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Chapter 1 Politics: Who Gets What, and How? Section: What Is Politics? Learning Objective: In Your Own Words... Describe the role politics plays in determining how power and resources are distributed in a society. Link Title: A Brief History of Voting https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ar7r5aG_B0Y [VIDEO] A “Rock the Vote” video PSA 1. Do you think that eighteen is the right age for voting? 2. What potential impact do youth-oriented videos like this one have on elections? 3. Do you think that the increase in participating in elections is the result of demographic changes, or of a real increase in political engagement among millennials? Section: What Is Politics? Learning Objective: In Your Own Words... Describe the role politics plays in determining how power and resources are distributed in a society. Link Title: Politics on Campus http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/22/the-most-politically-active- colleges_n_1821374.html [MULTIMEDIA] A slideshow of the most politically active colleges in the United States, as ranked by Princeton Review. 1. What characteristics do most of the schools on the list have in common? How do these common threads relate to the definition of politics as "who gets what and how?" 2. What do you think would need to happen to make students at your school more politically engaged? 3. What factors make some schools (and/or some students) seem more apathetic about politics? Section: What Is Politics? Learning Objective: In Your Own Words... Describe the role politics plays in determining how power and resources are distributed in a society. Link Title: Dancing on Eggshells http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2012645191/ [IMAGE] This illustration—which depicts democracy as woman, wearing a blindfold inscribed with the word “stupidity,” being forced to dance across eggs that represent delicate political decisions—was originally printed in Puck magazine in 1884. 1. How is politics like "dancing on eggs?" Is democracy really blind, stupid, and weak, as pictured here?

edge. Web view [VIDEO]In this video, the world’s most famous (only famous?) astrophysicist,

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Chapter 1Politics: Who Gets What, and How?

Section: What Is Politics? Learning Objective: In Your Own Words... Describe the role politics plays in determining how power and resources are distributed in a society. Link Title: A Brief History of Votinghttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ar7r5aG_B0Y[VIDEO] A “Rock the Vote” video PSA

1.Do you think that eighteen is the right age for voting? 2.What potential impact do youth-oriented videos like this one have on elections? 3.Do you think that the increase in participating in elections is the result of demographic changes, or

of a real increase in political engagement among millennials?

Section: What Is Politics? Learning Objective: In Your Own Words... Describe the role politics plays in determining how power and resources are distributed in a society. Link Title: Politics on Campushttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/22/the-most-politically-active-colleges_n_1821374.html[MULTIMEDIA] A slideshow of the most politically active colleges in the United States, as ranked by Princeton Review.

1. What characteristics do most of the schools on the list have in common? How do these common threads relate to the definition of politics as "who gets what and how?"

2. What do you think would need to happen to make students at your school more politically engaged?

3. What factors make some schools (and/or some students) seem more apathetic about politics?

Section: What Is Politics? Learning Objective: In Your Own Words... Describe the role politics plays in determining how power and resources are distributed in a society. Link Title: Dancing on Eggshells http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2012645191/[IMAGE] This illustration—which depicts democracy as woman, wearing a blindfold inscribed with the word “stupidity,” being forced to dance across eggs that represent delicate political decisions—was originally printed in Puck magazine in 1884.

1. How is politics like "dancing on eggs?" Is democracy really blind, stupid, and weak, as pictured here?

2. If politics is such an impossible (or “disastrous”) dance, how can government be expected accomplish anything?

Section: Political Systems and the Concept of Citizenship Learning Objective: In Your Own Words... Compare different economic and political systems in terms of how power is distributed between citizens and government. Link Title: Space Capitalismhttp://www.businessinsider.com/neil-degrasse-tyson-elon-musk-spacex-2013-8 [VIDEO]In this video, the world’s most famous (only famous?) astrophysicist, Neil DeGrasse Tyson, comments on space privateers like Space X.

1. Why does Dr. Tyson feel that private companies will never be at the forefront of space exploration? What historical comparisons does he make?

2. Do private companies have an interest in space exploration, or does it make more sense for them to lobby the government to explore space?

3. Why doesn't the U.S. Government make investments in commercial enterprises in space, and compete with companies like Space X?

