Political Protests And The Political Impact

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What role do political protests play in policy making or policy changing?  For this assignment, you are going to read about and research both historical and modern day political protests and then explain how these protests may impact decision-making in the government or social change.   You will need to through the web links provided, and then do any extra research necessary to answer the questions below in essay format:

https://www.bustle.com/p/do-political-protests-actually-change-anything-29952

https://www.businessinsider.com/largest-marches-us-history-2017-1#the-million-woman-march-in-philadelphia-pennsylvania-october-25-1997-7

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2018/05/31/these-are-the-four-largest-protests-since-trump-was-inaugurated/?noredirect=on

https://www.businessinsider.com/most-googled-political-protests-2017-12

1.) After reading about the most influential protests from past and present, do you see any striking similarities between them?  Any differences in the way they were conducted or their effectiveness?  How does the government classify the difference between a protest group, political violence, and a terrorist organization?

2.) What significant protests are missing from these lists?  In light of history repeating itself, what protests do we see being reinvented as a result of changes not being made fast enough or for problems that were not resolved in the past?

3.) Do you believe that most protests are more effective in making a social change versus a political one?  Explain.

4.) Are protests effective in helping lawmakers more quickly act on issues simmering in society? Why or why not? Does the emotionality of political violence of terrorist organization activity prompt lawmakers to act faster than with peaceful protests? Why or why not?

5.) How has technology impacted the need for physical protesting?  Do you think social media “protesting” is as effective as physically showing up?  Explain,

6.) Are there any issues in our country today that would tempt you to get involved with a protest?  What issue and why?  Would you be more willing to protest online versus in person?

This assignment must follow MLA guidelines, be typed in Times New Roman, 12 pt. font, and be a minimum of 1000 words with a works cited page.  The works cited are not included in the minimum word count. Any articles/web links given in the assignment prompt MUST be cited in your paper and works cited.  Any additional research must be cited as well.  

Interest Group

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Please pay close attention to highlighted areas be sure to write two full pages and cite all sources.

Be sure to answer all questions highlighted in red within the two-page essay.

 

This week, we’re studying how interest groups work.

First, despite what you see on TV, interest groups are not necessarily an evil thing. The First Amendment guarantees our right to free speech, and “peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances,” which is essentially a Constitutional right to form interest groups and work collectively to influence public policy.

I’m biased on this one. I love teaching, but I spent a career as a lobbyist for the Houston Apartment Association, a non-profit trade association that represents people who develop, own and manage apartment properties. Mostly, I do what my clients don’t have time to do – read all the city council agendas each week, go to meetings, keep track of what’s being discussed and help explain the unintended consequences of things being considered. Persuading somebody to vote a certain way is a very rare part of the job, and is generally done by people actually in the industry, not lobbyists.

At the federal level, though, things are changing. The amount of money required to win a congressional campaign is becoming enormous, and the extent to which congressmen rely on interest groups for campaign funding makes many citizens justifiably nervous.

Find the website for the Center for Responsive Politics: https://www.opensecrets.org/ (Links to an external site.)

Explore around a little, then find your way to the “Interest Groups” page (Links to an external site.)  under “Influence & Lobbying.” Click on “Interest Groups List,”  then search by sector. Find an industry that interests you – one in which you work or hope to work someday.

Write a 2 – 5 page essay about that group’s campaign contributions. How much do they give? To whom? Why do you think they chose those recipients? (Hint: Go to https://www.congress.gov/ (Links to an external site.)  and look at their committee assignments) What do you think they have to gain from doing this? What do they have to lose if they don’t? If you were involved with this group, would you push for them to do anything differently?

Submit in Word. Cite your sources.

Ethnographic Cultural observation of a group

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Choosing Your Research Method in a Nutshell By James Rice and Marilyn K. Simon

 

Research Method  Brief  Type  Action research  Participatory ‐ problem identification, solution,

solution review  III

Appreciative inquiry  Helps groups identify solutions  III, IV

Case Study research  Group observation to determine how and why a  situation exists

III

Causal‐comparative research  Identify causal relationship among variable that  can’t be controlled

IV

Content analysis  Analyze text and make inferences  IV

Correlational research  Collect data and determine level of correlation  between variables

I

Critical Incident technique  Identification of determining incident of a critical  event

III

Delphi research  Analysis of expert knowledge to forecast future  events

I, IV

Descriptive research  Study of “as is” phenomena  I

Design based research/ decision analysis  Identify meaningful change in practices  II

