Essential Questions
1) How are political beliefs formed?
Political beliefs are formed in many different ways. Usually they are developed at about the age of 12. Political parties are usually chosen by the family and ideas can also come from the family. People can also get their beliefs from things they learn at school, from people in their community, mass media, and from their religious beliefs.
2) How do political beliefs evolve?
People's political beliefs evolve from the people surrounding them. They can evolve from things people overhear from their family and neighbors. People often follow the beliefs of their friends as well. If they overhear something that is a popular opinion they can start to develop those ideas as well. They also evolve in school when students start to learn more about politics and how things work. They can also learn new things from the news and pick up ideas from each party and apply themselves to them.
3) Know the process by which political beliefs are transmitted.
Political beliefs are formed through political socialization. Beliefs can be acquired through family, school, religion, mass media, political parties, from ones' work place, and other various places.
4) Know why US citizens hold certain beliefs about politics?
People have different beliefs based upon many different things. How much of an education someone has can affect their political beliefs. This can increase people's awareness of certain political issues. Income can also affect beliefs. People from a lower social standing can often have much different beliefs than someone from the middle class or higher social standing. Religion can play a role because different religions have different beliefs. Gender and race allow people to old different beliefs because different races have different views on things. The same goes for women, they tend to be more sympathetic to issues like the death penalty while men has a less emotional view of things.
5) How do families, schools, and the media act to perpetuate or change political beliefs?
Families affect beliefs because children normally follow the actions of their parents and so they tend to develop the same views as them. Schools teach more about political views so it allows one to be more educated about a topic and thus allows for a different view on certain topics now that they have a better understanding. they can also learn more about parties that they didn't know before. The media portrays visions of candidates that one might not have known of before. It allows for an easy access to political news and lets one see other peoples opinions on things. If every news station is talking badly about someone then it can influence ones opinion on a candidate.
6) Understand the ways in which political culture affects and informs political participation.
Political culture affects participation because it emphasizes our rights and freedom. This means that people feel the need to express their constitutional right and show how they fell about a topic. Government is always promoting political participation and it allows people to want to vote and let their voices be heard. Communities often have shuttle vans to take their senior citizens to vote this promotes the need to vote and the importance of the involvement of their citizens.
7) Understand why individuals engage in various forms of political participation and how that participation may affect the political system.
They engage in various forms of political participation in order to influence or support government. There is unconventional participation that challenges institutions and dominant norms and there's conventional participation which uses institutional channels and is acceptable to dominant culture. Both forms are so people can put their input in a campaign. they can do this by donating to campaigns, being supportive, and using direct action. All these forms can benefit a political system by improving it's views and gaining supporters.
8) What leads citizens to differ from one another in their political beliefs and behaviors and the political consequences of these differences? (should focus on the demographic features of the American population and the different views that people hold of the political process)
Different regions can have different views on politics. Some regions have more of one race than another thus causing for most of the area to believe in the same thing. For instance, southern states tend to have more democratic, but there are exceptions. Texas is mostly a republican state and it's in the south. It varies from state to state. Income and race majority in a state have a big impact on their views as a whole. People often tend to agree with those surrounding them that's why states for the most part have the same views. This could be a bad thing because there's less diversity and they're subjecting certain views to specific people/regions.
9) What are the group differences in political beliefs and behavior?
Socioeconomic status, level of education, gender, race, region, efficacy, and age all contribute to group differences in political behavior. Views can vary from many people based on many of their traits. Each trait has different standard political beliefs.
10) How do changes in political participation affect the political system?
It can affect how many people actually go out there and vote. Voters are necessary in order to conduct an accurate poll. If no one participates in a campaign then the candidate is likely to have no success. The people are everything in a campaign without them it's almost impossible for the campaign to go on. They need people there to fight for their causes and show their beliefs. Political participation makes a campaign stronger. Without it it is likely that the campaign will not go anywhere.
11) What role is played by party organizations, PACs, and money generally in campaigns?
Party organizations and PACs generate most of the money developed in campaigns. The money can be used for the candidate to have airtime on television to promote their campaign, for posters, billboards, and other things promoting the candidate. Money can also go towards organizations that the candidate endorses.
12) What roles do the groups listed above play in the electoral process?
The groups contribute to the advertising of a candidate thus helping to get more voters out there. The money can contribute to shuttles which help get more voters out there. They aren't specifically there during the election they just make financial contributions to support the campaign. Their job is to ensure that the cndidate can get the most votes possible.