Section: Political Systems and the Concept of Citizenship Learning Objective: In Your Own Words... Compare different economic and political systems in terms of how power is distributed between citizens and government. Link Title: Nationalized Facebook? http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2012/08/facebook_should_be_nationalized_to_protect_user_rights_.html[WEBLINK] Phillip N. Howard, “Let’s Nationalize Facebook: Only then will the social network protect users’ rights and share valuable data with researchers.” In Slate, August 16, 2012.

1. Is this a ludicrous idea, or a lucid one? What interest would the nation have in treating a resource like Facebook as a public utility?

2. Do you think that a government entity would be better suited to protecting your privacy than a large corporation?

3. If data is going to be tracked, would you rather it be tracked for public health research, or for commercial purposes? Are the two ends necessarily mutually exclusive?

4. Can social networking become a tool of democracy? Isn’t it already? What difference would ownership of the network make for democracy, political activism, and civic engagement?

Section: Political Systems and the Concept of Citizenship Learning Objective: In Your Own Words... Compare different economic and political systems in terms of how power is distributed between citizens and government. Link Title: Inclusive Capitalismhttp://www.npr.org/blogs/parallels/2014/05/27/316317191/worlds-richest-people-meet-muse-on-how-to-spread-the-wealth[NEWS ARTICLE] Shapiro, Ari, “World's Richest People Meet, Muse On How To Spread The Wealth.” NPR, May 27, 2014.

1. What do the uber-wealthy individuals described here--the .0001 percent--have in common with members of the occupy movement, who claimed to speak for the 99 percent?

2. Does it matter that there is no real definition of “creative capitalism”? If these wealthy leaders don’t agree on what the phrase means, how can they bring about change?

Section: Political Systems and the Concept of Citizenship Learning Objective: In Your Own Words... Compare different economic and political systems in terms of how power is distributed between citizens and government. Link Title: The Tank Manhttp://time.com/2822322/iconic-tiananmen-tank-man-photo/[Multimedia] Pickert, Kate, “Tank Man at 25: Behind the Iconic Tiananmen Square Photo.” Time, June 4, 2014.

1. Why does footage of the Tank Man of Taiananmen Square still resonate so many years after the protests at Tiananmen Square?

2. Why would the Tank Man risk his life with such a protest? How does his action give him power in the face of authoritarianism?

3. China remains an authoritarian system today. Was this man’s protest in vain?

Section: Political Systems and the Concept of Citizenship Learning Objective: In Your Own Words... Compare different economic and political systems in terms of how power is distributed between citizens and government.

Link Title: Democracy: A Challengehttp://www.loc.gov/pictures/resource/cph.3f05571/[IMAGE] A classic WPA poster

1. Is a democracy really a challenge? 2. Is the challenge of democracy different for everyday citizens than it is for those in power?

Section: Political Systems and the Concept of Citizenship Learning Objective: In Your Own Words... Compare different economic and political systems in terms of how power is distributed between citizens and government. Link Title: Citizens’ Rights and Responsibilitieshttp://www.uscis.gov/citizenship/learners/citizenship-rights-and-responsibilities[WEB LINK] The US Citizenship and Immigration Service’s explanation

1. If Americans agree that citizens are expected to serve jury duty and pay taxes, why do so many citizens try to dodge these responsibilities?

2. Do we expect more of new citizens than we do of native-born Americans?

Section: Origins of Democracy In America Learning Objective: In Your Own Words... Explain the historical origins of American democracy.Link Title: Who Invented America?http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-buzVjYQvY [VIDEO] Three Minute Philosophy: John Locke. A quick, funny video animation describing Locke’s ideas and comparing them with those of Thomas Hobbes (note: Includes some profanity.)

1. Is it fair to say that John Locke "invented America?" Could The United States have been founded if he had not posited his ideas first--or if the Founding Fathers had not been exposed to them?

2. As we'll learn in chapter 3, the founders fathers were, in general, a well-educated and prosperous group. Would a less privileged population have been able to implement Locke's ideas?

3. Why would a group of self-interested men, who owned property and wished to protect it, prefer Locke’s ideas to Hobbes?

