Unit 3 Media, Political Parties & Interest Groups

Learning Objectives
  1. Identify and explain the role of the media in the political system.
  2. Examine the impact of the media on public opinion, voter perceptions, campaign strategies, electoral outcomes, agenda development, and the images of officials and candidates.
  3. Identify and describe  the symbiotic and frequently conflicting relationship among candidates, elected officials, and the media.
  4. Identify and describe the goals and incentives of the media as an industry and how those goals influence the nature of news coverage.
  5. Examine and analyze the consequences of the increasing concentration of major media outlets in fewer hands, as well as the growing role of the Internet.
  6. Identify and describe the political roles played by a variety of lobbying and interest groups . 
  7. Explain why some interests are represented by organized groups while others are not, and the consequences of this difference in representation . Identify and describe interest groups, what do they do, how they do it, and how this affects both the political process and public policy.
  8. Discuss why certain segments of the population able to exert pressure on political institutions and actors in order to obtain favorable policies?
  9. Identify and describe the mechanisms that allow citizens to organize and communicate their interests and concerns.
  10. Examine the significance of the historical evolution of the U .S . party system, the functions and structures of political parties, and the effects they have on the political process.
  11. Examine the of issues of party reform and of campaign strategies and financing in the electronic age provides students with important perspectives.
  12. Trace and discuss the development and the role of PACs in elections and the ideological and demographic differences between the two major parties, as well as third parties.


Chapter Reading Notes


Chapter 6 notes
Chapter 8 notes
Chapter 10 notes



Vocabulary
Linkage institutions
Lobbying
Grassroots lobbying
Mass media
Media events
Gatekeepers
Watchdogs
Divided government
Gridlock
Party platform
Super Tuesday
Super delegates
Delegates
Frontloading
Horserace journalism
National committee
Independent expenditures
Issue advocacy ads
Super PACs
527s
Public funding
FEC
Interest groups
Single-issue groups
Public interest groups
Economic interest groups
Amicus curiae 
Class-action lawsuit
Litigation
Free riders
Party coalition
Pol Action Committees 
Soft money 

Activities & Assignments

Unit 3 Notes doc
Media Website Examination doc
Media Notetaking doc
Political Parties History doc
Political Parties Function doc
Open Secrets Exploration doc
Interest Groups Chart doc

Colbert Report & Campaign Finance- Read this and watch the videos
PACs vs 527s doc
Campaign Finance Reform doc
Civics in Action
ALHS students chatting with WH NPR Reporter Tamara Keith Keith