Assignment part 1: Short Answer questions.
Q1. What is the sociological imagination? Why is it useful for understanding political sociology?
Q2. What are the voting trends in the United States? Who votes? What are some explanations for these trends? That is, why do people vote or not vote?
Q3. Discuss the history of electoral finance reform in the US. How do you think those trends help explain who votes in the US?
Q4. What is a fact? How do we distinguish facts from other forms of political information? Provide examples.
Assignment part 2: Essay questions. Be sure to answer all parts of the question.
Q1. Describe and contrast pluralist and elitist (Domhoff's) theories of political power. What are the basic assumptions of each theory? How do both theories describe and explain the way political power is exercised? What kinds of criticism have been directed at each theory? How can data on the exercise of political power in the United States be used to assess that criticism?
Q2. Karl Marx, Max Weber, Robert Michels, and John Gaventa all contributed to sociological theory on power and authority. Discuss the similarities and/or differences of 2 of these theorists' thinking on the following questions:
- What is the fundamental basis of power?
- How, and for what interests, is power exercised?
- How does power change hands?
- What purposes does the state serve?
After answering these questions, discuss which of the theorists' work best helps you understand political power, and why. Make sure to integrate some data into this final answer.
Q3. What are the different theoretical views on the state, from the material you've read and discussed in class? What roles can and does the state play, according to those theories? Are any of the theories compatible - that is can certain elements of these theories be combined to help us understand the state? What theories make the most sense to you and why? Make sure to integrate some data into this final answer.
Q4. So far this semester, we have discussed (1) different theories of power, (2) varying ways of thinking about the state, (3) pluralist and elitist theories of US government, and (4) voting and campaign finance reform. We have also examined data that helps us understand and evaluate the different positions on these topics. In an essay, pick two of the four topics above and synthesize your understandings of them. That is, make a logical argument about US politics that includes two of these topics. Where are points of consistency, or where are points that a logical combination would not work? What data can you use that helps you make a consistent argument? In addressing topics 1 and 2, you should not use all the varying theories, but choose theories to discuss - that is, you don't need to address all four theorists of power if you choose to focus on #1.