Monday

10.3.22

Learning Goals: Students will review the two reading assignments about American Political Culture and Political Ideology via table
convo questions. Students will also take a self-assessment today that pinpoints where on the political spectrum they fall.
Content Standards: 12.2.4. Understand the obligations of civic-mindedness, including voting, being informed on civic issues,
volunteering and performing public service, and serving in the military or alternative service
 Reading Review: Core Values and Beliefs
● The people of the United States have embraced some common
views that form our political culture.
○ Political culture is a set of attitudes that shape political
behavior.
■ The 5 core values that form the political culture of the
United States are:
1.Individualism
2.Equality of Opportunity
3.Free Enterprise
4.Rule of Law
5.Limited Government
● Citizens’ attitudes toward government and one another are
influenced by the way they interpret core American values.
 Warm Up: What’s the Term? Political Culture
Name each word defined below (from your reading assignments)
1.One of the values that make up American political culture. It is a belief
the government should interfere in the economy as little as possible,
instead letting the “invisible hand” of interactions between consumers
and businesses regulate the market.
2.One of the values that make up American political culture. It is a belief in
the fundamental worth and importance of the individual.
3.One of the values that make up American political culture. It’s the
principle that government establishes laws that apply equally to all
members of society and prevents the rule and whims of leaders who see
themselves above the law.
4.One of the values that make up American political culture. It’s the idea
that everyone should have the equal chance to realize their potential.
5.One of the values that make up American political culture. It is the idea
that the government should be kept under control by laws, checks and
balances and separation of powers.
1. Free Enterprise - One of the values that make up American political
culture. It is a belief the government should interfere in the economy
as little as possible, instead letting the “invisible hand” of interactions
between consumers and businesses regulate the market.
2. Individualism - One of the values that make up American political
culture. It is a belief in the fundamental worth and importance of the
individual.
3. Rule of Law - One of the values that make up American political
culture. It’s the principle that government establishes laws that apply
equally to all members of society and prevents the rule and whims of
leaders who see themselves above the law.
4. Equality of Opportunity - One of the values that make up American
political culture. It’s the idea that everyone should have the equal
chance to realize their potential.
5. Limited Government - One of the values that make up American
political culture. It is the idea that the government should be kept
under control by laws, checks and balances and separation of powers.
 “Thinking Like A Political Scientist” Activity:
Connecting Core Values to Policy
• People’s attitudes about the role of government shift over time and in
different situations and scenarios.
• Events and laws can influence the values on which people base their
attitudes.
• For example: New Deal altered how people viewed the role of
government.
• Some embraced larger, more active new government
• Some felt their liberties were threatened by a stronger, larger
government.
• In this activity, you and your table will consider a law, decision or
constitutional clause and determine:
• which core value likely motivated it
• how it may have influenced attitudes about core values since it was
passed
• Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 defines and ensures sex

•
and gender equity in education.
Title IX prohibits all forms of sex discrimination, including sexual
Law: Title IX
assault and harassment, in federally funded education programs. • Which core
• Title IX reads: “no person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex,
be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be
value(s) likely
subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity motivated it?
•
receiving federal financial assistance.”
In brief, Title IX:
Why?
• Prohibits sexual harassment; • How do you
• Prevents discrimination based on pregnancy (e.g., ensures
pregnant students have access to education);
think it might
• Provides equal opportunity in athletics; have
• Provides equal opportunity in employment in education fields;
• Promotes equal attention and a supportive learning environment influenced
(e.g., strives to eliminate gender stereotypes in educational attitudes
materials);
• Ensures equitable and fair standardized testing; and about that
• Promotes equal access to higher education, math and science value since it
fields, technology, and vocational education.
was passed?
• The Patriot Act is legislation passed in 2001 to improve the
abilities of U.S. law enforcement to detect and prevent Law: The USA
terrorism.
• The act aimed to improve homeland security by: Patriot Act
● allowing law enforcement to use surveillance and
wiretapping to investigate terror-related crimes
• Which core
● allowing federal agents to request court permission to value(s) likely
use roving wiretaps to track a specific terrorist suspect motivated it?
● allowing delayed notification search warrants to • How do you
prevent a terrorist from learning they are a suspect think it might
● allowing federal agents to obtain bank records and have influenced
business records to aid in terror investigations and attitudes about
prevent money laundering for terrorism financing that value since
● improving information and intelligence sharing between
it was passed?
government agencies
 Reading Review: Political Ideology
● People take positions on public issues and and develop a
viewpoint on how the government should act in line with their
ideology.
● When there are two or more sides to an issue, voters tend to fall
into different camps - usually on the liberal - conservative
spectrum.
 Review: What’s the Term?
Name each word defined below (from your reading assignments)

1. The term for an issue on which public opinion is sharply

divided, like abortion.
2. A cohesive set of ideas and beliefs used to evaluate
government and politics.
3. Concerns or policies that are viewed in the same way by
people regardless of their ideology, like the idea that all
children should receive an education.
4. When you measure this, you are measuring how important an
issue is to someone. The higher it is, the more important the
issue is to the person.
1. Wedge Issue - The term for an issue on which public
opinion is sharply divided, like abortion.
2. Ideology - A cohesive set of ideas and beliefs used to
evaluate government and politics.
3. Valence Issues - Concerns or policies that are viewed in
the same way by people regardless of their ideology,
like the idea that all children should receive an
education.
4. Salience - When you measure this, you are measuring
how important an issue is to someone. The higher it is,
the more important the issue is to the person.
 Review: What’s the Ideology?
Name each word defined below (from your reading assignments)

1. Conservative on economic issues and government spending, but liberal

on moral and social issues.
2. Those who believe in following tradition and a reverence for authority.
3. Claim to represent the interests of the “people” or working class, as
opposed to the “elites”. Favor traditional Christian ideas and a strict
moral code.
4. Being open to allowing the government to expand beyond it’s
traditional role.
5. Favor worker rights over corporate rights and believe the wealthy
should pay a much larger percentage of their income in taxes than they
already do.
1. Libertarians - Conservative on economic issues and
government spending, but liberal on moral and social issues.
2. Conservatives - Those who believe in following tradition and
a reverence for authority.
3. Populists - Claim to represent the interests of the “people”
or working class, as opposed to the “elites”. Favor traditional
Christian ideas and a strict moral code.
4. Liberals - Being open to allowing the government to expand
beyond its traditional role.
5. Progressives - Favor worker rights over corporate rights and
believe the wealthy should pay a much larger percentage of
their income in taxes than they already do.
Table Discussion: Where would you place libertarians, populists, and progressives on
the political spectrum. Why do you think they belong there?
 Assignment: Political Typology
Where do you fall on the political spectrum?