1. Ideology
Politics

2. Warm Up Liberal Conservative Republican Democrat
Write definitions for the following terms based on your own understanding of each. Do not look them up.
Liberal
Conservative
Republican
Democrat

3. An individual’s unique perspective on government and political issues.
Ideology
An individual’s unique perspective on government and political issues.
Your political ideology is your general outlook on the world, or your worldview. Everyone’s political ideology is different, but most people tend to have basic patterns that help them develop positions on individual issues.

4. Political Spectrum
Liberal
Moderate
Conservative

5. Liberals Liberals Believe:
Government’s role is to solve problems: make sure people are equal, civil liberties are protected and social ills are alleviated.
More government involvement for social programs

6. Conservatives Conservatives believe:
Personal responsibility (it is up to you and you alone to lift yourself up), limited government, free markets, individual liberty, and strong defense.

7. Ideology
Liberals believe in government action to achieve equal opportunity and equality for all. It is the duty of the government to alleviate social ills and to protect civil liberties and individual and human rights. Believe the role of the government should be to guarantee that no one is in need and all are equal. Conservatives believe in personal responsibility, limited government, free markets, individual liberty, traditional values and a strong national defense. Believe the role of government should be to provide people the freedom necessary to pursue their own goals. Conservative policies generally emphasize empowerment of the individual to solve problems.

8. Inform the students that you will be going to the Football field to participate in an activity of ideological self discovery. They will line up on the 50 yard line and listen to a series of competing statements. They must listen to the statements and determine which one they most agree with…they have to side more with one since they are competing statements. After the statements are read, they will be instructed to step one yard left or right depending on their preference. Read through all of the competing statements and have the students remember their place on the field so we can plot it when we get back to the room.
Ideological Football

9. The Ideological Spectrum
Left Progression: The Democratic Party, Socialism, Communism, Anarchy
Right Progression: The Republican Party, Constitutionalism (Tea Party), Monarchy, Fascism
Highlight that the vast majority of individuals are within the first two notches and that going to the ends of the spectrum is rare and radical.
Liberal (Left)
Conservative(Right)

10. Ideological Influences
Many factors go into influencing and determining an individual’s ideology.
Family – your family experiences and values greatly influence people’s worldview. You are very likely to either adopt the values and ideology of your parents, or rebel against them and take an opposite stance. The general rule is that liberal parents raise liberal children and conservative parents raise conservative children.
Religion – Religion is often the biggest source of values education people receive. These values and membership of a religious community greatly impact people’s ideology. Although there is very little, if any, association between different religions and ideology, there is more of a correlation of devotion. People who identify as more religious tend to be more conservative than their less religious counterparts.
Gender – Gender can also shape one’s worldview. The general trend is that women are more liberal than men.
Job – Professions provide people with skills and life experiences that help shape their ideology. Although there are not many concrete correlations, wealthy people tend to be more conservative than working class people.
Race – Your race impacts you worldview and influences you interactions with others and societal institutions. White people tend to be more conservative than minorities.
Location – American culture differs around the nation and where you grew up/live can help shape your political identify. Growing up in San Francisco is more likely to give you liberal tendencies than if you grew up in Huntsville, AL. The geographic divide is more prominent when comparing urban v. rural settings. Urban dwellers tend to be more liberal than those who live in the country.
Friends – You spend a lot of time talking with your friends, so naturally you will develop shared experiences and ideas that help develop your political ideology.
Life Experiences – Things like travel, education, or key moments can do a lot to impact you politically. Higher education levels and travel often liberalize people.

11. I am …
Complete the “I am …” reflection sheet to help you identify your unique ideology and the factors that helped shape your worldview.