Write an essay about one of these issues of contemporary American politics and elections (Be sure to answer the specific questions noted below). Write in your own words.  Always cite your reference sources as you use them in the essay.  Use the accompanying articles in addition to your textbook and classroom materials to craft your answer. Please submit your writing to Turnitin for analysis. Revise your writing if needed before submitting your paper to the professor.
 

Choose one:

Choice 1.  Why is the right to vote so important? Why do people vote or not? What is the U. S. and Texas voting turnout record?  Outline and explain the history of the right to vote from 1870 to the present. In particular explain southern and Texas voting history.
Joseph Lieberman, "A republic if we can keep it," Atlantic Monthly, July 1998.  EReserves

Choice 2. What is the pro & con argument in political science regarding the rationality and emotionality of voting? Is the American voter rational? Or is the rational voter notion a myth? Or do voters vote emotionally?
Larry Bartels, "The Irrational Electorate," Wilson Quarterly, Autumn 2008.

Drew Westen, The Political Brain: The Role of Emotion in Deciding the Fate of the Nation, Public Affairs Books, 2007.
Steve Johnson, "The way we live now: the political brain," New York Times, August 22, 2004.
 

Choice 3.  Explain the collapse of the big media. Is the medium the message? What is the credibility gap? What are the basic findings regarding people and the media in the study Media: More Voices, Less Credibility? What is meant by the comment: "When there is a competition between the eye and the ear, the eye wins every time." How is this idea employed by the politician's image makers?
Exploring Tensions Between Presidents and the Media, PBS Newshour, November 4, 2009.(new )

TV, Radio Talkers Shaping Political Discourse in U.S., PBS Newshour, November 4, 2009.(new )

John Harwood, "If Fox is partisan, it is not alone," New York Times, November 1, 2009. (new 11-3-09)
"Stop the Presses: The American Newspaper in Peril," www.stopthepressesdoc.com, 2009. (new 11-2-09)

"Buying the War," Bill Moyers Journal, PBS, April 25, 2007 in class video YouTube video
Reference works:
"What Does Broadcast News Do Right?" New York Times,  September 3, 2009.

Harold Evans, "The daily show," review of Alex Jones, Losing the News: The Future of the News that feeds democracy; Oxford University Press,
2009 i New York Times Book Review, August 20, 2009.
Michiko Kakutani, "Television: Is Jon Stewart the Most Trusted Man in America?" New York Times, August 17, 2008.
Jose Antonio Vargas, "For Young Voters in a Media Jungle, a Study Guide," Washington Post, January 11, 2008.
Peggy Noonan, "P Is for permanent," Wall Street Journal, June 16, 2005.  EReserves

New York Times Video
 

Benjamin L. Cardin, "A Plan to Save Our Free Press," Washington Post, Friday, April 3, 2009; Page A19.

Terry Eastland, "The Collapse of Big Media: Starting Over," Wilson Quarterly, Spring 2005.

Chapter 3, Media: More Voices, Less Credibility, Trends 2005, Pew Center for the People & the Press, 2005.
Credibility Gap, PBS Newshour, January 13, 2005.
Bill McKibben, "The Hope of the Web," 53, no. 7 New York Review of Books, April 27, 2006
 

Choice 4.  What is public opinion? What is the role and effect of public opinion in the American political system? What are the seven stages of public opinion? Briefly explain each stage. Choose an issue at Issue Guides and explain the red flag concerns about the issue and survey research results.

Type your essay. For essay writing guidelines Professor Charles King's essay "Battling the Six Evil Geniuses of Essay Writing," PS Online, March 1998 available at LRC Ereserves is highly recommended. Bring your completed essay to the exam in class. You will need the Mini Essay Scantron booklet and a number 2 pencil for the multiple choice questions and the bonus opportunity.

 

 
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