POLI 319 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: American Exceptionalism
13 May 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
Political culture - January 16th
What can you do in the U.S if you want to achieve/make progress toward your political
objectives?
• Lobbying
• Appeal to public, campaigns, advertisements
• Donations to corporations
What are the constraints facing political actors when they want to advance an agenda?
• Getting access
How does the American political culture differ from its counterparts around the world?
• Civic duty and civic competence (idea that people ought to participate + be informed)
• Liberty and democracy
• Equality of opportunity vs. equality of results
• Individual responsibility
• Enduring “purely American” myths and ideals
Major influences on U.S political culture
• The education system
• The media and popular culture
• Socialization: school, the family and social networks
• The importance of religion
How can there be so much political conflict then?
• Strong views vs. fanatical views
• Values, cultural polarization and moral standing
Why does this matter to our understanding of the U.S political process?
• Limits to American exceptionalism and its explanatory power
• To a certain extent, polarization is a normal outgrowth of human thinking on complex
issues
• U.S exceptionalism in terms of political culture should not be mistaken for uniformity
• Also: symbols (references to a broader political context) creep into many debates
• Example: the minimum wage hike debate
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
What can you do in the u. s if you want to achieve/make progress toward your political objectives: lobbying, appeal to public, campaigns, advertisements, donations to corporations. What are the constraints facing political actors when they want to advance an agenda: getting access. Major influences on u. s political culture: the education system, the media and popular culture, socialization: school, the family and social networks, the importance of religion. How can there be so much political conflict then: strong views vs. fanatical views, values, cultural polarization and moral standing.