Section: Origins of Democracy In America Learning Objective: In Your Own Words... Explain the historical origins of American democracy.Link Title: Democracy: A Human Right?http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHid2PbcYhc [VIDEO] An Oxford philosophy student breaks down human/moral/legal rights, and discussions whether democracy is just a means to human rights or a right itself

Have Americans come to think of democracy as a basic human right? Is it possible for an authoritarian or totalitarian government to exist without violating people's basic human rights?

What if the people choose a dictatorship, a religious oligarchy, instead of electing leaders? Why would people choose to surrender their power? If they voluntary choose to relinquish their power, is it still a democracy?

What role does philosophy have in politics anyway?

Section: Citizenship In AmericaLearning Objective: In Your Own Words...Apply the five steps of critical thinking to this book's themes of power and citizenship in America. In Your Own Words…. Describe the role politics plays in determining how power and resources are distributed in a society. In Your Own Words…. Describe the enduring tension in the United States between self-interested human nature and public spirited governmentLink Title: The Politics of Textbooks

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/explainer/2010/10/who_gets_to_write_publicschool_history_textbooks.html[ARTICLE] Waters, Don. “Who gets to write public school history textbooks?” Slate Explainer, October 22, 2010.

1. Self-published textbooks, like the one detailed in this article, are produced outside the traditional publishing model. Is this more democratic? Or is it a recipe for misinformation?

2. Is information power, and if so, what role does politics play in the way that power is distributed?

Section: Citizenship In AmericaLearning Objective: In Your Own Words... Describe the enduring tension in the United States between self-interested human nature and public spirited governmentLink Title: Ask Not...[VIDEO] John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Addresshttp://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/jfkinaugural.htm

1. To whom was JFK speaking to when he said "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country?"

2. How does this understanding of citizenship align with (or depart from) the definition of politics as "who gets what and how?" Is civic engagement part of politics, or is it something else?

3. How does the political activity of young people today relate to JFK's invitation? What do young people today do for their country?

Section: Citizenship In AmericaLearning Objective: In Your Own Words... Describe the enduring tension in the United States between self-interested human nature and public spirited governmentLink Title: Which Citizen Are You? http://www.pbs.org/teachers/vote2008/blueprint/widget/[INTERACTIVE] PBS’s “Let’s Get Political” quiz

1. Take the quiz. Did it peg you as a skeptic, an explorer, an activist, or a spectator?2. Were you surprised by your result? What answers would you change to produce a different the

outcome?3. Is it really possible to judge an individual's level or political involvement with a test like this one?

Section: Citizenship In AmericaLearning Objective: In Your Own Words... Describe the enduring tension in the United States between self-interested human nature and public spirited governmentLink Title: How To Think Criticallyhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSZ3BUru59A[VIDEO] An animated guide

How and when should you apply critical thinking skills? Do you employ these tactics when watching the news? When listening to a politician speak?

When watching the Daily Show? When reading comments on Facebook or Twitter? When it comes to politics, is it ever ok to just go on autopilot?

Section: Thinking Critically About American PoliticsLearning Objective: In Your Own Words... Apply the five steps of critical thinking to this book's themes of power and citizenship in America. In Your Own Words... Describe the role politics plays in determining how power and resources are distributed in a society.Link Title: Occupy Lives[ARTICLE] Gibson, Carl. “Occupy lives, and changes lives.” Huffington Post, December 3, 2012. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/carl-gibson/occupy-sandy_b_2186506.html

1. Why was a "leaderless" and for the most part unfunded movement like Occupy Wall Street better able to provide hands-on help in the aftermath of a disaster than large, well-funded organizations like the Red Cross?

2. What tools enabled Occupy to mobilize so quickly and efficiently? How might these tools be employed to enact political change in the future?

Section: Thinking Critically About American PoliticsLearning Objectives: In Your Own Words…. Apply the five steps of critical thinking to this book's themes of power and citizenship in AmericaLink Title: Exporting Democracyhttp://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/document.php?id=cqresrre2005040100 [CQ RESEARCHER]Katel, Peter. “Will President Bush’s Efforts Succeed?” CQ Researcher, April 1, 2005, Volume 15, Issue 12.

1. Is democracy a seed that can be sown by an outsider, or must it be planted by the people themselves?

2. To what degree has democracy been successful in Iraq in the years since?