Delegation Resource Manual: Month by Month Implementation Guide
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YMCA PA Youth & Government Program
Activity (Political Ideology): Political Culture and Socialization
Purpose:
Individual Americans hold a variety of beliefs about their government and its leaders;
these beliefs then form the foundation of American political culture. The purpose of this lesson
is to investigate and apply the concepts of political culture and socialization, and to assist
students in identifying the origins of their own political beliefs.
Objectives:
1.
Students will identify and define important concepts of political culture and political socialization.
2.
Students will analyze elements of American political culture.
3.
Students will investigate how an individual’s political beliefs develop from many social and
cultural influences.
4.
The student will begin to identify and analyze the process of his or her own political
socialization.
Key Words: political culture, political socialization, agents of political socialization, political beliefs
Materials:
1.
Blackboard or overhead projector.
2.
Political Culture notes/overhead
3.
Examples of Conflict in Political Culture worksheet.
4.
Political Socialization notes/overhead
5.
Identifying Influences of Your Political Socialization handout
6.
Chart Paper/ Markers
Procedure:
1.
Motivation/Warm Up. Place the term Political Culture on the board or overhead. Ask
students to take a few minutes a draw a cartoon that illustrates what they believe that term
means. Have several students volunteer to share their answers. Begin a discussion of
political culture by asking students what the term, culture means and then combining that
definition with the word political. Generate a class definition of Political Culture and
record it on the board. Place the formal definition on the overhead. Ask the student to
compare and contrast their responses to the transparency.
2.
Review and discuss the Important Elements of Political Culture and ask students if they would
remove/add any additional elements.
Ask them if they agree that these elements represent the “way of life” of the American
political process.
Provide students with the “Examples of Conflict in Political Culture” handout and
have them identify possible conflicts in American political culture.
3.
Transition. Based on our definition of Political Culture, can we infer what is meant by
Political Socialization?
What do we do when we “socialize?”
How are people affected by those they socialize with?
How would we be affected “politically” by those we socialize with?
4.
Break students into groups and have them brainstorm possible agents of political
socialization. Have them record their answers on chart paper and share them with the
class. Identify the factors which seem to be the most influential.
NOTICE: For more information on political ideology visit the web site links page
