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Tom Griffin - Documents/Forms
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
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Email: Tom Griffin
Phone: 707 782-9016, ext. 1370
Subjects: Government and Economics; Algebra 1B
Documents/Forms
American Government American Government begins with a look at conflicting view of human nature, and how those views influence our thinking about the role of government, and the best way to organize a government. We then turn to the background of our own government, and the influence of Enlightenment ideas on the conflict between England and her North American colonies. After a brief look at our country’s first attempt to form a government, we focus on the Constitution, the principles and the debates behind its formation, and the Bill of Rights that made its ratification possible. We conclude this part of the course with a look at political parties, and the tools and techniques of the political process. The course then focuses on the Presidency, the Congress and the court system in turn, looking in each case at the qualifications of the members, their powers and duties, and how they are selected. Particular attention is paid to the way that energetic presidents have changed our understanding of that office, the multiple roles that a good congressman must play, and how the courts have clarified and defined our civil rights. The tools and techniques of politics are explored in greater detail, as we look at the interactions among these three main branches, and how they can support or obstruct each other’s work in the governing process. In the last part of the course, we look at the role played by the government bureaucracy, and the lobbyists and special interests who try to influence the government. We then turn to the role of the state governments, and how the average state government is organized, and to the structures and issues involved in county and city governance. The role of the news media and the influence of money, at all levels and in all aspects of government, then become our focus, before ending the course with a review of the rights, duties and privileges of citizenship. Economics Economics begins with a discussion of the role of values in decision-making, and the basic values that all societies strive to realize in some form. The course then reviews the different systems that societies have developed to achieve their values, with an in-depth look at the structure and functioning of modern market systems. The interaction of the forces of supply and demand is then explored in detail, at both the individual and social levels, as constituting the most fundamental determinant of activity in a market economy. The course then turns to an analysis of the role and purpose of each of the major institutional sectors of a modern economy: business organizations, labor unions, banking and insurance companies, and the federal government. The causes and impacts of unemployment, the functions of money and credit, and the proper use of the government’s fiscal and monetary policies are stressed. Investment opportunities in a capitalist economy, and the modern alternatives to a capitalist organization, are also addressed. The course then assumes a global perspective, as we look at the wide range of issues involved in international trade and investment. The use of National Income Accounting in comparing and evaluating economic performance is reviewed, as is the use of economic measures in comparing and evaluating the quality of life. The distribution of income is analyzed on both a national and global scale, and the major policy alternatives for reducing the largest income gaps are evaluated. A look at the key issues of productivity growth and environmental sustainability rounds out the course. Algebra 1B The course begins with a review of numbers and variables, and the rules for evaluating and simplifying algebraic expressions. We then use the rules that we have learned to write and solve simple one-step and two-step equations. After a review of the rules for working with integers, we practice solving both simple and more complicated equations, using both positive and negative numbers. We then apply the rules to solving inequalities, and learn how to graph the answer to an inequality on a number line. The course then focuses on linear equations, and different ways to graph the solution of a problem in two variables. We learn how to use graphs to solve a system of linear equations, two different problems that share the same answer; and different ways of solving systems without using graphs. We also use graphs to display the answers to linear inequalities, and systems of inequalities. The first semester concludes with a review of absolute value, and finding numerical and graphic answers to absolute value equations. The second semester begins with a review of exponents, and the rules for evaluating and working with powers. Particular emphasis is placed on multiplying and factoring binomial and trinomial expressions, algebraic expressions with two or three separate terms. We then shift to working with square roots, and learn how to evaluate, simplify and combine radical expressions. We then use those rules to solve equations with square roots. The most important part of the course is the work we do on quadratic equations. We learn how to solve them by graphing, by factoring, by taking square roots, by completing the square, and by using the quadratic formula. We then focus on determining the most efficient way to solve different types of problems. We conclude the course by working with algebraic fractions, learning how to simplify and combine them in various ways, and using them to solve equations.
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