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1.1: Political Ideologies - Readings and Media

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    231646
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    Engaging with the following media and texts, you learn about ideologies in increasing complexity and depth. First, view the Khan Academy video which provides you with fundamental concepts and frameworks that help establish a baseline understanding of political ideologies. The Crash Course adds other key ideologies to the mix, and discusses how they relate to political issues, offering a more nuanced perspective. After that, the Greater Good challenges you to synthesize and critically analyze all this information and evaluate their adaptations and practices in our complex society.

    Each new exposure deepens your comprehension, links earlier knowledge with more sophisticated insights, and ultimately seeks to foster a well-rounded intellectual foundation of how political ideologies work in our country, and what some inherent complications are when they are applied.

    1. Khan Academy

    Khan Academy. (n.d.). Federalism in the United States. Retrieved from https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/us-government-and-civics/us-gov-foundations/us-gov-federalism-in-action/a/federalism-in-the-united-states

    This video reinforces the underpinnings of liberal and conservative ideologies in the United States. You will be learning about specific policy preferences of either ideology and how they relate to the Democrat and Republican parties.

    DEI image.jpeg

    2. Crash Course

    CrashCourse. (2015, February 14). Federalism: Crash Course Government and Politics #4 [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_k_k-bHigM

    Learn more about liberals and conservatives, and think about the influences of both of these viewpoints. Pay close attention (and take notes on) the concepts and ideas that underpin each ideology discussed. You may also tune in to why certain groups of people (such as African Americans, or women) gravitate to certain ideologies.

    Which agents of political socialization (i.e., age, gender, education, etc.) tend to lead to which ideologies? In your homework, you will to apply these insights to the analysis of your personal ideology.

    Keep in mind that the generalizations in this video summarize the most commonly held viewpoints for each of these positions, those most commonly held in our political culture; feel free to note your questions on them.

    3. Greater Good Science Center

    Greater Good Science Center. (n.d.). The scientific case for diversity, equity, and inclusion. Greater Good Magazine. https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/the_scientific_case_for_diversity_equity_and_inclusion

    Find several links to articles on the various benefits of DEI initiatives in this article. It contains a wealth of resources! Click on the ones that interest you most to learn more. Overall, the authors present scientific evidence that DEI strengthen our society and organizations, but that political ideologies affect how we understand and apply these findings. While liberals and socialists tackle systemic barriers to fairness, for example, conservatives call a merit-based approach “fair” because to them the system itself largely works. Take notes on how each ideology discussed perceives this debate, and think about which perspectives you resonate with the most.


    1.1: Political Ideologies - Readings and Media is shared under a CC BY-NC license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.

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