American Government
Mr. Bekemeyer
Political Engagement in the U.S.: Discussion Questions
Part 1: Introduction
1. Describe the message of the satirical piece by The Onion. Do you agree with the message?
2. How might you define active citizenship in a democracy? What kinds of
behaviors does it involve?
Why?
Part 2: General Political Engagement
3. Describe the data on political participation – other than voting – on pages 2 through 5. What overall trends do you notice about American political involvement? Are all forms of political engagement of the same quality? Based on this data – and the voter turnout data that you examined in the last unit – would you say that Americans overall are civically engaged?
4. What disparities do you notice in the level of political activity between demographic groups (gender, race/ethnicity, age, income, etc.)? How these disparities impact our democracy?
5. How politically active are social networking users compared to the overall American population?
6. “Slacktivism” is any form of political activism that take places entirely online. Examine the “Power of Slacktivism” infographic. What is the overall message of the infographic? Do you agree with that overall message?
7. Read the excerpt from “Small Change.” How does this compare to the message of the “Power of Slacktivism” infographic? With which of the two views of “slacktivism” or online activism are you most inclined to agree? Why?
Part 3: Political Knowledge
8. Analyze the data on p. 8 and read the articles on p. 9 and 10. Describe the overall level of knowledge of political affairs held by American citizens. Are there significant disparities between demographic groups (gender, race/ethnicity, age, income, etc.)?
9. According to the authors of the articles, how do Americans’ level of political knowledge impact democracy?
10. Read the final article by Michael Schudson, who argues that the trends above do not matter. He bases his argument on the political heuristics theory of political participation. Describe the theory. Why does Schudson argue that Americans ought not to be too worried about our levels of political knowledge?
11. Do you agree with Schudson that we should not be concerned about our level of political knowledge? Or do you agree with the Campaign for the Civic Mission of Schools that this presents a challenge to our democracy? Explain.
12. Some have posited several possible levels of citizenship. For example, a “legal” citizen pays his or her taxes and obeys the laws. A “minimal” citizen might vote in elections. An “active” citizen might work in conjunction with others to influence the government and other citizens. And a “transformative” citizen actively works to change the political system to be more just and moral. Overall, what kind of citizenship do you think Americans tend to exhibit?
13. Read the excerpt from “Girl, 5, Collects Hundreds of Dollars for Peace Selling Lemonade.” What kind of citizen is the little girl in the story? Why?
Journal Prompt
After considering the data and readings you encountered in this activity, as well as your discussion, do you personally believe that Americans as a whole are sufficiently – and meaningfully – engaged in the political process? Why or why not? (Use data/readings to support your answer.) What kind of citizen do you think you are or will be? Why?