Lesson 5.3: Political Parties
Enduring Understanding:
Political parties, interest groups, and social movements provide opportunities for participation and influence how people relate to government and policy-makers.
Learning Objectives:
Describe linkage institutions.
Explain the function and impact of political parties on the electorate and government.
Essential Knowledge:
Linkage institutions are channels that allow individuals to communicate their preferences to policy-makers:
- Parties
- Interest groups
- Elections
- Media
The functions and impact of political parties on the electorate and government are represented by:
- Mobilization and education of voters
- Party platforms
- Candidate recruitment
- Campaign management, including fundraising and media strategy
- The committee and party leadership systems in legislatures
Debrief 5.2: Unit One Review: Federalism
1. Draw Federalism
2. Explain how these two terms relate to Federalism:
- Supremacy Clause
- The Tenth Amendment
Activity #1: TIP-C:
Activity #2: The Structure and Function of Political Parties Mini-Lecture
Activity #3: The Decline of Parties
Read one or both of the articles below to help understand some of the causes for the decline of parties over the last half century.https://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-0202-goldberg-party-paper-tigers-20160202-column.html
After you have finished reading, describe in your notebook how each of the following contributed to to this decline:
- The role of the media
- The rise of interest groups
- Political reforms like primaries and the Australian ballot
- Money and candidate-centered campaigns
However, not everyone believes the rise of independent voters and the decline of political parties is real. Read this article and summarize the author's argument.
