Ideology and Political Party Identification

Civics/Geography

Ideology: Activating Prior Knowledge

1. Are many people fully represented by one of the two major parties? Why or why not?

2. Why do so many people end up in the middle of the left-right continuum? What does this tell us about the two-party system?

3. Does the left-right continuum capture the diversity of ideology in America?

Ideology: Direct Instruction1. What vocabulary is

important to understanding the graph?

2. What is the purpose of the graph?

3. What information is the graph providing?

4. Identify patterns in the graph.

5. Explain why the patterns in the graph might have occurred?

6. Should people be concerned that 36% of people identify as moderates? Why or why not?

Ideology: Direct Instruction

• A two-dimensional model of ideology• Ken Janda:

• Opposing values of freedom and security (original purpose of government)

• Opposing values of freedom and equality (twentieth century government goal)

• Mainstream model • Economic intervention by government • Government intervention into social behavior

Ideology: Direct InstructionEquality

Freedom Security

Social Control

Economic Control

Liberal = Democrat

Libertarian

Communitarian

Conservative = Republican

Ideology: Application 1. Which political ideology

does the elephant represent? How do you know?

2. Which type of control (social or economic) does the elephant prefer? How can you tell?

3. How does the elephant’s speech bubble relate to what you know about his political ideology? (Does it match what you would expect or not?)

Ideology: Application 1. Which political ideology does

the character represent? How do you know?

2. Which type of control (social or economic) does the character prefer? How can you tell?

3. How does the character’s speech bubble relate to what you know about his political ideology? (Does it match what you would expect or not? )

Ideology: Application 1.Which political ideology is

represented by the character on the left? How can you tell?

2.Which political ideology is represented by the character on the right? How can you tell?

3.About which issues (economic or social) are the two characters mostly arguing? Give three examples to support your answer.

4. Identify two other issues about which the characters are arguing.

5.Why are the characters calling each other stupid?

Ideology: Application• Take Ideology Survey

• Place self on chart• Answer Questions

• Go to http://idealog.org/• Take survey • Compare with class• Compare with nation

Previewing the Next Lesson• Read Page 112 and Answer the Following:• 1. If Political Parties had not arisen, how might the

constitutional system have accommodated America’s tradition of free and open political debate?

• 2. In Federalist 10, James Madison described factions as “a number of citizens whether amounting to a majority or minority of the whole, who are united…by some common impulse of passion or of interest, adverse to the rights of citizens or to the permanent and aggregate interests of the community.” How do political parties differ from factions?