You are required to write a paper for this class. The subject is yourself, or more specifically, your political socialization and its consequences. By socialization I mean the experiences that have shaped your unique values and attitudes about society and the political system in which we live. In class we stress that while we are hard-wired by our genes and other biological factors toward certain basic predispositions that are politically relevant (a desire for social relations, varying degrees of empathy toward others, a sense of justice, sexual orientation, etc.). These “given” factors aside, people acquire specific social and political opinions as we grow up and move on in life. The current best available evidence is that we are not born with genes that incline us to like or dislike Democrats or Republicans. Or particular political leaders like Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Ted Cruz, Rick Perry, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, or Donald Trump. Nor are we hard-wired to support or oppose going to war in Iraq in 2003, or to bailing out the big banks in 2008, or supporting or opposing same-sex marriages in 2015. So if opinions on such subjects are not givens, in the sense that blue or brown eyes are, they must be rooted in our experiences in life after we were born. 

Socialization refers to the environmental influences that have shaped who we are, and extends to all aspects of our lives. For example, most sports fans identify with their local teams – it is pretty easy to figure out why there are so many more Astro and Rocket fans in Houston than in Dallas. Nor do we have to spend a lot of time trying to answer questions like: Why do Catholic parents raise so few Baptist children? 

Political socialization is more complex. There are lots of people in Houston and every other city in America that identify with and root for the Democrats, while many other local residents like the Republicans. And both Baptist and Catholic parents raise lots of kids that do not adopt their family’s political values. 


Your paper should address two central questions:

(1) What are my basic political values, beliefs, and opinions? And, (2) how did you acquire these?

Students tend to approach this assignment in two ways. Some adopt a chronological approach. They start by discussing when and where they were born, and trace their lives forward to the present. Others follow a more topical approach. They start out describing their present values and opinions about society and politics, and then discuss how they arrived at these positions. While you are not limited to these approaches, good papers must address the following areas:


Family influences. Human beings, alone among the world’s animals, require at least 10-12 years of care by other persons before they can survive on their own. That means the caregivers in our early years have enormous importance in shaping who we become as adults. Given that fact, your paper must address the impact of your family and others who cared for you in your dependent years in shaping your attitudes and opinions. 

I would suggest you deal with your early caregiver environment first in broad terms. For example, I grew up in rural Louisiana where my family had a small, and not very successful, truck farm. Sociologists might call this an “economically challenging environment” – I just knew we were poor. Growing up in that environment contributed to a strong desire on my part (and my two older sisters) to find a way out of picking strawberries or cotton for a living, and not to have to depend upon public welfare to feed one’s family as happened after my father’s health collapsed when I was seven. In my case, the power of those early challenging experiences remains with me many years after leaving the farm.

Generalities aside, you also need to focus specifically on how your early environment connected, or did not connect, you to the world of politics. Did you grow up in a political household? Was politics discussed at the dinner table? Did you know from an early age which political party or ideology your family favored, if any? Did people you were/are close to admire any political figures? Who and what did they dislike about politics? How, if at all, has your family changed their political views over time? 

Neighborhood or community effects. Where did you grow up? What was distinctive about the area or areas? It makes a big difference if your socialization occurred in a series of military towns because your parent(s) were professional military, or in a refugee camp in Thailand, or a small town in East Texas, or in Southwest Houston, or the Third Ward across Scott Street from UH.

Educational and peer group influences. What schools have you attended? What teachers have had an impact on your values and opinions? What peer groups and friends at school or outside school have you associated with over the years?

Significant events or experiences in your life. Bad and good things happen to people, with lasting impacts. What painful and enjoyable experiences have had the most impact on you? (Generally, negative or painful experiences like losing your family home to foreclosure have more impact on political and social views that positive and pleasant things) What did you take away from these experiences?

Other influences you feel have been important in shaping who you are. These could include your church, or religious background; the racial or ethnic group you identify with; your expectations about the future, and so forth.


After a rather thorough inventory of the factors that have influenced your opinions
you need to detail your present social and political values. (Warning: students are generally better at discussing their current attitudes than in describing what influenced them in arriving at these positions) Make sure you address the following in this section:

Describe yourself politically. Are you a Democrat, a Republican, an Independent, or do these labels really not apply to you? Would you say you were a liberal, moderate, or conservative when it comes to politics? Are you active in any political group or associations?

What political issues most interest you? The wars in Afghanistan/Iraq/Syria? The future of Israel? Jobs and the economy? Combating terrorism? Abortion? Gun control? Education? Restoring moral values to America? Equal rights for women? Gay marriage? Racism or reverse discrimination? Preserving the environment? Saving social security? Or something else?

Where do you get information about social or political issues? Fox News? NPR? Facebook? Talking to family, friends? Local TV? Newspapers?

Which politicians do you most admire? Which ones do you like the least? Why? 

We will talk extensively about recent elections and upcoming elections. How did you feel about these contests? Why?

And describe at least one area where your views have changed over time, and what caused you to rethink your position.

The paper should be at least 2,200 words in length – include a word count total at the end of the paper. Longer papers are fine, but shorter ones have points deducted.