Answer to Question 1
Answer:
An ideal response will:
1. Explain how political polarization is the process by which people self-select news sources that map onto their ideological preferences, and thus they only hear news that mirrors their existing political beliefs.
2. Explain that this has the overall effect of constricting political debate because media consumers are never exposed to beliefs that challenge their own.
3. Explain that this minimizes the possibility for consensus or compromise, as it prevents citizens from hearing positions that might help them find common ground with people of differing opinions.
Answer to Question 2
Answer:
An ideal response will:
1. Explain that socialization is the process that news, entertainment, and advertising media contribute to the learning of political values by Americans. In addition, note how this is an ongoing process that begins early in the lives of citizens and continues throughout their lives.
2. Discuss specific ways in which socialization worksfor example, by reinforcing ideas about democracy through election coverage; reinforcing ideas about middle-class capitalist values through advertising; and reinforcing political values regarding tolerance and acceptance (among others) in prime-time entertainment, movies, police shows, and situation comedies.
3. Examine how these ideas regarding socialization are manifested in the episodes of a show the student has watched, with specific reference to what exactly is being reinforced/encouraged in the programming.
4. Provide a clear and concise conclusion.