GOVERNMENT AND CITIZENSHIP

A student who meets the content standard should:

1. understand the necessity and purpose of government;
2. understand the meaning of fundamental ideas, including equality, authority, power, freedom, justice, privacy, property, responsibility, and sovereignty;
3. understand how nations organize their governments; and
4. compare and contrast how different societies have governed themselves over time and in different places.

A student who meets the content standard should:

1. understand the ideals of this nation as expressed in the Declaration of Independence, the United States Constitution, and the Bill of Rights;
2. recognize American heritage and culture, including the republican form of government, capitalism, free enterprise system, patriotism, strong family units, and freedom of religion;
3. understand the United States Constitution, including separation of powers, the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government, majority rule, and minority rights;
4. know how power is shared in the United States’ constitutional government at the federal, state, and local levels;
5. understand the importance of individuals, public opinion, media, political parties, associations, and groups in forming and carrying out public policy;
6. recognize the significance of diversity in the American political system;
7. distinguish between constitution-based ideals and the reality of American political and social life;
8. understand the place of law in the American political system; and
9. recognize the role of dissent in the American political system.

A student who meets the content standard should:

1. understand the various forms of the state's local governments and the agencies and commissions that influence students' lives and property;
2. accept responsibility for protecting and enhancing the quality of life in the state through the political and governmental processes;
3. understand the Constitution of Alaska and Sec. 4 of the Alaska Statehood Act, which is known as the Statehood Compact;
4. understand the importance of the historical and current roles of Alaska Native communities;
5. understand the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act and its impact on the state;
6. understand the importance of the multicultural nature of the state;
7. understand the obligations that land and resource ownership place on the residents and government of the state; and
8. identify the roles of and relationships among the federal, tribal, and state governments and understand the responsibilities and limits of the roles and relationships.

A student who meets the content standard should:

1. analyze how domestic politics, the principles of the United States Constitution, foreign policy, and economics affect relations with other countries;
2. evaluate circumstances in which the United States has politically influenced other nations and how other nations have influenced the politics and society of the United States;
3. understand how national politics and international affairs are interrelated with the politics and interests of the state;
4. understand the purpose and function of international government and non-governmental organizations in the world today; and
5. analyze the causes, consequences, and possible solutions to current international issues.

A student who meets the content standard should:

1. know the important characteristics of citizenship;
2. recognize that it is important for citizens to fulfill their public responsibilities;
3. exercise political participation by discussing public issues, building consensus, becoming involved in political parties and political campaigns, and voting;
4. establish, explain, and apply criteria useful in evaluating rules and laws;
5. establish, explain, and apply criteria useful in selecting political leaders;
6. recognize the value of community service; and
7. implement ways of solving problems and resolving conflict.

A student who meets the content standard should:

1. understand how the government and the economy interrelate through regulations, incentives, and taxation;
2. be aware that economic systems determine how resources are used to produce and distribute goods and services;
3. compare alternative economic systems;
4. understand the role of price in resource allocation;
5. understand the basic concepts of supply and demand, the market system, and profit;
6. understand the role of economic institutions in the United States, including the Federal Reserve Board, trade unions, banks, investors, and the stock market;
7. understand the role of self-interest, incentives, property rights, competition, and corporate responsibility in the market economy;
8. understand the indicators of an economy's performance, including gross domestic product, inflation, and the unemployment rate;
9. understand those features of the economy of the state that make it unique, including the importance of natural resources, government ownership and management of resources, Alaska Native regional corporations, the Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation, the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation, and the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority; and
10. understand how international trade works.

A student who meets the content standard should:

1. apply economic principles to actual world situations;
2. understand that choices are made because resources are scarce;
3. identify and compare the costs and benefits when making choices;
4. make informed choices on economic issues;
5. understand how jobs are created and their role in the economy;
6. understand that wages and productivity depend on investment in physical and human capital; and
7. understand that economic choices influence public and private institutional decisions.