Political scienceLesson 2 of 5 in the course The Fundamentals of Group Political Activity

Political Culture, Elites, and Mass and Minority Cultures

5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 5 match pairs · 5 fill-in sentences · English

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Summary

Political culture helps explain how people understand citizenship, government, and their relationships with other political actors. This lesson introduces culture and political culture, explains how shared patterns form, and shows why generalizations should be used carefully.

Culture is the set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices common to members of a group. A group might be a nation, community, organization, or another collection of people who share important patterns of life.

All flashcards

What is culture?
Culture is the shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices common to members of a group.
What is political culture?
Political culture is the shared political attitudes, values, goals, and practices of members of a political group, such as a country or party.
What is socialization?
Socialization is the process through which people encounter and learn attitudes, values, and practices from families, communities, institutions, media, and others.
Why should national political culture be described cautiously?
A national pattern is a broad generalization, not a description of every individual. People within the same country may belong to different communities and hold different views.
What is participant observation?
It is a research method in which the researcher spends extensive time living with and observing a cultural community to understand its practices and meanings.

Quiz questions

  1. What is culture?Answer: Shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices within a group.
  2. What makes political culture distinct from culture in general?Answer: It concerns shared political attitudes and practices within a political group.
  3. How can political culture influence people's understanding of citizenship?Answer: It frames views of citizenship, government, and other political actors.
  4. A survey finds that many people in a country favor a stronger state role. What is the most careful conclusion?Answer: The result suggests a broad tendency, not a view held by everyone.
  5. Which method involves a researcher spending extensive time living with and observing a cultural community?Answer: Participant observation.

Based on Introduction to Political Science by Mark Carl Rom, Masaki Hidaka, Rachel Bzostek Walker (OpenStax), licensed CC BY 4.0. Adapted into a summary, flashcards and quizzes.

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