- Subject:
- Political Science
- Material Type:
- Module
- Level:
- Community College / Lower Division, College / Upper Division
- Provider:
- Ohio Open Ed Collaborative
- Tags:
- License:
- Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial
- Language:
- English
- Media Formats:
- Text/HTML
Fivethirtyeight
Real Clear Politics
American Politics and Government in the Information Age
American Government - Lumen Learning
Video – What is PUBLIC OPINION? What does PUBLIC OPINION mean?
Video – AP Ch 6 Public Opinion
Video – Education Professor Joseph Kahne on the Impact of Digital Media on Political Participation
Video – Media Scholar Henry Jenkins on Participatory Culture and Civic Engagement
Political Socialization and Public Opinion: Course Map & Recommended Resources
Overview
Political Socialization and Public Opinion
The resources included here are intended to map to the following learning objectives for an American Government Course:
- Identify institutions that socialize voters and teach democratic norms.
- Describe how affective group identities (e.g. race, partisanship) drive opinions and behavior
- Critique polling methodology
- Understand how a poll is conducted and the limits of public opinion polling.
- Identify the factors that influence voter turnout.
- Discuss how political campaigns affect voters
- Compare and contrast how campaigns design their message versus how voters receive those messages
- Understand campaign messaging
- Discuss how individual bias limits what people know about politics.
- Describe how social networks influence opinions and engagement.
- Discuss becoming involved in the political process
- Examine barriers to political involvement
Recommended Textbooks
Main Text: American Politics and Government in the Information Age
Chapter 6: Political Culture and Socialization
Chapter 7: Public Opinion
Alternative Text: American Government - Lumen Learning
Module 6: The Politics of Public Opinion
Web-Based and Multimedia Resources
Web-Based Resources
Multimedia Resources
Discussion Questions and Key Concepts
Discussion Questions
Discuss the various agents of political socialization. Which one has the biggest impact and why?
Identify your own political ideology and the factors that influenced you.
Discuss how membership in a group influences how you perceive other members of your own group as well as individuals who are outside your group.
Discuss how the media does a good job at political socialization? Does the media ever do a “bad” job at socialization? Explain.
Key Terms or Concepts (Define):
Ideology
Political culture
Political socialization