Political Activity

Your goal in this assignment is to analyze and discuss political

participation: What factors determine whether or not people vote or

participate in other types of political activity?

Choose ONE of the following:

1. Take Action:
Participate in a political activity and write about your experience
(such as volunteering for a campaign). Please submit verification of
your hours and activities; you should commit at least 5 hours to the
activity. Log your hours with a supervisor.

Answer the following questions in your reflection paper:

• What campaign/action did you participate in? Please describe your activities in detail.
• What motivated you to choose this activity? What expectations did you have before you began?
• Do you have any previous political experience? If not, what has prevented you from participating in the past?
• Did you get any training or do any preparation before the activity (research, talking with people, etc.)?

This should be at least 300 words in addition to verification of your hours and activities.

OR

2. Interview Someone: Find someone
who is more politically active than you and conduct an interview in
order to learn more about why people participate in the political
process. Use their interview responses, your own experience, and the
textbook to write a paper discussing the factors that influence people’s
level of political participation (including your own and the people
around you).

Topics to Address in your Paper

Participation: Describe your own
level of political activity as well as your close friends and family.
Would you describe yourself as a politically active person? Do you wish
you were more actively involved? Why do people participate in politics?
What are the key factors that motivate you/others to get involved? What
factors prevent you/others from being more involved?

Sample Interview Questions: Have you
participated in any form of political activity (voting, signing
petitions, going to a protest, etc.?) When did you begin? Why did you
choose to get involved? What kinds of activities have you participated
in most recently, and why did you choose those particular activities? Do
you think your actions made a difference? In what way?

This should be at least 400 words.

Please write your essay in MLA format, and follow the

standard five paragraph model. Your essay should have an introduction

paragraph, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion paragraph.