Ethnographic  Cultural observation of a group

Evaluation research  Study the effectiveness of an intervention or  program

IV

Experimental research  Study the effect of manipulating a variable or  variables

II

Factor analysis  Statistically assess the relationship between large  numbers of variables

I

Grounded Theory  Produce a theory that explains a process based on  observation

III, IV

Hermeneutic research  Study the meaning of subjects/texts (exegetics is  text only) by concentrating on the historical  meaning of the experience and its developmental  and cumulative effects on the individual and society

III

Historical research  historical data collection and analysis of person or  organization

IV

Meta‐analysis research  Seek patterns in data collected by other studies and  formulate principals

 

Narrative research  Study of a single person’s experiences

Needs assessment  Systematic process of determine the needs of a  defined demographic population

 

Phenomenography  Answer questions about thinking and learning

Phenomenology  Make sense of lived experiences of participants  regarding a specified phenomenon.

III, IV

Quasi‐experimental  Manipulation of variables in populations without  benefit of random assignment or control group.

II

 

 

Q‐method  A mixed‐method approach to study subjectivity ‐  patterns of thought

I

Regression‐discontinuity design (RD)  Cut‐off score assignment of participants to group  (non‐random) used to study effectiveness of an  intervention

II

Repertory grid analysis  Interview process to determine how a person  interprets the meaning of an experience

I

Retrospective record review  Study of historic data collected about a prior  intervention (both effected and control group)

II

Semiology  Studies the meaning of symbols  II, III

Situational analysis  Post‐modernist approach to grounded theory  (holistic view rather than isolated variables) by  studying lived experiences around a phenomenon

 

Trend Analysis research  Formulate a forecast based on regression analysis of  data

II

True Experimental research  Structured research with isolated variables and  controls

 

Type of Researcher  Brief

I  Conceptual Theorist  Holistic and imaginative ‐ believes in  TOE.

II Analytical Scientist  Preference for exactness, precision, and  unambiguous situations

III Particular Humanist  Humans are too complex to study as a  whole

IV Conceptual Humanist  Knowledge exists to better humanity

Pyramid structurer of management”

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I am most familiar with the “Pyramid structurer of management” as discussed in the course content document titled Bodies of Knowledge or Schools of Thought (Berryman-Dages, no date). It has generally been my assumption that this is the best avenue of management regardless of the circumstance.

Although I have not held a management role, I have been privileged to be involved with a senior leadership team, under two different presidents. This organization also utilized the Pyramid structure, in which managing responsibility and authority levels are highest at the top. However, there is a difference between how the two presidents approached managing and therefore, a difference in their results.

In reflecting on my time with this leadership group, and comparing the leadership style of the two presidents, I have learned much about the difference leadership can make. One president ruled as I have always witnessed the top-down method to operate. The latter president also operated under the top-down method. However, she also incorporated a team approach, which was also discussed in the course content document Bodies of Knowledge or Schools of Thought (Berryman-Dages, no date). Each level of management had a certain level of authority, but ultimately, the president shouldered the responsibility of the organization. Instead of making decisions strictly from her own experiences or knowledge, the president relied heavily on her competent and knowledgeable staff. Her approach to leadership rendered a boost in morale among the employees. It also rendered proven results that can be seen in the organization’s data.

As we learned in Kegan & Lahey’s Story of Two Professionals, strengths in some areas means weaknesses in others. It is always good to take an honest look at what has and hasn’t worked in the past and how one’s own personal approach could be improved upon. As in Fiddler and Marienau’s diagram Events Model of Learning from Experience, that experience changed my school of thought on leadership. I now believe that in many cases, a hybrid model that combines the Pyramid and team approach can work nicely to keep all levels of management informed and provide the best results for the organization.

References

Berryman-Dages, Kim M. (no date) Bodies of Knowledge or Schools of Thought. Module 2, Course Content.

Fiddler, Morris, &Marienau, Catherine. (2008, summer). Developing habits of reflection for meaningful learning. In, S. Reed & C. Marienau (Eds.), Linking adults with community: Promoting civic engagement through community-based learning. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, 118. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 75-85.

Kegan,Robert & Lahey, Lisa L. (2010), From Subject to Object: A Constructive-Developmental Approach to Reflective Practice. Handbook of Reflection and Reflective Inquiry: Mapping a Way of Knowing for Professional Reflective Inquiry. Nona Lyons, editor; Springer Science and Business Media, LLC

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