1. Politics & Sociology
Chapters 13 & 9

2. The Political Institution
The nature of the social contract- Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau
Start in the state of nature
Give up some rights to guarantee security and protection of core rights
Political institution- the system of roles and norms that governs the distribution and exercise of power (the ability to control the behavior of others, with or without their consent) in society
Power is exercised by the STATE-the primary political authority

3. Perspectives
Functionalists- analyze the political institution in terms of the functions of the state, ex. The creation and enforcement of laws, provision of services
Conflict theorists- focus on how the political institution brings about social change, ex. How people compete for power, favor wealthier segments of society

4. Is power legitimate?
Legitimacy- whether those in power are viewed as having the right to control, govern others
Is power being exercised with the consent of the governed
Illegitimate when it is exercised without the approval of the people or against their will

5. Authority Max Weber called legitimate power AUTHORITY
Traditional authority is power based on a long standing customs, often hereditary
Rational-legal authority where formal rules and regulations provide the basis for government, written constitution and set of laws
Charismatic authority- based on personal characteristics of the individual exercising the power, Ghandi, Adolf Hitler, Mao, Castro

6. Coercion The opposite of authority
Power that is considered illegitimate by the people being governed
Use of force and/or fear, restrictions on press/speech, use of military to maintain power

7. Types of government
Democracy- power is exercised through the people, popular sovereignty
Direct democracy- ancient Greece
Representative democracy- US
Constitutional monarchy- GB
Democratic socialism-leaders elected, government owns some factors of production- Norway, Sweden

8. Democracy conditions
Industrialization- not automatically linked but most democratic societies are democracies
Access to information-democracy requires well informed voters
Limits on power-clear limits placed on scope of powers, often limited by different branches
Shared values- some agreement on basic values or difficult to compromise

9. Authoritarian systems
Power rests firmly with the state
Absolute monarchy- hereditary, Saudia Arabia
Dictatorship- a single individual
Junta- small group has seized government by force
Totalitarian most extreme- Germany/Hitler, Stalin/Soviets

10. Why do people accept?
Erich Fromm, Escape From Freedom
People want to escape feelings of isolation and powerlessness, by submitting, people achieve a sense of security
‘authoritarian character’

11. American political system
Dominated by 2 major political parties
Consists of 3 branches of government
Includes interest groups and PACs which influence government decisions
Has proportional representation, debate over who holds power
Includes public participation, although relatively low turnout

12. Who rules America? Power-elite model, C. Wright Mills
Political power is exercised by and for the privileged few in society, government, military, businesses draw from small elite percentage of the American population
Pluralist model- the political process is controlled by interest groups that compete with one another for power. Stops concentration of power in hands of too few, but admit to problems of poverty, etc.

13. Are there social classes?
Dimensions of social stratification:
Wealth-income & property, unequal distribution
Power-ability to control behavior of others
Prestige-respect, honor
Socioeconomic status combines factors like educational level, occupational prestige, residence with economic factor of income

14. Determining social class
How many classes are there? How determine?
Reputational method- individuals in community asked to rank other community members
Subjective method- individuals are asked to determine their own social rank
Objective method- sociologists define social class by income, education, and occupation

15. Upper class About 1% of population Old money v. new money
Prestigious schools, raised atmosphere of wealth

16. Middle Classes
Upper middle class 14%- college or university, business executives, and professionals
Lower middle class 30%- high school or college, lower level managers, skilled craftsman
Working class 30%- high school, factory and clerical workers, lower level sales

17. Working Poor & Underclass
Working poor 22%- some high school, laborers, service workers
Underclass 3% some high school, low paying jobs, unemployed, generational welfare recipients
Mobility? Movement between social strata or classes
Horizontal mobility- movement within a stratum
Vertical mobility- between classes
Intergenerational mobility- American Dream

18. Political institution & popular culture
Two types of political movies: 1. corruption exposed, 2. wouldn’t it be nice if things were more like…
Examine institutions and the political process
Overtly political or are all movies political?
Birth of a Nation

19. Idealism on trial
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
All the King’s Men

20. Campaigns Evolution in tactics: media, transportation, internet

21. How view President?
Fictional
Historic

22. Conspiracies & Satires