POLSC221: Introduction to Comparative Politics

5.1: Political Behavior and Political Culture

• American Government and Politics in the Information Age: "Chapter 6: Political Culture and Socialization" >

  Read this chapter. How do we define political culture? How is it related to the process of political socialization? What is the significance of political subcultures?
  

• 5.1.1: How Do Cultural Patterns Influence Institutions?

  • European Scientific Journal: Uche Bright Odoemelam and Ebiuwa Aisien's "Political Socialization and Nation Building: The Case of Nigeria" File

    Read this report. Nigeria is an illustrative case in which a rising political consciousness among its citizens was unable to topple an entrenched political class. What do you think the Nigerians could have done differently to institute wholesale social and political change?
    

• 5.1.2: How Do We Measure Political Participation?

  • American Government and Politics in the Information Age: "Chapter 8: Participation, Voting, and Social Movements" URL

    Read this chapter. Who participates in politics depends on a variety of factors, including socioeconomic status, age, gender, race and ethnicity. Mobilization efforts by political parties and interest groups also motivate people to become engaged in the political process. Social movements have been a way for groups of people work collectively for changes in government. Be sure to compare and contrast the strategies and tactics used by the various social movements discussed in the reading.

• 5.1.3: Political Mobilization and Alienation

  • New America Foundation: Anne-Marie Slaughter's "Now I Know Who My Comrades Are: Voices from the Internet Underground" Page

    Watch the above video which discusses how social media is effectively challenging governments around the globe. How have authoritarian regimes in particular responded to online citizen advocacy? How do you think the Internet has transformed the relationship between citizens and their government?

• 5.1.4: Political Alliances and Cleavages

  • Review of European Studies: Ali Rahigh-Aghsan's "Turkey's EU Quest and Political Cleavages under AKP" URL

    Read this report. In political terms, cleavages are the divisions of voters into voting blocs which place them on separate sides of an issue. Cleavages can occur along national, ethnic, linguistic, and religious lines, making it difficult to reach consensus on a topic of national importance. The cleavages that were created by the rise of political Islam in Turkey and its impact on foreign policy are indicative of their role in structuring political conflict. After reading the article, you should be able to articulate the position of each side on the issue of Turkey's accession to the EU.