Chapter 8: Political Participation and Voting

Study Plan

In this chapter, we will:

• first examine patterns of contemporary political participation, discussing the different forms that participation can take.
• then review the kinds of access to the political system that groups with different social backgrounds and cultural beliefs fought for and subsequently enjoyed. We will see that such identities do not always provide the basis for shared political activity.
• then consider the reasons for declining political participation in recent decades. We will see that individual beliefs, such as a sense of efficacy, are important, but that most significant is the failure of our institutions to mobilize people into politics.
• consider the implications of uneven political participation. As the role of money in politics gives the wealthy a greater say in government, we ask if our institutions do enough to foster participation by all Americans.

As you work through the below assignments, don't forget to generate a Progress Report. Fill out the sections you have completed and send a copy to your email account.

Organize

1. Follow this Study Plan to access your chapter assignments.
2. Print out the Chapter Outline and bring it to lecture to help structure your note-taking and check-off topics covered in class.
3. Access Quiz+! The results of this chapter quiz create a Custom Study Plan that links you directly to materials that will assist your pre-exam review.

Learn

1. Read Chapter 8 in your textbook or ebook.
2. Read the Chapter Review of Chapter 8. Note any material you have difficulty remembering from the text.
3. Master the key terms for this chapter by working through the deck of Flashcards.

Connect

1. Explore the Interactive Politics Simulation and the questions that follow.
2. Complete the You Decide Exercise after reading the Policy Debate box in Chapter 8 of your textbook or ebook.
3. Answer the Questions for Discussion and Thought and articulate your own point of view on the chapter's material.
4. Complete the What Government Does Exercises to understand the structure of American government and how it affects your life in a direct way.
5. Complete the Get Involved Exercise to see how you can use what you have learned in this chapter to effect change in politics and policy.
6. Watch the Video Exercises for this chapter and answer the accompanying questions.
7. Mobilize for political action with Mobilize.org!

Links

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