Page 400 - Introduction To Sociology

392 Chapter 17 | Government and Politics
7. If the percentage of Asian Americans in Congress is far below the percentage of Asian Americans in the United States, does that mean Asian Americans lack political power? Why or why not?
8. Explain how a voter’s social class can affect his or her voting practices.
9. Besides voting, how can U.S. citizens influence political processes and outcomes? Which of these strategies have you
personally used?
17.4 Theoretical Perspectives on Government and Power
10. What is one criticism of functionalism?
11. Explain what is meant by the term power elite. Consider its original intention as coined by C. Wright Mills as well as
your understanding of it.
Further Research
17.1 Power and Authority
Want to learn more about sociologists at work in the real world? Read this blog posting to learn more about the roles sociology scholars played in the midst of the Arab Spring uprising: http://openstaxcollege.org/l/sociology_Arab_Spring (http://openstaxcollege.org/l/sociology_Arab_Spring)
17.2 Forms of Government
The Tea Party is among the highest-profile grassroots organizations active in U.S. politics today. What is its official platform? Examine the Tea Party website to find out more information at http://openstaxcollege.org/l/2eTeaPartygov (http://openstaxcollege.org/l/2eTeaPartygov) .
17.3 Politics in the United States
The 1965 Voting Rights Act was preceded by Lyndon Johnson’s signing of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Both articles were instrumental in establishing equal rights for African Americans. Check out Cornell University’s website on this topic to learn more about this civil rights legislation: http://openstaxcollege.org/l/Cornell_civil_rights (http://openstaxcollege.org/l/ Cornell_civil_rights)
17.4 Theoretical Perspectives on Government and Power
Functionalism is a complex philosophical theory that pertains to a variety of disciplines beyond sociology. Visit the entry devoted to this intriguing topic on Stanford University’s Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy for a more comprehensive overview: http://openstaxcollege.org/l/Stanford_functionalism (http://openstaxcollege.org/l/Stanford_functionalism)
References
17.0 Introduction to Government and Politics
The National. 2011. “The Arab Spring Country by County” The National, June 17. Retrieved October 1, 2014 (http://www.thenational.ae/news/world/middle-east/the-arab-spring-country-by-country (http://www.thenational.ae/news/ world/middle-east/the-arab-spring-country-by-country) )
World Health Organization. 2012. “Libya Crisis; August 2011 Update” Retrieved October 1, 2014 (http://www.who.int/ hac/crises/lby/libya_crisis_update_16aug11.pdf (http://www.who.int/hac/crises/lby/libya_crisis_update_16aug11.pdf) )
17.1 Power and Authority
Acton, Lord. 2010 [1887]. Essays on Freedom and Power. Auburn, AL: Ludwig von Mises Institute.
Catrer, Chelsea, and Fantz, Ashley. 2014. “ISIS Video Shows Beheading of American Journalist Steven Sotloft.” CNN, September 9. Retrieved October 5, 2014 (http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/02/world/meast/isis-american-journalist-sotloff/ (http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/02/world/meast/isis-american-journalist-sotloff/) )
Eisenberg, Andrew. 1998. “Weberian Patrimonialism and Imperial Chinese History.” Theory and Society 27(1):83–102. Hosenball, Mark, and Westall, Slyvia. 2014. “Islamic State Video Shows Second British Hostage Beheaded.” Reuters,
October 4. Retrieved October 5, 2014 (http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/10/04/us-mideast-crisis-henning-behading-
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