Political Science 1301

What is political Culture?
Deep-seated beliefs of a particular people about government and politics
-Americans are bound by common ideals
Politics: the process that determines whose values will prevail in society.
Government: the formal institutions through which a land and its people are ruled
‘Characterizing’ America

What do you think about your government?
How does government affect your life?
What issues are most important to you?
Do you trust your government? Why or why not?
-Political Efficacy: the belief that citizens can affect what government does

America's Core Political Ideals
Liberty: belief that individuals should be free to act and think as they choose, provided they do not infringe unreasonably on the freedom and well being of others.
Equality: Beliefs that all individuals are equal in their moral worth are entitled to equal treatment under the law.
Democracy (or self-government): belief that people are the intimate source o governing authority and must have a voice in how they are governed.
Individualism: is a commitment to personal initiative and self-sufficiency; it rests on the belief that people should be free of undue government restraints as they seek to advance themselves economically.

Citizenship
Citizenship: enlightened political engagement
-What do you need to be 'enlightened'
Quick Discussion: evaluate the following quote by James Madison:
-"A popular government, without popular information or the means of acquiring it, is but a prologue to a farce or a tragedy; or, perhaps both."

Political Conflict
Two main Sources of Political Conflict:
1. Scarcity of resources
2. Difference in values
Why do politics work?
-The Social Contract: English philosopher Thomas Hobbes argued that government rests on a social contract in which ordinary people surrender the freedom they would have in a state of nature in return for the protection that a sovereign ruler can provide. Politics are a set of 'rules' in which... [continues]

Read full essay