• Course: U.S. Government & Politics - Comparative
  • Dates: July 16-19
  • Instructor: James Wehrli, Ph.D. - email - jwehrli37@gmail.com

    • James Wehrli has taught Political Science and Economics at the high school and college levels for over 25 years. He is currently teaching AP Government and Politics (Comparative and U.S) and AP Economics (Micro and Macro) as well as IB Economics and Government-Honors at Lausanne Collegiate School in Memphis, Tennessee. He is also an adjunct lecturer at the University of Memphis where he teaches Comparative Politics. For the College Board, Jamie has held several positions. He is an AP consultant and travels in the United States and abroad conducting workshops for Government and Economics teachers. He is a table leader for the AP Comparative Government and Politics exam, and he served for four years on the test development committee during which time he was also the AP Comparative College Board Advisor. Jamie holds a Ph.D and M.A. in Political Science and an M.A. and B.A in Economics. In 2006, Jamie was awarded National Board Professional Teaching certification in Social Studies-History. Jamies most recent publication is Democracy and Development: Underlying Relationships, an article for the College Boards Democratization Curriculum Module.

  • Included:
    • Textbooks and Readers
    • Instructors Resource Web Site
    • Copies of 2012 AP Examination with Rubrics and Student Samples
    • College Board Instructional Handbook and Special Focus Material
    • Lunch & Snacks
  • Emphasis:
    • Content: an overview of the major content areas of the AP curriculum and how they apply to the AP core countries of China, Iran, Mexico, Nigeria, Russia, and the United Kingdom.
    • Pedagogy: an exploration of lesson plans and different strategies for developing a course that uses the College Boards AP curriculum to reflect the content and concepts found in a college-level, introductory Comparative Politics course, but working within the constraints and challenges offered by a wide range of high school schedules.
    • Resources: an investigation of textbooks, web sites, videos, College Board resources and outside readings that can be integrated with the teachers own knowledge to put together a challenging, but approachable, course for students. There will also be numerous opportunities to learn from and share with other teachers and benefit from their knowledge, experience, and insights.
    • Assessments: an in-depth discussion of the multiple choice, short-answer concepts, conceptual analysis, and country context questions on the AP exam and the expectations posed for teachers in helping students gain a better understanding of how to prepare more fully for answering these questions.