1. Measuring up the Behavior of our Citizens
(20 Points)
As stated earlier in class on precondition for a democracy to work is citizens who
know what is going on. Political scientists tend to measure citizens on for
characteristics:
1. Political Knowledge- Understanding how Government works and who
the main players are in it.
2. Ideology- Being able to identify the sets of ideas or beliefs that one has
about politics, the economy, and society.
3. Tolerance- Being able to recognize differences and respect the rights of
others
4. Participation- How much do we take part in both politics and in our
community? It can range anywhere from voting to volunteering.
Task:
You will be asked to comment on what you believe the behaviors of citizens are in
the United States today. There are two ways that you can do this.
1. Public Service Announcement (Group) - A public service announcement (PSA)
or community service announcement (CSA) is an advertisement broadcast on
radio or television, for the public interest. PSAs are intended to modify public
attitudes by raising awareness about specific issues. The most common topics of
PSAs are health and safety. Your (PSA) will be to create awareness about one of
the measures of citizen’s behavior above. Using your book and outside sources,
show what the issue is, and what you believe can be done to improve upon it.
Your PSA will be acted out in class, or could be filmed for extra credit. A script
must be turned into Mr. Fortmann when you present.
Example: What is the Political Knowledge of Citizens today? Provide
various examples and discuss how WE can help to improve this.
2. Citizen’s Report Card (Individual) - List the 4 measures of Citizen Behavior.
Based on our behavior today, Assign a grade as to how we as citizens have done.
Finally, Justify your answer with a short explanation as to why you assigned the
grade you did. Finally, based on the scores assigned give an overall grade to how
American Citizens are doing today. Be sure to justify this as well.
Your Grade:
Your grade will be based on two components: 1. Quality of Work- Neatness and
attention to detail are important. Take pride in your work especially since you will have
an audience. 2. Depth of Thought- Show me that you have researched your idea and that
you know what you are talking about. Below is a list of resources in the book to help you
find further information.
Political Knowledge- Chapter 15 in book, How Stupid Are We article.
Ideology- Chapter 15 Section 2.
Tolerance- Chapter 15 section 1 and Chapter 7 on Equal Rights
Participation- Chapter 19 Voting, Article: Why don’t more Americans Vote, Article on
National Service