POL 443 Week 3

Use the University of Phoenix Material: Political Parties List for a list of other potential political parties to research.

Select a major national issue. (Same Sex Marriage or Abortions) 

Write a 1000 -word paper, explaining differences in position on the issue between the two parties. Minor parties may be included with instructor approval.

Include the following elements:

• Identify forces in the party that help drive it toward its position.
• Discuss how the parties educate their members, the public, and the government about their concerns or mission.
• Consider how the parties encourage members to participate in the democratic process and support a specific party.
• Discuss factors that promote and inhibit corporate influence on the parties with regard to your issue.
• Explain why the U.S. political structure encourages two major political parties and the effect this has on your issue.
• Determine whether the social mobility that affects political party identification influences this issue.
• Summarize the role of political parties and their effectiveness as change agents versus preserving the status quo.

Use at least three additional academic resources. These may be newspaper or magazine articles, or articles from journals such as The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, The American Political Science Review, Political Science Quarterly, or PS: Political Science & Politics.