Agenda
 Quick-write
 Syllabus review
 Public Opinion
 Political Ideology
◦ Framework
◦ Trends

Who are
Conservatives and
Liberals?
Take out:
 Pen/Pencil
 Paper
Homework:
 Pages 200-210 in
textbook
 Continue study guide
questions
 Parent signature on
syllabus

Which would you consider yourself to be?
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦


Radical Liberal
Liberal
Moderate Liberal
Moderate Conservative
Conservative
Radical Conservative
How did you get that way? What brought you
to that point? What has influenced you to
think in such a way?
Write a brief explanation





Teaching Approach: A College Experience
More than ever before, this means that you
must strive to meet the principles of good
scholarship:
Responsibility
Initiative
Leadership

TAKING RESPONSIBILITY 
◦ keeping current with all readings and
assignments. (we move fast, you get behind—
hard to catch up. Not everything covered in
class.)
◦ Just as in college, your instructor will not remind
you, nag you or plead with you to get things
done. That’s your job.

TAKING INITIATIVE 
◦ to go beyond ideas and information presented in
the class or text
◦ to share with class
◦ to ask the questions that need to be asked
◦ to work with me to help clarify confusing ideas
(and Comparative Politics is full of them)

Finally, students in a college class are
expected to exert a certain degree of
LEADERSHIP
◦ you are responsible for your education, and you
can help others learn
◦ USE EACH OTHER!




2 hours and 25 minutes long
45 minute multiple choice section (60
questions)
100 minute free-response section (4
questions)
You will be taking at least three practice
exams this semester
1.
Political Beliefs and Behaviors (Chapters 6, 7 and 10)
2.
Political Parties, Interest Groups, and Media (Chapters
8, 9, 11)
 Political Socialization, Citizen Attitudes, Public Opinion, Voting
Patterns, Mass Politics and Protest
 Political Parties (functions, history, organization), Elections and the
Electoral Process, Interest Groups, and Political Action Committees
(PACs)
3.
4.
Constitutional Foundations (Chapters 1-3)
The Institutions of the American National Government
(Chapters 12-14, 16)
 Congress, Presidency, Bureaucracy, Courts
5.
Civil Liberties and Civil Rights (Chapters 4-5)
 Bill of Rights, Role of the Judiciary in the Development of the
Meaning of Rights, Minority and Special Group Rights

The reading is the major expectation of the
course.
◦ To be successful, students must complete
assigned readings on time. This gives us all a
common starting place to launch into deeper,
more meaningful discussions. learn more
◦ I will not cover basic ideas that you’ve read;
Some things will ONLY come from the text.
◦ If you’re not reading, I can’t clarify what you
have questions on
◦ And the class as a whole will be held back.

Read through the ENTIRE syllabus
Have a parent do the same
Read and sign the statement

The slip on the last page is due FRIDAY




When we study what Americans believe, why
we believe what we do, and how we formed
our beliefs, we study PUBLIC OPINION
According to the reading, what makes
studying public opinion difficult to
do/understand?

Complexity of public
opinion comes from:
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
Diversity
Various issues
Different “publics”
Un-informed public
Interest groups
Individual opinion and
experience

Return to your quick-write
Based on your response, what sort of things
influence public opinion?

School

Family

Media


The Family, Media and School are aspects of
Political Socialization
◦ The process by which people acquire their political
beliefs

Political beliefs may also be influenced by a
“formative political event” – something
specific that draws an individual to politics
◦ For example: the death of Princess Di, the war in
Iraq, the occupy Wall Street movement

What is your earliest political memory?



Political socialization and political opinion
shape an individual’s view of government,
or their political ideology
Political Ideology: A set of political beliefs and
values about the goals of government or what
government should be doing.
Political Ideology is a spectrum…



Public Opinion analysts can often guess your political
ideology just by finding out where you are from and
what your parents think about politics
If that is combined with a profile of your social group
characteristics (such as gender, age, religion, race,
social class, and educational level), your political
attitudes can often be predicted.
Traditionally in America, we really have just two
ideological positions about what government should be
doing:
◦ Liberals/ Conservatives



By looking at WHO votes Conservative and WHO
votes Liberal, we will fit them into the spectrum
of American Political Ideologies by seeing what
they want government to be doing.
One form of expressing public opinion is
through voting so a way to find out what
different groups of Americans want from
government is to study demographic trends to
see how people vote
This activity will introduce you to demographic
data regarding ideologies