Ahhh... the last blog of the semester. This is simply an opportunity for you to ask and answer each other's questions and discuss anything that you think will be helpful in preparation for the final. I would suggest looking at your class notes, handouts from class, and your reading assignments along with your review sheet. This is primarily an open forum for you so check back often during the week and comment/question/ponder/review as much as you would like.
One request: please take just a couple of minutes to complete your course evaluation if you have not done so already. I would really appreciate it. Just follow this link to go to Campus Connect.
Good luck with all of your studying!
Also you can find a digital version of the prezis here and final review sheet here: http://americanpoliticalculture.wordpress.com/course-documents/
So I tried finding anything about the "American religious marketplace" in my notes, but I could not find anything. Would anyone happen to know a proper definition?
ReplyDelete* America’s Religious Marketplace = revolves around the changing demographic makeup in terms of religion. So basically, how religion is spread through out the US (we are mostly Christian (78.4 %) )
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteThanks, that makes a lot of sense I appreciate the reply.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteMore specifically, here are the demographics that make up America's religious marketplace:
ReplyDeleteThe most predominant religion in the U.S. is Christianity
-78.4% (3/4 Americans) Identify as Christian ---> 65% of Christians are Protestant, 30.5% are Catholic
-16.1% Unaffiliated (Atheist, Agnostic, no religion)
--->Secular vs Religious
-4.7% Other religions (Jewish, Muslin, Catholic)
Thanks for the clarification! I was also a little lost on that point in that study guide!
DeleteIs the "nothing in particular" considered separate from the "unaffiliated" section in the PEW Religious Landscape?
Deletedoes anyone know where we can find the jose antonio vargas video? i'm having trouble finding it on the prezis
ReplyDeleteI think it's this one? Not sure what the exact time stamp is though:
Deletehttps://youtu.be/mqXpAKiTTug
Yeah it looks like the link to the first prezi is not on the course website, but here's the link with the video and some content on the first part of the course:
Deletehttps://prezi.com/k2yfjhxj7g8x/what-does-it-mean-to-be-american/?auth_key=1ad06542509b165432a3e8d37606418ffd5db91b
Thanks so much!
DeleteA bunch of questions:
ReplyDelete-What is historical construction?
-What is the role of education is shaping American identity and "Americanizing" immigrants?
-What are the JFK/Nixon Debates
-Why have Americans felt positively and negatively about immigrants throughout history?
-What are characteristics of immigrants today in terms of housing, economy, jobs, education, income, & citzenship status?
-What is the best policy for legal immigration in the future and undocumented immigrants??
-Levels of income and wealth inequality in America today?
-How much influence should religion have in our political or policy decisions in America?
The JFK Nixon Debates were the first televised Presidential Debates Americans watched. It transformed politics into something more driven by image.
DeleteLevels of income and wealth inequality in America today are:
Delete- average household incomes are becoming more unequal as time progresses
- the 1% of the population has always had majority of the country's wealth.
In regards to your last question, I believe religion should not play a major role in our political or policy decisions since we are the most diverse nation. The first amendment says that "congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
DeleteHistorical construction refers to the historical creation of things like race, gender, and sexuality. These historical creations of these groups have allowed for systems of oppression to be created and perpetuated. It's basically the start of constructionism and how the things constructed have come to have the meaning they have today.
DeleteEducation shapes American identity by socializing young Americans to our political culture. This starts in elementary school and continues to high school and beyond. Children of immigrants enrolled in American schools are introduced to these ideas and customs, beginning the process of their integration into American culture.
DeleteIn today's world, we are becoming more and more secular, with the involvement of continuous scientific advancements the appeal to religion diminishes. I believe involvement of religion is never necessary unless an incumbent is going for a certain religious group, it should have very little to none especially in today's world.
DeleteTo answer the first question, historical construction is the idea that we perceive something as the way it is based on how it has been defined throughout history. Where social construction is the way we perceive something through social interaction, historical construction is defined how something has been perceived though things like: the Government (census, policies, etc.), Academics, Religion, the Media, and how these have shaped our views over the years.
ReplyDeleteWhich sort of goes into the fourth question. The way Americans have felt towards immigrants has changed over the years due to the changing demographics of immigrants and the changing immigration policies which directly reflect Americas feelings towards immigration. Where "Old Immigrants" before 1880 were mostly white, English speaking protestants from Europe, and "New Immigrants" after 1880 were mostly non-white, non-english speaking Catholics and Jews from Eastern and Southern Europe.
Hey everyone! Just had a few questions.
ReplyDeleteWhat do we need to know about the Civic Literacy Test?
Who was Jerol Manheim and why is he significant in political culture?
Who was Arthur Schlesinger and why is he significant?
