Starter: How do you think most Americans answer the following:
Since the 1950s, do you think American culture and way of life has mostly changed for the better, or has it mostly changed for the worse?
1.How accurate was your prediction?
2.What most surprised you about this information?
3.What is the big story this chart tells?
4.Explain your answer to the following: Since the 1950s, do you think American culture and way of life has mostly changed for the better, or has it mostly changed for the worse?
5.Why do you think non-Christians and White Evangelical Protestants have such different answers to this question?
6.Is the information in this chart good news or bad?
7.How do you think your background (race, religion, immigration status) affects your answer to this question?
8.How do you think the answer to this question affected how individuals voted in the 2016 election?
9.And how do you think that affect policies under the current Trump administration?
Political Culture Collage
Political culture refers to widely-shared political values and beliefs throughout society. It provides a broad consensus that shapes the policymaking system...or does it?
- Each team will take a set of political culture images.
- Group the five images that best represent American political culture into a collage.
- Group the five images that least represent American political culture as well.
- You may add images that you find.
Word of the Day: Electorate
- Define it
- Use an example
- Who is part of the electorate in presidential elections? Who isn't?
- Who is part of Scott Taylor's electorate?
Children's Book Review
Share your book with those around you then discuss the following questions:
- What is the title and who is the author of the book?
- Are there pictures? If so, are they any of these: animals, people, transportation, school, food, houses, children, an authority figure, plants, the country
- Is the book colorful? What colors are used? Is color used to delineate between good and bad or right and wrong?
- Are any of these themes found in the book: trust, individualism, community, pride, democracy, us vs. them, tolerance, working together, achievement, loving others, family, quest for knowledge
- Are there any additional political themes present?
- Is there any theme in the book that is related to our current political belief structure?
Political Socialization
Political socialization is the process by which political values are formed and are passed to the next generation. We're going to take a look at the four primary means of socialization: family, education, the media, and social groups. Socialization can be formal or informal, with the latter having a larger impact.
Did you know that if both your parents hold the same political beliefs, there is a 90% chance that you will too?!
Culture Wars
Is our polarization becoming so bad that we cannot find common ground on any issues today? Do opposing groups have irreconcilable moral differences such that compromise cannot be achieved?
Closer: Is there a culture war brewing in the United States today?
- Make a claim here!
- Support your claim with TWO pieces of accurate and relevant information.
- Use reasoning to explain why your evidence supports your claim.
- Respond to an opposing or alternative perspective.
Next class: Political Ideology