Social Institutions Politics PDF

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The professor is Nathan Martel...

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04/24/18

Social Institutions: Politics What is politics? ▸ Social Institution- systems and structures within society that shape the activities of groups and individuals ▸ Politics- methods and tactics intended to influence government policy, policy-related attitude, and activities

Political Systems ▸ Government- the formal, organized agency that exercises power and control in modern society, especially through the creation and enforcement of laws ▸ Power- the ability to impose one’s will on others ▸ Authority- the legitimate right to wield power

Types of Power and Authority ▸ Authoritarianism- system of government by and for a small number of elites that does not included representation of ordinary citizens (i.e. dictatorship) ▸ Monarchy- a government ruled by a king or queen, with succession or rules kept within the family ▸ Democracy- a political system in which all citizens have the right to participate

Functionalism and Politics ▸ Social institutions such as politics, education and religion provide critical functions for the needs of society and help maintain order and unity

Conflict Theory and Politics ▸ Social institutions such as politics, education, and religion represent the interests of those in power and thus create and maintain inequalities in society

Symbolic Interaction and Politics ▸ Social institutions such as politics, education, and religion are created through individual participation; they give meaning to and are part of the everyday experience of members

Who Rules America? ▸ Pluralist Model- a system of political power in which a wide variety of individuals and groups have equal access to resources and the mechanisms of power

04/24/18

▸ Power elite- a relatively small group of people in the top ranks of economic, political, and military institutions who make many of the important decisions in american society ▸ Class dominate theory of power

Special Interest Groups ▸ Special interest groups- organizations that raise and spend money to influence elected officials and/or public opinion ▸ Political Action Committees- Organizations that raise money to support the interests of a select group or organization ▸ Disenfranchised- when a individual or group are stripped of voting rights, either temporarily or permanently

The Media and the Political Process ▸ The media plays a key role and influences significant proportions of the electorate in the Information Age ▸ Fourth Estate- the media, which are considered like a fourth branch of government (after the executive, legislative, and judiciary) and thus serve as another of the checks and balances on power

Media and Politics ▸ Simulacrum- an image or media representation that does not reflect reality in any meaningful way but is treated as real...