A. Objectives — The Pew
Research Center is an independent opinion research group that studies
attitudes toward the press, politics and public policy issues. The Center
is best known for regular national surveys that measure public attentiveness
to major news stories, and for polling that charts trends in values and
fundamental political and social attitudes. The Center's topology of American
voters divides the electorate into ten groups depending on three major
elements — personal values and attitudes, party affiliation, and political
participation. The Chapter 6 Technology Project, which is designed to measure
political ideologies, will be done in two distinct parts: Part One
is to be restricted ONLY to you, the student, while Part Two is
designed to record the political ideology of a parent or guardian in your
home. The process will be identical for each of the parts. You are required
to record your results and turn the results in.
B. Procedures — PART ONE:
(1)
Review the general topology of American voters by examining the Center's
site: "Where Do You Fit?"
Print pages One and Two for convenience. Based on the ten-group topology,
assess yourself, gauging where in the political spectrum you believe
you fall. On a loose-leaf sheet of paper, properly designated with your
Name, Date, Class, and Project, write down what topology you appear to
fit. Click here for a sample of whatThis first entry should be labeled:
"Expected Topology" followed by the topology that you believe fits you
best. Write the description of the topology. For Example:
Expected Topology — Bystander. Very young, poorly
educated, with low income. Opt out of politics or ineligible to vote (high
Hispanic concentration). Slightly more men than women. Only claimed commitment
is environmentalism.
(3) After having recorded which of the ten-group
topology to which you believe you belong, take the Center's survey, by
completing EVERY question posed. Click
here to go to the survey "Where Do You Fit?". (4) After you have taken
the survey, tabulate your results. Once again, on your loose-leaf sheet
of paper, beneath your "Expected Topology" record your "Survey Topology"
as follows:
Survey Topology — Secular. Highly educated, sophisticated,
affluent, mostly white baby boomers and Generation X. Highly tolerant,
driven by social issues. Embrace "liberal" label. Very low in religious
faith. Highly pro-environment, moderately pro-government, distrusting of
business.
PART TWO: On the reverse side of your loose-leaf
paper, repeat this topology examination, this time for a parent or guardian
in your home. If you printed the pages One and Two for convenience, have
the adult review the ten topology groups and note his/her "Parent's/Guardian's
Expected Topology." If you did not print up the pages, have him/her review
the typologies online with you. No coaching from the student. Record
the results as you did for yourself. Have him/her take the survey, as you
did. Once again, record the results in similar fashion.
C. Assessing Your Work —
Were
you surprised with the results of YOUR topology. Beneath your "Expected
Topology" and "Survey Topology," detail if you were surprised or not, and
why not. On the reverse side of your paper, the side which pertains to
your parent/guardian, note if he/she was surprised by the survey results,
and why or why not. Click
here for a sample of what your written work should look like.
Turn work in.
