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Understanding:
Federalism and Foundations
My Schedule:
Day 1: Political Culture
Day 2: Ideology
Day 3: Socialization
Day 4: Voter Behavior
Day 5: Voter Turnout
Day 6: Public Opinion
Current Understanding: We should understand why individuals engage in
various forms of political participation and how that participation may affect the political
system. We also will understand what leads citizens to differ from one another in their political
beliefs and behaviors and the political consequences of these differences. We should also
understand how changes in political participation affect the political system
Beliefs that citizens hold
about their government
and its leaders
Processes by which
citizens learn about
politics
Political
Beliefs and
Behaviors
The nature,
sources, and
consequences of
public opinion
The ways in which
citizens vote and
otherwise participate
in political life
Factors that influence
citizens to differ from
one another in terms of
political beliefs and
behaviors
Next Understanding:
Political Parties and
Campaigns
Essential Vocabulary:
Political Culture
Political Ideology
Social capital
Popular sovereignty
Capitalism
Socialism
Communism
Liberalism
Conservatism
Libertarianism
Demography
Reinforcing cleavages
Cross-cutting cleavages
Fundamentalists
Gender gap
Gross domestic product (GDP)
Socioeconomic Status
Focus Objectives:
Unit Verbs:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Understand, analyze,
compare and contrast,
create, describe
7.
Identify the most important elements and sources for the American political culture.
Compare and contrast political ideologies and evaluate the critiques of each ideology.
Assess the importance of political ideology in light of competing ideas and the contemporary American context.
Characterize the opportunities and challenges posed by the diversity of the American population and by the nation’s geography.
Relate differences in political culture to where people live.
Analyze how demographic factors- including race and ethnicity, religion, gender, family structures, education, income, class, and age – affect
American politics.
Evaluate the degree to which America has achieved a measure of unity in a land of diversity.