To answer your last question, Arthur Schlesinger was a historian who wrote one of our readings "The Disuniting of America." We read the chapter "A New Race" which was basically about the evolution of American national identity and collective feeling toward immigrants. Some of the main points in the article were... 1) the concept of "American Creed" (system of beliefs held by all Americans that promotes the ideals of essential dignity and equality for all...this is evident in our institutions and habits). 2) the "(S)/Melting Pot." Schlesinger points out that the "melting pot" of Americans was really just Anglo Saxon Protestants from England for two centuries. 3) "Know-Nothings" a sort of secret group of white guys in the 19th century (a lot of the time elected officials) who pushed for stricter naturalization/immigration laws. 4) the "New Immigrants" were still indoctrinated with the fundamentals of the American Creed, even if they were victims of prejudice 5) Americanization programs in the early 20th century sought to expedite assimilation by offering immigrants special education in language, citizenship, and history, etc. 6) WWII forced many Americans to look at our own internal racial issues (fighting Hitler juxtaposed with Jim Crow + Chinese Exclusion act) + the Civil Rights movement began post-WWII.
DeleteI know this is a lot, but hopefully it can help with other topics in the immigration section too. Good luck!
If you do not know this already, the civic literacy test was a handout in class. The 2008 civic literacy test asked questions on political history, cultural institutions, foreign relations, and market economy. I think it is just basic knowledge an average citizen should have. In 2008 the average score for this test was about 49%. If you can't find the handout the test is online at www.americancivicliteracy.org
DeleteHey Rameez,
DeleteJerol Manheim wrote "News Shapers: Strategic Communication as a Third Force in Newsmaking." He argues that much of the news reaching the public has become a "manufactured product, concocted by political strategists who strive to shape public opinion."
He identifies a four-prong strategy: identifying stakeholders, building positions, building alliances, and defining realities. He says political parties, special interests, corporations, and even foreign governments use this technique to shape the public conversation.
Hi guys, does anyone have knowledge of what exactly we have to know about "Thomas Jefferson/John Dewey/Horace Kallen" in regards to section 3. How Should Americans be Educated?
ReplyDeleteThanks!
Jefferson advocated for education that focused on the individual instead of the country as a whole in an effort to protect Americans from a tyrannical government.
DeleteJohn Dewey criticized the idea of an "industrial education." Instead he thought schools should prepare students to be flexible/adaptable in an ever changing job market. Also, he thought teaching about democratic ideals/democracy would create a mode of associative living; a communicative experience.
Horace Kallen embraced diversity and a democracy of nationalities, which he thought schools should do as well. Kallen also pops up in the Schlesinger reading on "A New Race." Schlesinger cites Kallen as having argued against the idea of the “melting pot” because he believed ethnic diversity enriched American civilization.
Hopefully this helps. If you need information on Noah Webster or Horace Mann, let me know.
Hey Gerald. Just some more information regarding the foundational players in Education.
DeleteNoah Webster: One of the earliest leaders about public education in America. Sought to shape national identity. Think about schools and textbooks in shaping society.
Thomas Jefferson: Argued education is important but it’s not for the country, it’s for the individual. We need to be educated so we can protect ourselves from powerful and tyrannical government.
Horace Mann: Father of common schooling. Argued for free public schools for all. Envisioned public schools as a lever to uplift society. Led to vocational training, industrial training, etc. Training for a specific job to build economic output and to make us a more industrial and productive society.
John Dewey: Talked about criticism of industrial education. If you train for certain jobs its wasted effort because a lot of those jobs will change and become obsolete. We should prepare individuals and have them be adaptive. Focus education on democracy and unity. Society will be better off if it helped to motivate students and participate in shared interest
Horace Kallen: Visionary who focused on embracing our diversity. We are a democracy of nationalities, different people living together. We should embrace that in our schools and be connected to concepts that bind us together but not lose our uniqueness.
Hope this helps!
What are some characteristics of immigrants today?
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
Deleteold immigrants: predominantly white; protestant/Christian; spoke English
Deletenew immigrants: Not white; usually not Christian and other native languages. Today we have a far greater percentage of latin americans which account for 54% of immigrants today, asia 26% and europe only 12%. In 1950s european accounted for 68%.
when we went over gerrymander term in class does anyone remember those two words or examples that were used in the video?
ReplyDeleteI think it was packing and cracking
Deleteyes! thank you!!!! both very helpful.
DeletePacking refers to the concentration of voters of one party into a limited number of
Deletedistricts so that the party wins those districts by large margins.
Cracking refers to the division of
voters of one party across a large number of districts so that the party is unable to achieve a
majority vote in any district.
Immigration
ReplyDeleteTrump’s Four Pillars:
1. Path to citizenship for Dreamers (work/education requirements + good morals)
2. $25bi for border security, enforcement + technology
3. End diversity visa lottery in favor or merit-based system
4. Limit family reunification, or “chain-migration”
- Does anyone know if we need to be more in-depth about the paths to citizenship, or if he's just looking for the basics?
I think its most likely just the basics.
DeleteI think Prof. Epstein wants you to focus more on all of the immigration acts that were made law in the US over the 19th and 20th century. For example, know about the Naturalization Act of 1790, The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, and the Immigration act of 1965. These are all very important laws and changed the political rhetoric on immigration over the decades. I hope this helps.
ReplyDeleteCool, thank you!
Delete