Political Ideologies

This chapter introduces you to the different political ideologies that make up the American political landscape and that give shape to American political culture. How important is political culture and political socialization when it comes to defining one’s political ideology? To answer this question, it might be useful to reflect on one’s own political ideology and then think about how well your own political views fit within the most prominent ideologies within the American context. This will make it possible to then reflect on the sources of those viewpoints.

Write a one-to-two-page (~300 words) reflection on where you think your ideological viewpoint came from. Focus your thoughts on what you take to be the key philosophical values of the ideology (not just on policy positions). Use the questions below as a guide.

Questions:

How accurately did the quiz results portray your understanding of your ideological viewpoint?
How strongly were your political views shaped by family, school, friends?
How strongly do you hold the views that you have?
Do your views tend to hang on responses to particular policies or are they based on more fundamental questions about political values, human nature, or the role of the state?
Do you think that your views might readily change over time or are they likely to harden? Why do you think this might be?

Instructions:

First, make sure you have read the chapter on Political Culture and Ideology and then view the PBS Crash Course on Political Ideology:

Video Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_k_k-bHigM

Next, click on the link below and take the World’s Smallest Political Quiz (Links to an external site.)

After taking the quiz, view your results. Think about whether the results summary accurately portray your ideological viewpoint. https://www.theadvocates.org/quiz/

I have attached my results to the “quiz”: I am “leftist/liberal”. Results: : Liberals usually embrace freedom of choice in personal matters, but tend to support significant government control of the economy. They generally support a government-funded “safety net” to help the disadvantaged, and advocate strict regulation of business. Liberals tend to favor environmental regulations, defend civil liberties and free expression, support government action to promote equality, and tolerate diverse lifestyles