Political beliefs are formed in many different ways. Usually they are developed at about the age of 12. Political parties are usually chosen by the family and ideas can also come from the family. People can also get their beliefs from things they learn at school, from people in their community, mass media, and from their religious beliefs.
2) How do political beliefs evolve?
People's political beliefs evolve from the people surrounding them. They can evolve from things people overhear from their family and neighbors. People often follow the beliefs of their friends as well. If they overhear something that is a popular opinion they can start to develop those ideas as well. They also evolve in school when students start to learn more about politics and how things work. They can also learn new things from the news and pick up ideas from each party and apply themselves to them.
3) Know the process by which political beliefs are transmitted.
Political beliefs are formed through political socialization. Beliefs can be acquired through family, school, religion, mass media, political parties, from ones' work place, and other various places.
4) Know why US citizens hold certain beliefs about politics?
People have different beliefs based upon many different things. How much of an education someone has can affect their political beliefs. This can increase people's awareness of certain political issues. Income can also affect beliefs. People from a lower social standing can often have much different beliefs than someone from the middle class or higher social standing. Religion can play a role because different religions have different beliefs. Gender and race allow people to old different beliefs because different races have different views on things. The same goes for women, they tend to be more sympathetic to issues like the death penalty while men has a less emotional view of things.
5) How do families, schools, and the media act to perpetuate or change political beliefs?
Families affect beliefs because children normally follow the actions of their parents and so they tend to develop the same views as them. Schools teach more about political views so it allows one to be more educated about a topic and thus allows for a different view on certain topics now that they have a better understanding. they can also learn more about parties that they didn't know before. The media portrays visions of candidates that one might not have known of before. It allows for an easy access to political news and lets one see other peoples opinions on things. If every news station is talking badly about someone then it can influence ones opinion on a candidate.
6) Understand the ways in which political culture affects and informs political participation.
Political culture affects participation because it emphasizes our rights and freedom. This means that people feel the need to express their constitutional right and show how they fell about a topic. Government is always promoting political participation and it allows people to want to vote and let their voices be heard. Communities often have shuttle vans to take their senior citizens to vote this promotes the need to vote and the importance of the involvement of their citizens.
7) Understand why individuals engage in various forms of political participation and how that participation may affect the political system.
They engage in various forms of political participation in order to influence or support government. There is unconventional participation that challenges institutions and dominant norms and there's conventional participation which uses institutional channels and is acceptable to dominant culture. Both forms are so people can put their input in a campaign. they can do this by donating to campaigns, being supportive, and using direct action. All these forms can benefit a political system by improving it's views and gaining supporters.
8) What leads citizens to differ from one another in their political beliefs and behaviors and the political consequences of these differences? (should focus on the demographic features of the American population and the different views that people hold of the political process)
Different regions can have different views on politics. Some regions have more of one race than another thus causing for most of the area to believe in the same thing. For instance, southern states tend to have more democratic, but there are exceptions. Texas is mostly a republican state and it's in the south. It varies from state to state. Income and race majority in a state have a big impact on their views as a whole. People often tend to agree with those surrounding them that's why states for the most part have the same views. This could be a bad thing because there's less diversity and they're subjecting certain views to specific people/regions.
9) What are the group differences in political beliefs and behavior?
Socioeconomic status, level of education, gender, race, region, efficacy, and age all contribute to group differences in political behavior. Views can vary from many people based on many of their traits. Each trait has different standard political beliefs.
10) How do changes in political participation affect the political system?
It can affect how many people actually go out there and vote. Voters are necessary in order to conduct an accurate poll. If no one participates in a campaign then the candidate is likely to have no success. The people are everything in a campaign without them it's almost impossible for the campaign to go on. They need people there to fight for their causes and show their beliefs. Political participation makes a campaign stronger. Without it it is likely that the campaign will not go anywhere.
11) What role is played by party organizations, PACs, and money generally in campaigns?
Party organizations and PACs generate most of the money developed in campaigns. The money can be used for the candidate to have airtime on television to promote their campaign, for posters, billboards, and other things promoting the candidate. Money can also go towards organizations that the candidate endorses.
12) What roles do the groups listed above play in the electoral process?
The groups contribute to the advertising of a candidate thus helping to get more voters out there. The money can contribute to shuttles which help get more voters out there. They aren't specifically there during the election they just make financial contributions to support the campaign. Their job is to ensure that the cndidate can get the most votes possible.