Keep in mind our Online Discussion Guidelines:
https://openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu/pol-100-introduction-to-american-government-artinian/online-discussion-guidelines/

Instructions for completing this discussion board assignment:

a) Identify which discussion question you are answering in your comment by placing the relevant number at the start of your answer. For example:

2. Crime has often been used as a form of social control by…

4. Michelle Alexander’s argument about segregation…

b) Respond to two other students’ comments.

Respond to the following questions in the “Comment” box below:

1. As we learned thus far, the capitalist class consists of people who own wealth, as well as the means of production in American society. An important question in understanding how this class works is to ask: how does a capitalist remain wealthy? The answer to this question depends largely on understanding the diagram M-C-M’. So, let’s practice by explaining what happens in this diagram in our own words (but basing our ideas on Reading 5.1). Respond to the following question: Explain M-C-M’ to show how capitalists maintain and increase their wealth. (hint: your answer should weave a summary that includes what you reviewed in the self-assessment exercise question 1-7)

Keep in mind our Online Discussion Guidelines:
https://openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu/pol-100-introduction-to-american-government-artinian/online-discussion-guidelines/

Instructions for completing this discussion board assignment:

a) Identify which discussion question you are answering in your comment by placing the relevant number at the start of your answer. For example:

2. Crime has often been used as a form of social control by…

4. Michelle Alexander’s argument about segregation…

b) Respond to two other students’ comments.

Respond to the following questions in the “Comment” box below:

1. Do you notice any similarities in the way social class is discussed in readings 4.1 and 4.2? Do you notice any differences in the way these two readings DIFFERENTIATE between social classes?
2. Pick the station closest to where you live. Using the concepts from Reading 4.1, what social class tends to live in your neighborhood? Are you surprised (or not) by the answer? Do you feel it is an accurate representation of the people living in your neighborhood?
3. Based on Reading 4.2, do you notice a general pattern about social classes in NYC?

Keep in mind our Online Discussion Guidelines:
https://openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu/pol-100-introduction-to-american-government-artinian/online-discussion-guidelines/

Instructions for completing this discussion board assignment:

a) Identify which discussion question you are answering in your comment by placing the relevant number at the start of your answer. For example:

2. Crime has often been used as a form of social control by…

4. Michelle Alexander’s argument about segregation…

b) Respond to two other students’ comments.

Respond to the following questions in the “Comment” box below:

Here’s part 2 of our discussion of Michelle Alexander:

1. Why do think Southern racist politicians chose to frame their defense of racial segregation through the language of “law and order”? What special advantages was this choice of words going to give them?
2. Do you think the Southern Strategy is still influencing American politics? Give an example supporting your answer.

Keep in mind our Online Discussion Guidelines:
https://openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu/pol-100-introduction-to-american-government-artinian/online-discussion-guidelines/

Instructions for completing this discussion board assignment:

a) Identify which discussion question you are answering in your comment by placing the relevant number at the start of your answer. For example:

2. Crime has often been used as a form of social control by…

4. Michelle Alexander’s argument about segregation…

b) Respond to two other students’ comments.

Respond to the following questions in the “Comment” box below:

Michelle Alexander raises a number of important and interesting points. Let’s start a discussion centered on the following questions:

1. M. Alexander claims that the main explanation of why so many people are sent to jail in the U.S. today is deeply wrong. Explain her argument by referring to the various examples she mentions to backup her point. (see p. 1-2)

2. Why is it that racial disparities in the rates of incarceration “cannot be explained by rates of drug crimes”?

3. How do you understand the phrase: “the American penal system has emerged as a system of social control unparalleled in world history.”?

Keep in mind our Online Discussion Guidelines:
https://openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu/pol-100-introduction-to-american-government-artinian/online-discussion-guidelines/

Instructions for completing this discussion board assignment:

a) Identify which discussion question you are answering in your comment by placing the relevant number at the start of your answer. For example:

2. Crime has often been used as a form of social control by…

4. Michelle Alexander’s argument about segregation…

b) Respond to two other students’ comments.

Respond to the following questions in the “Comment” box below:

Okay, let ‘s go to the questions, consider the following:

1. What is a Repressive State Apparatus? Why does Althusser call it “repressive”? Can we explain his choice of words here. Give an example.

2. Let’s do the same for the Ideological State Apparatuses. What are they, how do they seem to work?

3. Important: this question will appear on our exam: How are the Repressive and Ideological State Apparatuses different from each other? What is the difference between the two?

4. Post an example of ideology. This could be a piece of writing, an image, video, pdf document, visual art, or music, clip from a movie. Next to your example, specify if this is an example of repressive or ideological apparatuses at work. I’ll start us of off by giving an example.

Keep in mind our Online Discussion Guidelines:
https://openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu/pol-100-introduction-to-american-government-artinian/online-discussion-guidelines/

Instructions for completing this discussion board assignment:

a) Identify which discussion question you are answering in your comment by placing the relevant number at the start of your answer. For example:

2. Crime has often been used as a form of social control by…

4. Michelle Alexander’s argument about segregation…

b) Respond to two other students’ comments.

Respond to the following questions in the “Comment” box below:

So, we’ve encountered three different overviews of what ideology is, but let’s organize our own thinking about it. In this discussion board, think about and comment on the following questions:

1. Keeping in mind the material covered in this lesson, describe how you understand ideology in your own words.
Hint: One way to approach this is as follows
a) Describe what ideology is in a brief paragraph (in your own words).
b) Give an example illustrating what you wrote in (a).
c) Write another paragraph (or two), explaining to your reader with additional details, how you understand ideology.

2. How do you understand the difference between conservative and liberal ideology in US politics? What seem to be the big differences, the dividing line? Given an example to backup your arguments.
Hint: try to identify key words (concepts) that play a big role in making someone consider themselves to be liberal or conservative. Then, explain in your own words what those keywords (concepts) mean.

3. How do you understand Althusser’s definition of ideology? Paraphrase it in your own words. Given an example. Hint: you may have to watch the second video again, and find the few places where Althusser’s position is presented.

Hint: Remember, the discussion boards are crucial for us this semester, because they reproduce our in-class conversations. Try to be thorough and write more, rather than less. I will do the same, and make sure by the time we end our discussion, we have covered the key ideas on the module.

To organize things better, I have broken up our conversation into two parts. After finishing here, head over to Discussion Board 3 – part 2 .

INSTRUCTIONS ON DEADLINES

Welcome to POL 100! In this first discussion board of our course, let’s introduce ourselves to each other, by doing the following:

1. Create your introduction by entering text in the comments box below. When you finish writing your introduction, click the “REPLY” button. In your introduction, tell us your name, what is your major (if you have chosen one), as well as a bit about yourself. Things you might consider sharing include: what are you interested in studying at BMCC, what are your plans after BMCC, interests that you have, etc.
2. After entering your own post, respond to at least two classmates by elaborating on something that they wrote that resonated and connected with you.