Everyone is politically socialized. There is not a student in this class who is not politically socialized. What is political socialization? The topic is covered in Chapter 6.
Political socialization describes the process by which you came to form your views about the government and political system you live under. Everyone is politically socialized whether one knows it or not. Everyone’s views about the government did not develop in a vacuum, and you were not innately bor with those views. A person’s views on the government that he or she lives under were formed by what has been identified as agents of political socialization.
So, what are the agents of political socialization?
FAMILY
SCHOOL
MEDIA
PEERS
RELIGIOUS BELIEFS
Those are the main agents of political socialization. Those agents affect people in varying degrees starting when they are incredibly young. Is everyone politically socialized the same way? Of course not. Is any one of those listed agents more important than any other? That depends on the individual.
The views that you hold about the American political system did not form when you woke up this morning. Through the listed agents, and other agents or factors, you have come to form your views throughout your lifetimes. Are you more liberal or conservative? What huge events stand out in your lifetimes, such as the JFK
Assassination, 9/11, the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, the election of Barack Obama, any other presidential election, Hurricane Katrina, Princess Diana’s car crash, The Great Recession, the Global Covid-19 Pandemic, or any others that affected your views about politics? Which of the two major political parties do you favor? Do you vote and participate politically?
Suppose you say, “Ah I hate the government, all politicians are liars and crooks, and I think voting is a waste of time.” Would you be able to then say that you are not politically socialized? Of course not. If you were to make those statements, you would be saying a mouthful about how you are politically socialized. It is through one or all the listed factors that you came to form your negative views.
What you will do with this short essay is simply describe how you have become politically socialized throughout your lifetime. How have these agents of political socialization affected you? There are no right or wrong answers here, there is no one-size-fits-all, as everyone in this class is going to have a unique experience. You simply need to write about them in a length of about no more than three pages here.
