Applied civics project: trace one route to government action

Trace one route from public preference to government action

Every chapter in this book has explained a piece of how a political claim becomes government action. This project asks you to trace one complete route yourself, using real evidence rather than a hypothetical scenario. Completing it also satisfies the applied civics or political science research component that the current AP U.S. Government and Politics course expects students to engage with.

Project format. The source count, timing, and format below are this book's recommended structure. The AP U.S. Government and Politics course requires a political-science research or applied-civics project tied to course content and skills that culminates in authentic communication or presentation. Teachers may adapt the project design to their course.

Choose one narrow, answerable question

Select one current local, state, or federal policy question, narrow enough to investigate with evidence you can genuinely find. Write one neutral, answerable research question. Avoid a question that assumes a preferred political conclusion.

Examples: How has a local school-board policy changed after public testimony? Which strategies are two organizations using to influence a state bill? How do two news outlets frame the same federal policy dispute? How do turnout patterns differ across two comparable jurisdictions, and what institutional factors might help explain the difference?

Step 1. Research question

Write one neutral, answerable question. Avoid a question that assumes a preferred political conclusion.

Step 2. Course map

Identify at least three AP concepts connected to the question. At least one must be an institution or formal process; at least one must concern participation, linkage, rights, ideology, or policymaking.

Step 3. Evidence

Collect at least four sources. Include one primary government source when available, one quantitative source or dataset when the question permits, and two additional credible sources representing more than one perspective. Record date, author or organization, and what each source can and cannot establish.

Step 4. Political-science analysis

Use at least three course skills: Concept Application to classify a mechanism; Data Analysis to identify a pattern or limitation; Source Analysis to explain a source's argument or perspective; SCOTUS Application if a relevant case governs the issue; Argumentation to make a defensible conclusion supported by evidence.

Step 5. Civic or research activity

Complete one direct observation or participation component appropriate to the topic when feasible: attend a public meeting, watch an official archived meeting, conduct a structured interview, submit a nonpartisan information request, compare official public comments, volunteer in a neutral civic activity, or analyze a public hearing record. Do not fabricate access if none is available; a documented government record can substitute.

Step 6. Finding

Answer the research question in one paragraph. State what the evidence supports, one limitation, and one plausible alternative explanation.

Step 7. Presentation

Communicate the findings in a four- to six-minute presentation, one-page policy brief, poster, podcast segment, or narrated slide deck. The presentation must identify the research question, evidence, at least three AP concepts, one data or source limitation, and the final conclusion.