Essay #1

Your essay must be between 2,000 and 2,250 words in length Be double-spaced with standard (1-inch) margins and 12-point Times New Roman font Your essay will be graded on a scale of 0-100 based on the following rubric: Does the essay meet the structural requirements of the essay prompt in terms of length, margins, font, etc.? Does the essay adequately and fully address each of the questions in the essay prompt? Are all references to outside sources/ideas/authority appropriately cited (you may use any citation method you chose – just be consistent throughout your essay)? Is the essay well-written and generally free of proofreading errors? You must complete an essay on the following prompt: In 1986, J. Glass argued that a parent’s political orientation is the strongest determining factor in predicting a child’s future political preferences (i.e., most (or many) Republicans grew up in Republican-leaning households and most (or many) Democrats grew up in Democrat-leaning households). See “Attitude similarity in three generational families: Socialization, status inheritance, or reciprocal influence?,” American Sociological Review , Vol 51, 685-698 (1986). Here is the article. You are welcome to read the article as part of your preparation for writing the essay if you wish, but you do not need to reference any details from the article, other than the author’s thesis (the article is very technical and quantitative in nature – my brief description of the author’s thesis, above, is all you need to write your essay). In your opinion (and experience) did Glass correctly identify the primary source of our collective “political socialization?” What other sources or factors influence our political preferences? Glass’s article was published in 1986. In your opinion, is political socialization today largely similar to political socialization in 1986? If so, how is it similar? If not, how is it different? What implications do your observations have for political candidates, organizations, and/or institutions? Finally, please identify (and briefly describe) at least two aspects or our course material thus far (from the text, lectures, or discussion postings) that help you to understand political socialization differently than you did prior to beginning our class.