For Class on 11/7 (due 11/6 by 8pm): Religion in America (and especially at DePaul)

This week we explore the role of religion in America and there are many directions we can go. However, it seems only fair that as students at the largest Catholic University in America we spend our blog discussion on the role of religion on campus. We have already discussed the role of various socializing factors in our political values and ideology. Outside of our parents it is hard to argue that anything has much more of an impact on our political outlook that our education and our religion (including those of us who are nonreligious). And for much of us those two elements have been linked through parochial schooling at various levels. Obviously we all have various religious affiliations and range in our religious observance from extremely observant to completely nonreligious.

I would like you to address the role the religion plays in your views about society, and by extension about political issues. Have these beliefs been affected by your schooling, whether parochial or public? Please share any thoughts about the nature of religion and politics at DePaul. We are clearly a Catholic institution that leans fairly heavily toward more liberal social politics (generally speaking). What have you discovered about the religious life on campus that is is either surprising or particularly notable in terms of our school culture or politics? This should be a general discussion and you can feel free to expand or elaborate on any aspect of the prompts above or any comments of your classmates.

For Class on 10/31 (Due 10/30 by 8pm): Socializing Class

There are many aspects to our individual, group, and as a national identities. Some are much more visible than others. We have discussed race and ethnicity which has been used to identify, separate and discriminate in various ways through American history. Often people are identified in ways other than how they would identify themselves and other times people from marginalized communities have attempted to “pass” as those in a favored group. 

Among the many aspects of our identities, class is central, but is less obvious to many. However our class inequalities as a society are just as stark. First remind yourself what income levels fall under the institutionally constructed definition of “poverty” here. Next explore some statistics from the U.S. Census breaking down the numbers and percentages of those in poverty by age, race, and Hispanic origin here: Table 3. Poverty Status of People, by Age, Race, and Hispanic Origin. Pay careful attention to the percentage of those under 18 are growing up in poverty and how those numbers vary by race.

There are strong correlations between race, ethnicity, and class, however, extreme poverty affects people living all around the country, regardless of race, national origin, or ethnicity. There are also millions of households that technically live above the poverty line but still struggle mightily to provide for their families. And it impacts our politics, policies, and political views in many ways. Some have read Hillbilly Elegy for other classes which talk about this phenomenon at length.

I am interested to hear your thoughts about class inequality, and whether or not the government should play a different, greater, or smaller role in trying to alleviate it. But more important, I am wondering how you have been socialized to think about class:

• Is economic class something that has been made visible to you through social groups, your communities, schools, organizations, friends, family, representations on media? 
• Have you been socialized to understand the full range of class in America? Or has class remained a largely invisible issue for you? 
• How should we think about class in terms of American identity and our relationship with our local, state, or national government?

Fr Class on 10/24 (Due Wed. 10/23 by 8PM): "Check Your Privilege"

Over the past week we have been reading and discussing several ideas connected to privilege. Most notably we read Peggy McIntosh's "Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack," which described white privilege and gave a number of examples that we discussed in class last week. The concept of privilege clearly can be applied to many areas beyond race, including gender, geography, ability, religion, and class. Recently the topic of privilege has made the news based, in part, on the increasingly common use of the phrase: "Check your privilege." The use of this phrase and various reactions to it have spun into many different dialogues weaving their way through the blogosphere, social media, and cable television (including this argument rejecting the concept by Ben Shapiro). 

For this week's blog I would like you to focus on the debate emanating from Princeton University a couple of years ago centered on this phrase. First read the post that started much of the recent uproar written by a Princeton freshman here. Next read the public response to the first argument written by another Princeton student and printed in TIME Magazine here (you may also want to check out the I Too Am Princeton Tumblr here).

Much of the debate centers on whether there is, in fact, privilege and whether this supports or harms meritocracy.  I would like to hear your thoughts now after reading these arguments. 

• To what extent does meritocracy exist in America? 
• What do you think about the use of the phrase "check your privilege," and other attempts by some to make privilege more visible?

For Class on 10/17 (Due 10/16 by 8PM): Growing American Diversity

What happens in the past shapes, in part, our perspectives and choices in the present. Over the course of the past two centuries the United states has become the most diverse nation on earth and Chicago, one of its most diverse (and segregated) cities (see the diversity index video and map data). These trends are continuing as immigration and demographic data show that the white population in America is not growing at near the rate of other racial groups. After looking at the data from our readings over the past week...

• What do you think this growing diversity (and segregation) means for the U.S.? 
• What does it mean for particular areas like Chicago? 
• How do we, as a nation, think about and treat different types of diversity differently?
• What are the strengths and/or weaknesses and what does it mean in terms of American political identity?

