OPTION 1: Increasing Youth Political Engagement Regardless of whether you think it is a serious problem, imagine that you have been hired by an interest group such as Rock the Vote to help increase political participation among young people. Based on the political science theories and the empirical evidence that you have read, what credible things would you recommend to increase political participation among members of the DotNet generation? [Hint: Your suggestions might differ for current voters and those who will be entering adulthood in the future.] Remember to base your answers on the material that we have read over the past several weeks such as the Zukin et al. book. Also, below are examples for credible and not-credible recommendations: Not a credible recommendation: People should realize that voting is important so we tell people voting is important and theyll vote because they know that it is important. A credible recommendation: Zukin et al. demonstrate that young people who grow up in households listening to political conversations are more likely to be politically engaged than those who were not exposed to political discussions. It might be possible to work with middle and high school administrators to host candidate events or forums for debate among political leaders over issues, especially those related to young people. These would ideally be school-sponsored events held during the school day with required attendance, thus exposing young people to at least some political conversations that they might not get at home. The project should be about 3 pages (single spaced, 12 point font, normal margins). OPTION 2: Content Analysis of Popular Culture Targeted at Youth Choose some type of pop culture media comic books, video games, movies targeted to young adults, etc. to analyze. There are two possible ways to analyze this content for the project. 1. Analyze modern pop culture media that are somewhat popular among either Gen X or Millenials. This would, in other words, be things that would be popular among young people sometime between the late 1980s to the present. As you analyze this content, consider how the messages about politics, government, and interpersonal trust would be viewed by young people. More importantly, consider what effect this might have on the attitudes and participation among young people based on the Zukin et al. book. Do these messages tend to reinforce or contradict the attitudes among young people detailed by Zukin et al? 2. Analyze pop culture media that are somewhat popular among Gen X or Millienials AND that has been available for at least several decades. For example, the Superman comics have been around since about 1938. Compare the messages related to government, politics, and interpersonal trust from the earlier period and the messages from the modern era. In other words, how have messages about government changed over the years and, more importantly, how would those messages have influenced the attitudes and participation among young people based on the Zukin et al. book. Do these messages tend to reinforce or contradict the attitudes among young people detailed by Zukin et al? One example how have messages about politics and government changed in Superman comics from the 1950s to today and what effect would that change likely have on young voters (based on Zukin et al)? There are a lot of different ways that you can arrange this project and therefore I strongly recommend that you talk with me about your idea before getting too far along. Feel free to email or drop by the office to discuss your idea. The project should be about pages (single spaced, 12 point font, normal margins). IMPORTANT: As before, you are free to pursue an alternative project as long as some part of it relates to youth turnout and is rooted in the Zukin et al. material. Simply email or chat with me about your idea and we can figure out an appropriate alternative project.Show more
