ReviewUnit: Policymaking

Overview

• On these slides, you will find an overview of all the information and activities we did in class, as well as multiple choice questions which incorporate the information we learned.

Lesson 1: Media’s Influence on Policymaking

• On the first day of our unit, we watched lots of video clips. The first one was an introduction to the unit video, starring Ms. Mitchem and Anderson Cooper. The other three were videos on the Occupy Movement, and we graded these videos based on information they contained.

Lesson 1: Media’s Influence on Policymaking

• What is the Occupy Movement? The Occupy movement is an international protest movement which is primarily directed against economic and social inequality. The movement proper started in Kuala Lumpur on July 30, 2011, with Occupy Dataran, followed by New York City and San Francisco on September 17, 2011, with Occupy Wall Street and Occupy San Francisco. By October 9 Occupy protests had taken place or were ongoing in over 95 cities across 82 countries and over 600 communities in the United States.As of November 17 the Meetup page "Occupy Together" listed Occupy communities in 2,609 towns and cities worldwide.

• The movement was initiated by the Canadian activist group Adbusters, and partly inspired by the Arab Spring, especially Cairo's Tahrir Square protests, and the Spanish Indignants. The movement commonly uses the slogan We are the 99%, the #Occupy hashtag format, and organizes through websites such as "Occupy Together". According to the Washington Post, the movement, which has been described as a "democratic awakening" by Cornel West, is difficult to distill to a few demands.

• On the afternoon of November 11 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and later on the night of November 14, authorities forcefully closed down camps around the world in cities such as New York, Oakland and Zurich. Occupiers immediately regrouped and vowed to continue their protests, often returning to the cleared sites.

Lesson 1: What You Need to Know

• The media helps shape public policy by setting the public agenda.

• Ways the media play an important role in setting the public agenda• Focusing public attention on selected issues• Offering a forum in which opposing viewpoints are

communicated• Holding government officials accountable to the public

• Government officials use the media to communicate with the public

Lesson 1: Multiple Choice

 

House to Vote on Tax Cut

 This headline is demonstrating which role of the media?• a. identifying candidates• b. emphasizing selected issues• c. writing editorials• d. broadcasting different points of view

Lesson 1: Multiple Choice Answer

• The correct answer is B. No candidates are mentioned, so A can’t be the answer. Different perspectives are not provided, and this isn’t the title to an editorial because it’s just stating a fact (the house is going to vote). Plus every answer except B are ways the media impacts our views of elections and political parties, not the ways the media influences policymaking (which is what we are talking about in this unit).

Lesson 2: Influences of Individuals and Interest Groups on Policymaking

• In class, we performed a play that took place on the steps of the Capitol building, took notes on the influences of individuals and interest groups, played persuaded or jaded, and wrote letters to Congressmen/women about an issue.

Lesson 2: What You Need to Know

• Terms to know• Lobbying – seeking to influence legislators to introduce or vote for or against

a bill

• Ways individuals influence public policy• Participating in politics (voting, campaigning, seeking office)• Expressing opinions (lobbying, demonstrating, writing letters)• Joining interest groups

• Ways interest groups influence public policy• Identifying issues• Making political contributions• Lobbying government officials

Lesson 2: Multiple Choice

One way for individuals to influence public policy is by• a. volunteering• b. reading newspapers• c. voting• d. watching television

Lesson 2: Multiple Choice Answer

• The correct answer here is C, voting. Voting is one way to influence public policy because in voting you are picking the officials who make policy. Different officials might push for different policies, so this is definitely one way to influence the process. A is just doing a civic responsibility, and B & D are ways of staying informed.

Lesson 3:

• In class, we did ACTIVITIES I CAN’T TELL YOU ABOUT BECAUSE IT’S A SURPRISE!!!

Lesson 3: What You Need to Know

• International issues and events that would require policy decisions by local government officials could include the following:• Public health concerns in the event of a pandemic• Public safety in the event of an act of terrorism• Economic development policies in response to the emerging

global economy• Policies to protect the environment (e.g., wildlife

protection)

Lesson 3: Multiple Choice

Cause: ?

Effect: Local governments must be able to respond to any health and safety emergency or concern, to global economic issues, and to environmental concerns.• a. new world laws• b. sanctions by the United Nations Security Council• c. international events/issues• d. Constitutional amendments

Lesson 3: Multiple Choice Answer

• The correct answer is C. We learned in class that international events and issues affect local govt policies and that local govts need to be able to respond to those issues and events.

Quiz/Test Tuesday

• Be sure to look over your vocabulary, and good luck studying!! If you have questions, e-mail me at mcmitchem@gmail.com.