payments due in three installments ($300 per term). All materials are provided for free online.

We offer discounts for groups, siblings, and students who enroll in multiple classes. (Discount information.) Payment plans available. Fees waived for families with financial need. (Waivers and payment plan information.) Questions about how classes work? Read our course FAQ.

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A note on AP and CLEP: This is not an AP course because we do not prepare students for the structure of the AP exam. In terms of content, however, it maps tightly to the requirements for AP United States Government and Politics. Homeschooling families who would like to convert this class to an AP course have the option to do so if they add their own test prep modules; contact Laura before the class begins for guidance.

For students who do not want or need an AP class, but are still interested in earning college credit for this class, the College-Level Education Program (CLEP) allows students to earn college credit through the successful completion of multiple-choice exams in a number of common freshman- and sophomore-level courses. The American Government CLEP test is 90 minutes long and contains about 100-120 questions. Students who pass the exam receive college credit for that course at most community colleges and at many four-year colleges. Colleges that do not award CLEP credit will still look favorably on passing scores in these subjects, as they indicate that a student has successfully studied American government at the college level.

Although this class will be tailored to the content tested by AP and CLEP, there is no requirement that students take either exam; it’s fine to enroll simply to learn more about American government!