Chapter 12: American Political Behavior

American Political Behavior was a year-long, innovative, high school course in Civics and American government, developed at Indiana University by the High School Curriculum Center in Government near the end of the new social studies reform movement. Before describing APB and presenting a sample lesson, it is important to provide some information regarding how and why the program was developed.

The High School Curriculum Center in Government (HSCCG) was a New Social Studies project co-sponsored by the Indiana University School of Education and the Department of Government (later changed to the Political Science Department) with funds provided by the Cooperative Research Branch of the Office of Education within the US Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. HSCCG officially began work on July 1, 1966 and completed its tasks on June 30, 1971. During the five-years of project funding, HSCCG spent a total of $348,220, an average of approximately $70,000 per year while designing, developing, producing, and testing alternative approaches to instruction in high school civics and government courses.