Please try to create as much of an online dialogue as possible by commenting on classmates ideas by replying to them. Thanks.

For Class on 10/10 (due 10/9 by 8pm): The Media and Important Political Issues

The President and Congress have many issues that they are dealing with along with the never-ending look toward the next elections. Local and State officials have their hands full with countless issues as well.  The news media also has their own agenda regarding what to cover and what not to cover. I am interested to find out what you think is important to address and, by extension, how you think the media is doing in terms of their coverage of these issues.

Start by taking a survey similar to those conducted by polling companies and news organizations regarding what issues are most important to you. you can find the survey here.

Next take a look at how your responses and the responses of your classmates compare to national polls here (If you'd like, you you can test your knowledge of recent news based on news quizzes from The New York Times.

Now peruse some of the leading local and national news agencies to browse what they are or are not covering. 
Local: The Chicago Tribune, ABC Chicago, WGN, NBC Chicago 

National: The New York Times, The Washington Post, NBCNews, ABCNews, CBS News, Politico

Finally please post a comment describing your reactions and reactions to your classmates comments. You can use any or all of the following prompts as a starting point if you wish.

1. How does the American media shape the political culture of American citizens today?
2. Are the issues that seem to be the most important to you (or to the rest of America) being covered by the media?
3. What conclusions can we draw from the way that the issues that dominate the polls and media coverage are similar or different?

For Class on 10/3 (due 10/2 by 8pm): Educating America

Outside of our families there is arguably no greater source of our political socialization than schools. And the reality of schools in America is mixed. Many have focused on the falling ranking of American K-12 education with respect to the rest of the world. We will discuss some of this in class. For now, however, I would like you to focus on higher education. There is no doubt that we have a huge number of high paying jobs in America that do not have enough sufficiently trained applicants to fill available jobs. There are also a number of debates and controversies focused on higher education that are very relevent to broader discussions of American political culture today. You should explore recent debates about controversies on college campuses including whether they are too politically correct or not and how views about the benefits of going to college have changed a lot and some reasons why. There is the discussion of the cost of college and whether the state or federal government should get involved. You can start the discussion by answering any of the prompts below:

• What are the most important challenges pertaining to higher education in America today?
• How do you think the experience of higher education affects our perceptions of politics or political culture?
• How has being in college affected your view of American society or American politics?
• Do you think colleges are too politically correct?

Be sure to reply to your classmates posts as much as possible and start an online discussion, instead of simply answering the question prompts individually.

For Class on 9/26 (due 9/25 by 8pm): Internalizing social and historical constructions

This week in class we will finish our discussion of 'what it means to be American' and start to explore how identities have been socially constructed. There is a very human and very social process that is involved in the creation of categories of difference and the values that we place on those categories. We are all influenced by our surroundings and are socialized in many different ways. This week we are going to examine the effect of social construction through a unique lens: The Implicit Association Test (IAT). I would like you to take at least one IAT which aims to gauge how we have or have not internalized socially constructed values about race, ethnicity, religion, etc. Ultimately we will connect this to our ongoing discussion of the American identity and what it might mean in an increasingly diverse nation.

The IAT tests have been designed by Project Implicit which, according to the project website, "represents a collaborative research effort between researchers at Harvard University, the University of Virginia, and University of Washington. While the particular purposes of each study vary considerably, most studies available at Project Implicit examine thoughts and feelings that exist either outside of conscious awareness or outside of conscious control. The primary goals of Project Implicit are to provide a safe, secure, and well-designed virtual environment to investigate psychological issues and, at the same time, provide visitors and participants with an experience that is both educational and engaging."

You can find the tests by clicking on "I Wish to Proceed" at the bottom of this screen after reading the disclaimer. On the next screen I would like you to select the Skin Tone IAT which should take no more than 15 minutes to complete. Afterward, if you would like, feel free to take any other IAT tests including a Race (Black-white) IAT, Native (Native-White American) IAT, Asian (Asian-European American IAT), and Arab-Muslim (Arab Muslim - Other) IAT.

I would like you to comment on your experience taking the test and your results. I want to be clear: this is NOT a test suggesting that you are or are not racist. It is designed to indicate internalized preferences regarding issues that are both sensitive and influenced greatly by social, cultural, historical, and institutional influences. Please attempt to draw conclusions about the construction of an "American Identity" from your experience taking these tests. Also please work to build a conversation with your classmates online about your experiences, commenting on and replying to their posts as much as possible. I look forward to a thoughtful discussion about your experiences on Thursday.