Edgar Degas,
Portrait de M. Durante

Summary - Response & Discussion Topics

Unit 10: Economics and Politics

Summary - Response Papers:

You will complete four (4) brief summary-response papers during the semester – due dates are listed on the course calendar. Your paper should be roughly 750-1,000 words – three typed double-spaced pages (12 point font). . You may only choose 1 assignment from each "batch/block of units" of the class: one SR paper from units 1 through 3; one SR paper from units 4 through 6; one SR paper from units 7 through 10; one SR paper from units 11 through 14.

These writing assignments are to be submitted through Canvas. Click on "Assignments" located in the left hand panel on the course page. Next, click on the appropriate Unit - i.e., if you are choosing to submit a paper from this unit - click on unit 10 under Assignments. After clicking on Unit 10 you will see a Turnitin Assignment Inbox where you will submit/upload your paper.

Discussion Topics

Taking part in class discussions, though not mandatory, will let you earn "bonus points" that can add up to a full letter grade to your final grade for the course.

To contribute, click on "Discussions" located in the left hand panel on Canvas. Next, choose a discussion topic for this unit, click on it, read the prompt, and click on "Reply." Be sure that you add your name. For more sinformation on how to submit your comments and/or engage in the online class discussion, go to the "Frequently Asked Questions" page.

 

Unit 10: Economics and Politics

You may choose one of these options as one of your four required summary-response papers:

A. Market Economy, Morals, and Values

One of the key controversies and debates involves the role of the market in our economy. Macionis asks, “Does the “Invisible Hand” theory attributed to the classical economist Adam Smith lift us up or pick our pockets?” (see page 316 of the textbook). Summarize the two sides of the controversy and, drawing upon the information presented in assigned readings, explain which of the two sides you find most compelling – and why.

Next, read Jay Livingston’s “Is Profit the Ultimate Value? On JP Morgan’s $11 billion fine.” In your view, should morals and values figure in our present day economy? Some argue that there is no morality in a market economy, only profit  - and this is as it should be. Others argue that larger social issues are of equal importance. Summarize the two sides of the controversy. How do the recent corporate scandals, beginning with the collapse of the Enron energy trading company, enter into this debate? Drawing upon the information presented in assigned readings, explain which of the two sides you find most compelling – and why.

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B. Interconnections of Economic and Political Institutions

One way to illustrate the interconnections between the economic and political institutions in the United States is to examine the issues of interest groups and lobbying. Go to the Center for Responsive Politics web page, Open Secrets. Examine the information contained in the drop-down menu, “Influence and Lobbying,” listed on the banner located at the top of the page. 

(1) Overall, what trends do you see?

(2) On the “Interest Groups” page there is a “Search” box located on the upper right. Choose three interest groups that are front page news (abortion, gambling, guns, oil and gas, pharmaceuticals) and discuss what patterns you find (i.e., which political party receives the majority of the funds?)

(3) Examine the section on “lobbying.” What are the main trends in the number of lobbyists and the amount of money donated by such groups? What issues have the most lobbyists connected to them? What patterns do you see in who is getting this money?

(4) Examine the section on Political Action Committees (PACs). Discuss the overall growth rate in the number of PACs and the amount of money they are contributing to candidates. Choose three sectors from the drop down menu. What patterns do you see in who is getting this money?

(5) Based on this information, what is your opinion about the extent to which interest groups and lobbyists are involved in our political process.

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C. Corporations, Conglomerates, and Globalization

Explain how corporations operate as the core of the U.S. economy. How has the globalization of the economy made many corporations much larger? What are conglomerates? Look ahead to the world’s economy at mid-century: Do you think large multinational corporations will dominate the world more than they do now? Is this good for the world’s people? Why or why not?

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D. Power in the U.S.

Describe the distribution of power in the United States using the three theoretical models of political power: pluralist model, the power-elite model, and the Marxist political-economy model. What do the three models have in common? What are their major differences? Which of the three do you think best describes matters in the U.S. today? Why?

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E. Politics and the Mass Media

In an attempt to influence public opinion, the leaders of both major parties — Democrats and Republicans alike – seem to stretch the truth or, at the very least, “spin” things their way.

Go to FactCheck.org – A project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center – and choose what you consider to be two recent  "egregious" (outrageous) misstatements – one made by representatives of each political party.  Summarize each case – noting how each spokesperson departed from or misconstrued the "facts of the case."
What are the consequences of the misleading information that appears in the media?

Next, go to “The Living Room Candidate: Presidential Campaign Commercials, 1952-2012”, choose one Presidential election campaign from each decade (1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2012) and watch the commercials produced by each of the opposing candidates. What tactics and strategies were used to convince voters to support particular candidates – and how did these change over time? Do you think that these commercials were more likely to convert opponents or reinforce pre-existing beliefs and attitudes? Which segments of the public (think about social background characteristics) do you think are most susceptible to being affected by these advertisements? Do you think that these advertisements are a good or a bad thing as we choose the next leader of the free world?

 

 

Discussion Topics
These are posted in the "Discussions" Section in Canvas

1. The economic and political institutions in American society contain fundamentally different core values, i.e., our economic system – capitalism – thrives on the notion of “me” and self-interest, whereas our political system – democracy – is built around the notion of “we” the people. Given these differences, do you think that we should elect as President someone who has spent their professional life in corporate America and who vows to run the country as a business?

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2. In its 2010 decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, the Supreme Court ruled that the government may not ban political spending by corporations in candidate elections – that corporations, like individuals, are allowed under the First Amendment of the Constitution to exercise their free speech and, moreover, donating money to particular candidates or causes is a form of political speech. Matt Bai reviews the aftermath of this decision in “How Much Has Citizens United Changed the Political Game?” and David Kirkpatrick, in his New York Times article, asks “Does Corporate Money Lead to Political Corruption?” What would a sociologist have to say about this, as compared to a partisan politician?

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3. During our most recent economic recession, the government stepped in and disbursed roughly $700 billion to “bail out,” among others, the government sponsored mortgage lenders Fannie Mae and Fannie Mac, the insurance company AIG, General Motors, and Bank of America (for a list of recipients, visit Pro Publica: Journalism in the Public Interest – Bailout Recipients).  During the debates over whether or not the government should step into the economic sector, advocates argued that some economic institutions are “too big to fail” – in other words, that certain financial institutions are so large and so interconnected that their failure would be disastrous to the economy, and they therefore must be supported by government when they face difficulty. What would a sociologist have to say about this, as compared to a partisan politician?

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4. Should a full-time job allow an employee to afford basic necessities? The federal minimum wage in the United States is $7.25 an hour. As seen in this map published by the United States Department of Labor, nineteen of the fifty-one states have higher minimum wages, while nine states have either lower minimum wage laws or none at all. Play the game called Spent. It is a web-based interactive game that forces players to make everyday choices for folks who make the minimum wage, and offers facts about near-poverty labor along the way. How did you do? What does this game illustrate about the openness and access to opportunities provided by our economy.

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5. A recent Gallup Poll indicates that Congress’ job approval is below 20% and that trust in our government’s ability to solve the significant problems facing the nation is dwindling. We have increasingly become polarized into red and blue states with many individuals actively attending to mass media (i.e., Fox News or MSNBC) that simply reinforces their views. Compromise – long considered the strongpoint of our democratic system – seems less and less likely to occur. Is our political system broken?