AP Comparative Government declared a success

The Albany High School Social Studies Department responded to the increased demand for more Advanced Placement classes by offering AP Comparative Government and Politics last fall semester. New this year, AP Comparative Government and Politics is open to all juniors and seniors

The semester long course has no entrance exam, but there is required summer homework of reading articles on democracy and globalization, drawing maps of the countries that the course focuses on, and writing a 1000-word essay on globalization.

According to the College Board website, “The AP course in Comparative Government and Politics introduces students to fundamental concepts used by political scientists to study the processes and outcomes of politics in a variety of country settings. This course aims to illustrate the rich diversity of political life, to show available institutional alternatives, to explain differences in processes and policy outcomes, and to communicate to students the importance of global political and economic changes.”

This course focuses on the government, historical background, economy, and politics of six countries: the United Kingdom, Mexico, Russia, Nigeria, Iran, and China. Junior Nicole Pressure remarks after taking the course that “this class is a great opportunity for people to learn about different governments, cultures, and what goes on in the world today.”

Kevin James who was the first person to suggest the course be taught at Albany High School, teaches the new course. James said the AP Comparative Government and Politics class came about for several reasons.

“First, I have a strong interest in Comparative Government — it was the field in Political Science that I emphasized when I was in graduate school. Second, it seemed like a logical class to teach at Albany High School — AHS students come from all over the world and tend to be pretty interested in government and politics.

Said James, “we wanted to expand AP offerings in the Social Sciences without offering AP classes in required Social Studies classes. The Social Studies Department has traditionally wanted to maintain broadly diverse — diverse in all sorts of ways — American History and US Government classes,” James said.

According to James, a surprising number of students enrolled in the course this year, three classes full. He expects the class will have the same popularity next year. Gerardo Leon, a senior TA for one of the Comparative Government classes, was not surprised at the large number of students signed up for the class. He said he “realized how little people knew about the world around them and Mr. James was the man to help them learn about it.”

Students wonder why the course is only a semester long; there have been requests that the class be extended for the whole school year. The class is still in its experimental phases, and everything is subject to change.

James explained, “The College Board recommends that high schools offer AP Comparative Government as a one-semester course. It is often offered as the second half of a sequence that begins with AP US Government. Although many schools on the East Coast and in the Midwest are beginning to offer the class as a full-year class, the schools around here that offer the class (Lowell, Sacred Heart, Head-Royce) offer it as a one-semester class.”

This year, James’s class included lecture, discussions, abstracts (small presentations on articles pertaining to the country students were currently studying), short multiple-choice quizzes, essay tests, and an end-of-the-semester project.

The AP Comparative Government and Politics class is paired with another new class, World Religions. Anyone who signs up for AP Comparative Government must also take World Religions (not an AP class) second semester. James and history teacher Cynthia Mansourian proposed pairing AP Comp Gov with World Religions for two reasons. First, many students have expressed interest in a World Religions class at AHS. Mansourian has also been very interested in teaching such a class. Second, other teachers thought World Religions would go along perfectly with a Comparative Government class.

As James put it, “The political behavior of people who practice a religion often reflects their religious values and beliefs. Moreover, the world is full of people with political agendas who try to gain popular support and legitimacy by claiming that their agendas have some sort of divine mandate.”

Anyone who is interested in politics or what is going on in the world around them should consider taking this class next year.

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