The Assignment: Ideological Autobiography
Outline your personal political beliefs in major areas of government and public opinion. Are you liberal or conservative? Why? What aspects of the larger political environment as well as your personal environment have helped you form these beliefs? Be sure to use concepts you have learned about in this class to explain your ideology and political socialization. 4 pages maximum.
Grading Criteria
The primary grading criteria will be how well you apply course concepts from lecture and the book to explaining your current political beliefs and how they developed. I do not expect most of you to have a sophisticated, well thought-out ideology. However, I do expect you to be able to express your beliefs on major policy areas and have an idea of how they came to be. You should be able to display a clear grasp of a liberal and conservative ideology, whether you can be nicely categorized in one or not. Make sure you address your political socialization as well. Also, please be aware that we are talking about ideology, not partisanship-- do not confuse liberal/conservative with Democrat/Republican. More than anything, I am looking for you to be able to explain your own ideology as a student of PS 201, rather than just as a random person who happens to follow politics. Finally, though the main focus of grading is on the substance of your paper, to receive the highest grade the paper should be well written and have few if any typographical or grammatical errors.
Also note that for this assignment no Works Cited is required/expected (though, if you do use any outside sources, cite them appropriately).
Reminder: Late Policy
It is expected that exams will be taken and assignments turned in when they are scheduled on the syllabus. There will be a 20-point penalty for failure to take an exam at the required time and a 1/3 letter grade per day penalty for written assignments. If you miss an exam, the re-scheduling must take place at the convenience of the instructor/teaching assistant. Written assignments are due at the beginning of class. To avoid penalties you need to let the instructor know of valid, exigent circumstances before the assigned time.
Helpful Links
Please note: The above quizzes are intended to be a useful tool to help you think about your ideology, but they should not form the basis of your paper.