Week 2 Discussion Your Political Socialization
Political socialization is the “process by which individuals learn and frequently internalize a political lens framing their perceptions of how power is arranged and how the world around them is (and should be) organized; those perceptions, in turn, shape and define individuals’ definitions of who they are and how they should behave in the political and economic institutions in which they live” (Whitman 2020). According to Koskimaa and Rapeli (2015), children in the US spend many years in school, where they are taught and even reinforced on the world view on the privileges of democracy, competitive individualism, ownership, and capitalism. Students are taught the key principles such as a duty to the nation, personal responsibility, individual property, and rights.
Following the 911 attacks in 2001, the general atmosphere in the country was that Muslims were bad people. There were not any Muslims in the school I went to, but whenever the teacher referenced the attack, she would state that it was the Muslims who attacked the US. This brought a sense of fear in me toward anyone who ‘looked’ Muslim. This mentality came with the inner desire to protect my country from any and all Muslims. It was not until I was in High School that I realized that Islam is a religion and not a people. I also came to learn that not all terrorists come from a particular religion. A terrorist is an individual and not a religion or group. This was made ever so clear when American students turned against others in school mass shootings; their religion was not an issue; it’s the individual acts of terrorism that describe the person and action and not those of a group.
References
Whitman Cobb, W. N. (2020). Political science today (1st ed.). Washington, DC: Sage, CQ Press
Koskimaa, V., & Rapeli, L. (2015). Political socialization and political interest: The role of school reassessed. Journal of Political Science Education, 11(2), 141-156.
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Question 
Week 2 Discussion Your Political Socialization
Required Resources
Read/review the following resources for this activity:
- Textbook: Chapter 3, 6
- Lesson
- Minimum of 1 scholarly source (in addition to the textbook)
Initial Post Instructions
Week 2 Discussion Your Political Socialization
Political socialization begins young. Think about conversations around politics when you were in primary school (around age 10). Maybe there was a natural disaster in your area such as a hurricane and government response levels were critiqued. What were some of the ways you learned about the political establishment through family members and friends? How were you politically socialized as a child? Use evidence (cite sources) to support your response from assigned readings or online lessons, and at least one outside scholarly source.
Follow-Up Post Instructions
Respond to at least one peer. Further the dialogue by providing more information and clarification. Minimum of 1 scholarly source, which can include your textbook or assigned readings or may be from your additional scholarly research.
Writing Requirements
- Minimum of 2 posts (1 initial & 1 follow-up)
- Minimum of 2 sources cited (assigned readings/online lessons and an outside scholarly source)
- APA format for in-text citations and list of references
Grading
This activity will be graded using the Discussion Grading Rubric. Please review the following link:
- Link (webpage): Discussion Guidelines
Course Outcomes (CO): 4
Due Date for Initial Post: By 11:59 p.m. MT Recommended by Wednesday
Due Date for Follow-Up Posts: By 11:59 p.m. MT on Sunday
Posts must be on two separate days.