- Identify and explain the role of the media in the political system.
- The media can be multiple things. they can be a watch dog which exposes political corruption and keeps the politicans from being dishonest and taking advantage of the citizens. They are also the agenda setters so they choose what to talke about and this usually influences what the public wants to be adressed. There are also score keepers which shows who is wining in the current election and finally there is the gate keeper which deciedes what news is worthy to be addressed and shown to the public
- Examine the impact of the media on public opinion, voter perceptions, campaign strategies, electoral outcomes, agenda development, and the images of officials and candidates.
- The media can influence public opinion by showing the candidates in a good or bad like and show important news that politicans want them to see and hear. They can change voter perceptions by showing that the party they are part of is doing shady business an cause them to want to trade their loyalty to another party. Campaign strategies change based on what the media shows to the public and what the public views as important because of it.
- Identify and describe the symbiotic and frequently conflicting relationship among candidates, elected officials, and the media.
- The media can help spread the ideas of candidates and help get them support for their goals but they can also expose them if they get involved in a scandal and this causes their career to fall down drastically and get them out of politics for the rest of their lives.
- Identify and describe the goals and incentives of the media as an industry and how those goals influence the nature of news coverage.
- The media wants to provide interesting and exciting news and to attract views and this causes news to focus on a story even if it is not relevant to what is currently happening and this causes the public's view of what is important to change and thus making issues that are not that big of a problem become the center of attention and blowing everything out of proportion.
- Examine and analyze the consequences of the increasing concentration of major media outlets in fewer hands, as well as the growing role of the Internet.
- If media is in fewer hands than that means there is a chance for the news being told is unbiased and can only show one side of the story and with the internet then that means that anyone can write about what news is interesting to them but this can cause misinformation and unbiased writing and then the youth would have a misunderstand of what is really going on.
- Identify and describe the political roles played by a variety of lobbying and interest groups .
- They help talk to citizens to help get support for their candidates or candidate and also help try and raise funds for their political campaign and they get their ideas and views out to the media and help try and raise a positive rating.
- Explain why some interests are represented by organized groups while others are not, and the consequences of this difference in representation . Identify and describe interest groups, what do they do, how they do it, and how this affects both the political process and public policy.
- If an interest has an organized group then its probably favored among most citizens and those that do not have organized groups may get attention from politicians and may not be put in public policy. Some interest groups like the N.O.W who focus on women's rights can be so demanded that politicians will change their polices to include them.
- Discuss why certain segments of the population able to exert pressure on political institutions and actors in order to obtain favorable policies?
- They organize together and gain so much support that they will influence peoples votes and cause candidates to change some of their policies .
- Identify and describe the mechanisms that allow citizens to organize and communicate their interests and concerns.
- They can do public meeting and take part or create their organizations and go around house to house and talk to fellow citizens
- Examine the of issues of party reform and of campaign strategies and financing in the electronic age provides students with important perspectives.
- The issues of party reform means that the party can change but it could be for the worse and when it comes to the electronic age, it is good that students can get more involved but a lot of students may not understand politics all that much.
- Trace and discuss the development and the role of PACs in elections and the ideological and demographic differences between the two major parties, as well as third parties.
- PACs has become a major part in elections since they are one of the main groups that gains support and funds for political parties. The Democratic Party has a lot of people who want government intervention which include ethnic minority and women along with elderly people while the Republican party if favored by the opposite but both parties do not usually get the younger votes since most young people do not vote.