Unit 4: Linkage Groups

Today’s Agenda  Objective: To introduce linkage groups and what they entail and to identify how dominant political parties emerge.  Essential Skill: Attempt solution or construct a product

Linkage Groups  With your groups, see if you can place the terms into categories. You choose the categories according to commonalities that you see  Take your best guess at ones you do not know  Now, use the 4 given headings/categories to re- organize your terms

Media  Blogs  FaceBook  Twitter  CNN  Wall Street Journal  Red State- Conservative Blog

Interest Groups  Lobbyist  Watchdog  Shape public policy  NAACP  NRA  World Wildlife Fund  Greenpeace  ACLU

Polling  Public Opinion  Straw Vote  Quinnipiac University  “death tax”  Margin of error  Gallup  Pew

Political Parties  Single-member district  Polarization  Bipartisan  Precinct  Democrats  Libertarians  Republicans  Greens

Linkage groups  Looking at these categories, topics, and institutions, what are linkage groups? What might their purpose be?  Definition: Institutions to connect people to their government  These 4 groups will guide our unit on linkage groups

Political Party  An organized group with shared goals and ideals that joins together to run candidates for office and exercise political and electoral power.

Forming a Political Party  You need to form three person political parties.  You need to come up with three positions on issues that form their core beliefs.  You need a name for their party.  You need a symbol for their party.

SHARE  Each group will quickly share their party, platform, name, and symbol

JOIN A GROUP  Join with one other group that you believe is ideologically close to your positions.  You need to form SIX person political parties.  You need to come up with three positions on issues that form your core beliefs.  You might have to combine, modify, or completely change your platform  You need a name for their party.  You need a symbol for their party.

 Share your new political parties. SHARE

JOIN A GROUP  Join with one other group that you believe is ideologically close to your positions.  You need to form 12 person political parties.  You need to come up with three positions on issues that form their core beliefs.  You might have to combine, modify, or completely change your platform  You need a name for their party.  You need a symbol for their party.

Reflect  What have you learned about political parties? 

Answer the following questions using the reading  What, broad, 5 services do political parties offer?  What are the two most important parties in the United States?  What are two of the most important and powerful functions of political parties?  What do political parties do in their roles as political educators?  What role do political parties play with employment?  How do parties characterize a nation?