Daniel Aaron Lazar

Rosen on Media

NYU’s Jay Rosen on Modern Media: What to Do ?

Questions on Rosen reading

Posted in AP Introductory Materials, US GOV: Public Opinion: Ideology & Socialization | No Comments »

On Democratization…

Listen to Zakaria’s Interview on NPR

Fareed Zakaria on the Rise of Illiberal Democracy (in case your media player does not function)

The assignment: listen to (or read) Zakaria  and offer a thoughtful and scholarly response. I want to keep this assignment open (for a change). However, if you are seeking parameters…

-demonstrate that you have listened to (or read) Zakaria

-1/2 page to 1 page single spaced

-post your response in the comments link below

-be ready to discuss this in class

Chip Hauss on Democratization (Hauss is the author of your textbook and a contributor to the AP curiculum)

Posted in AP Introductory Materials, US GOV: Introductory Materials | No Comments »

Political Socialization

Discussion Questions Concerning Political Socialization

Agents of Political Socialization Grid

Posted in AP Introductory Materials, US GOV: Public Opinion: Ideology & Socialization | No Comments »

Foundations of Comparative Politics

Agents of Political Socialization Grid

Lecture: Three Levels of Political Culture

.

A Proper Education Raises More Questions than it does Provide Answers…

Discussion Questions Concerning Political Socialization

Discussion Questions Concerning Interest Articulation

Discussion Questions Concerning Interest Aggregation & Political Parties

Discussion Questions Concerning Public Policy

Posted in AP Introductory Materials | No Comments »

Reading and Learning Strategies

How to Study

SQ3R Reading Strategy

CLUES Model to Thinking Critically. This Rocks!

Several Note Taking Strategies

Notes on Quality Presentations

Multiple Intelligences

Thinking Like A Genius

Posted in AP Introductory Materials, US GOV: Introductory Materials, USH: Introductory Materials, World Civ-Introductory Materials | No Comments »

Teaching Against Idiocy

Contemplating the root of the word “idiocy” leads Dr. Walter
Parker to explore the challenge that democratic societies
face of developing public-minded citizens. The schools,
he argues, are the most likely institutions to succeed in
that task.

The Article

The Response Sheet

Posted in AP Introductory Materials, US GOV: Introductory Materials, US GOV: Pol Culture, USH: Introductory Materials, World Civ-Introductory Materials | No Comments »

Introduction to AP Comparative Politics

Daniel Lazar’s Syllabus for the College Board

The Official AP Course Guide (Draft)

Noteworthy Quotations on Politics

.

A Few Short Lectures

The Systems Approach and Structural Analysis

Fostering Development and Securing Democracy and Liberty

Thinking in Analogoes: Structural-Functionalism and COnflict Theories

.

Max Weber on Bureaucracy (secondary source notes)

Almond and Powell Chapter One Outline: Intro to Comparative Politics

Posted in AP Introductory Materials | No Comments »

Chapter Outlines

Issues in Comparative Politics (Ch1)

Comparing Political Systems (Ch2)

Interest Articulation (Ch 4)

Interest Articulation and Political Parties (Ch 5)

Government and Policymaking (Ch 6)

Public Policy (Ch 7)

England

China

Russia

Iran

Nigeria

Mexico

Posted in AP Comparative Review, AP Introductory Materials | No Comments »

Freedom: Just Another Word for Nothing Left to Lose?

Eugene V. Debs stated that, “years ago I recognized my kinship with all living things, and I made up my mind that I was not one bit better than the meanest on the earth. I said then and I say now, that while there is a lower class, I am in it; while there is a criminal element, I am of it; while there is a soul in prison, I am not free. Whereas H.L. Mencken asserted that, “the average man does not want to be free. He simply wants to be safe.”

Freedom House has set forth to gauge the state of freedom around the world. They have posted an interactive map which encourages the reader to gauge the state of relative freedom in the world. Naturally, measuring freedom is a complex and dynamic task, so feel free take issue with their methodologies or conclusions:

Read and examine interactive maps here

Your assignment is to assess the state of freedom in 1 of the 6 AP country studies assigned to you using the data provided in the Freedom House index. Your essay should be one single spaced page and must use specific evidence. You are to post your essay in the comments link below. As always, you are encouraged to read and respond to the work of your classmates.

Here is a Freedom House reflection on the state of freedom in 2010.

Posted in AP Introductory Materials, AP Post AP Seminar, US GOV: Introductory Materials | No Comments »

The Age of (mis)Information

In a recent dialogue with my beloved AP Foreign and Comparative Politics students I learned that, though they recognize and appreciate the power the internet to transform political culture, they are seemingly unaware of alternative media sources online. Thus, in an effort to wean them from CNN’s intellectual stultification, I offer the following alternatives to the mainstream:

From the Left:

CounterPunch: http://www.counterpunch.org/

Democracy Now: http://www.democracynow.org/

Harper’s Weekly: http://www.harpers.org/

In These Times: http://www.inthesetimes.com/

The Nation: http://www.thenation.com/

The Progressive: http://www.progressive.org/

Utne Reader: http://www.utne.com/

ZMagazine (The Spirit of Resistance): http://zmag.org/

Towards the Center, More or Less:

BBC: http://www.bbc.co.uk/

Economist: http://economist.com/index.cfm

Foreign Affairs Magazine: http://www.foreignaffairs.org/

Harvard International Review: http://hir.harvard.edu/

National Public Radio: http://www.npr.org/

New York Times: http://nytimes.com/

Slate Magazine: http://slate.com/

Time Magazine: http://www.time.com/time/

From the Right:

American Conservative: http://www.amconmag.com/

National Review: http://www.nationalreview.com/

New Republic: http://www.tnr.com/

Spectator: http://www.spectator.co.uk/

Amusing Alternatives to “Real” News:

The Onion: http://www.theonion.com/content/

The Specious Report: http://www.thespeciousreport.com/

Bob From Accounting: http://www.bobfromaccounting.com/

Posted in AP Introductory Materials, Other News, US GOV: Introductory Materials, World Civ-Modern Global Dilemmas | No Comments »