2. Outline
Politics and Government
Pluralism and the Power Elite Perspective
Other sources of Money in Politics
Education and its functions
Studies of education
Trends in education
Religion and its functions
Trends in religion
Secular?
3. Politics
Politics-methods and tactics intended to influence
government policy; attitudes and activities related
Originated in ancient Greece
Government-formal, organized agency that exercises
power and control in modern society through the
creation and enforcement of laws
Power-ability to impose one’s will on others
Authority-legitimate, non-coercive exercise of power
4. Politics
Authoritarianism-system of government by and for a
small number of elites that doesn’t include representation
of regular citizens
Dictatorship or totalitarian rule (control every aspect)
Monarchy-government by a king or queen, with
succession of rulers kept within the family
Absolute-complete authority over subjects
Constitutional-powers limited by parliament or other
governing body
Democracy-political system in which all citizens have the
right to participate
Majority rule, civil liberties, human rights, equality
5. American Political System
Voter turnout varies over time, but the U.S. has
comparatively low voter turnout rates…why?
Top answer: too busy
Some voters don’t vote because they are disenfranchised
Disenfranchised-stripped of voting rights
temporarily or permanently
Felons
Regular citizens-Florida 2000
Solutions-increase access to disabled, make absentee voting
easier, keeping the polls open longer
6. Who Rules America?
Pluralism-system of political
power in which many
individuals and groups have
equal access to resources and the
mechanisms of power
Power elite-(C. Wright Mills)
relatively small number of
people who control the
economic, political, and military
institutions of a society
Know each other
.0026% of population-tend
to be white, upper-class
males
“Bohemian Grove”
7. Who Rules America?
Special interest groups-organizations that raise and
spend money to influence elected officials and/or
public opinion
Corporate organizations, lobbies, PACs, 527s
Money wins elections: 95% of House races went to
candidate who spent most on race
Political Action Committees (PACs)-raises money
to support the interests of a select group
Over 4,000 PACs
Primary source of campaign contributions
8. Who Rules America?
527 Committees-organizations used by supporters of
candidates and special interests to avoid campaign finance
laws
there are no limits on contributions donors can make to 527s
$550 million spent in the 2004 election
The role of the media in politics increased with the
inventions of the TV in 1948 and the internet
Candidates must spend money on the media: gain coverage
on an issue or buy advertisements
“Sound bytes”
Opinion leaders-high-profile people whose interpretation
of events influences the public
Oprah Winfrey
9. Education
Education-process by which a society transmits
knowledge, values, and expectations to its members so
they can function
Formal education began in ancient Greece
Modern mass education traced back to Enlightenment
Current public high school graduation rate about 70%
Georgia: 54%
Iowa: 93%
Functions of education include transmission of
knowledge, obedience to rules, and respect for authority
10. Education and Inequality
Tracking-placement of students in educational
programs of study (ex. college prep or remedial) that
determine the types of classes students take
Happens early in educational career
Education benefits everyone, but not everyone
equally-inequality in education mirrors inequality in
society
Hidden curriculum-values or behaviors students
learn indirectly over the course of their schooling
“Rules, routines, regulations”
Can create a submissive and obedient workforce
11. Studies of Education
Symbolic Interactionist-Pygmalion in the Classroom:
teacher Expectation and Pupils’ Intellectual
Development-conclusion-teachers’ attitudes about
students unintentionally influenced their academic
performance
Conflict-Savage Inequalities-Kozol-because schools
are funded by property taxes, kids in poor
neighborhoods are trapped in poor schools, which
reinforces inequality
Functionalist-The Credential Society-Collins-
educational inequality is preparation for occupational
inequality later in life
12. Present and Future of Education
Charter schools-public schools run by private
entities to give parents greater control over their kids’
education
More flexible than public schools-free from district
governance
Students have comparable or slightly lower test scores
than conventional schools
Homeschooling-education of children by their
parents at home
academic achievement above that of public school
students-can be customized to needs
13. Present and Future of Education
School vouchers-payments from the government to
parents whose kids attend failing public schools
Pay 75-90% of tuition generally
Take funds away from public schools to be used at
private schools
May blur line between church and state
Distance learning-any educational course or
program in which the teacher and the students do not
meet together in the classroom; increasingly available
over the internet
14. Religion
Religion-any institutionalized system of shared
beliefs and rituals that identify a relationship between
the sacred and the profane
Belief-a proposition or idea held on the basis of faith
Ritual-a practice based on religious beliefs
Sacred-the holy, divine, or supernatural
Profane-the ordinary, mundane, or everyday
15. Functions/Dysfunctions of Religion
1. Shapes behavior by providing morals, values, norms
10 Commandments, fasting, confessing sins, etc…
2.Gives meaning to our lives
Each religion answers the fundamental questions (Ex. What
is the meaning of life) according to a larger plan
3. Provides the opportunity to come together with others
Religions can also be divisive-sexist, anti-homosexual, etc…
Can also be agents for social justice:
Liberation theology-movement within the Catholic church
to understand Christianity from the perspective of the poor
and oppressed, with a focus on fighting injustice
16. Religion in America
Religiosity-regular practice of religious beliefs,
measured in terms of frequency of attendance at
worship services and the importance of religious
beliefs to an individual
Extrinsic religiosity-public display of commitment
Church attendance
Intrinsic religiousity-personal relationship to divine
More religiosity among women, older Americans, in the
South
17. Religious Affiliation Trends
Fundamentalism-the practice of emphasizing literal
interpretation of texts and a “return” to a time of
greater religious purity
Provides a return to tradition
1990-2001-those identifying as fundamentalist tripled
Evangelical-term describing conservative Christians
who emphasize converting others to their faith
1990-2001-those identifying as evangelicals quadrupled
Unchurched spirituality-spiritual but not religious
May adopt different aspects of different religions
Expressed individually-not through organized group
18. Are we Secular?
Secular-nonreligious; separating church and state and
not endorsing any religion
Government and business form holiday schedules
around Christian holidays-even though 15% of
Americans don’t observe them
Every president has been Christian
Every president since Eisenhower has been advised by
Reverend Billy Graham