Assignment #4 The Power Elite & your research project due the following Thursday

Special Assignment #4


Use the 4 Step Summary process (again) to complete this assignment.



Summarize these two articles and hand-in on Thursday


Google: Characteristics of the Power Elite or
use the URL:http://www.udel.edu/favicon.ico
and:

Google: Who Rules America: The Class Domination Theory of Power or

use the URL: http://sociology.ucsc.edu/whorulesamerica/power/class_domination.html





Special Assignment #5 (THIS IS WORTH A TEST GRADE)


This research paper is due next week on Thursday


Address the following in a paper not less than two typed pages. Be sure to cite the source of your information throughout your paper.

A. Explain in your own words the concept of the Power Elite.
Cite the work of CW Mills , Domhoof or Nye in your explanation

B. Fully explain the Characteristics of the Power Elite




C. Investigate two Cabinet Members of President George W. Bush
and, discuss how/why these two members of his cabinet fulfill these characteristics of
the Power Elite.

Specifically:



1. What cabinet position did the member have and what is the role of that particular position?
2. Where did the member attend school or university ?
a. What degrees did they earn and when?

3. Discuss any private sector connenctions (Board memberships or previous employment)
of that member.
a. What is the name and industry of the corporation? Where does it rank on the Fortune
500 list?
4. Identify any non-profit agencies or foundations the Cabinet member is related
with or sits on the board of., or was once affiliated with..

D. Considering the Characteristics of the Power Elite , explain if President Obama
is a member of the Power Elite.
E. Conclusion:
Is the Power Elite Theory a reasonable explanation on how our democracy really works?
Explain your answer..

Here are some visuals for those of you who like logos...

For your paper....

Here are some useful cites:


Wikipedia


Sourcewatch.org



Fortune 500










FYI


Web Searching
To clearly identify what you are searching for ... using George W. Bush as the example ... search by typing "George W. Bush" in the search line, making sure to bracket the full name in quotation marks. This keeps the George - W. - Bush together. Otherwise, the search will be for each part of his name and you will get some returns for George W. Bush as a name, but quickly find that the George and Bush are scattered throughout the results.
To expand on your search for George W. Bush, let's assume you want to find his military service record or simply about his military service, then you would type in "George W. Bush", "military service", which narrows your results. Using quotation marks (" ") to bracket or focus the search is key.
This technique can be expanded by searching for "George Bush", "military service" as the search, "George Bush", "military records", etc. The quotation marks hold the phrase or name together and variations on this type of search will bring more and more records. The search may bring results for "George H.W. Bush". To eliminate that possibility, you can try to search by typing in "George Bush", "military records" -"George H.W. Bush", which may eliminate the problem.
Whole quotes can be found using this technique, as well, which is very useful to locate quotes found out of context or to identify the quoter or source of a quote. Always be sure to encase the quote with quotation marks.
"Clustering" can also be helpful in this regard, such as that provided by Clusty. This allows you to more easily navigate broad, general queries by breaking results down into automatic categories. For example, a query on "George Bush" may yield a cluster labeled "military records."
See this informit.com article on "Ten Tips for Smarter Google Searches" for more search tips.

Readings for Advanced Placement

Special Assignment
#1 Identify five components of the Healthcare Plan outlined by President Obama
(use http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/health_care/) see the concise edition
Read two articles from different news sources, you can find some on this blog
Make a list of pros and cons of the proposed public policy and cite where this information
came from.
Offer your opinion on healthcare reform and back it up with factual information\

#2 Here are the two articles on public opinion polls, the questions were handed-out.
http://home.att.net/~betsynewmark/BaroneonPolls.pdf
Google: Jacobs & Shapiro, Politicians Don't Pander, excerpt

# 3 Google: Philosophical Dimensions of Public Policy, Authors Gerigh and Galston
Here is a link :Philosophical Dimensions of Public ... - Google Books (it may not work)
Read the article: Mandated Service and Moral Learning

Complete the four step summary

Steps for writing a summary

A summary is a brief account giving the main points of something.
Use this four step process to write a summary of a piece of literature, news article, etc

Step 1
Mention the authors’ name,
The title of the piece
The purpose of the article
Identify three key themes or ideas and write them in your own words

Use active verbs. For example:
In the article, How the Elite Rule, John Smith states…
(do not start with I read this....or this article is about..)


Step 2
Describe the three key points and select quotes from the article.
Explain why these quotes are significant


Step 3:
Offer your personal opinion.
Explain why you agree or disagree with the themes or subject.


Step 4
Create an open ended question regarding the article and answer it or,
discuss the article by relating it to something relevant in your life.

Friday Homework


Step 1.
Select a current topic in the National news and locate three articles about the topic from three different media sources.
Summarize the article, or rewrite the lead (who, what when where and how?) Just provide the facts.

Step 2
Identify the sources and explain if articles are slanted to the right or left or are unbiased. Provide two quotes from the articles that show the slant or bias. Also consider the fact; What is similar about all of the articles? What is different? Specifically, how do print and non-print reports vary? How can you explain the differences?


Step 3
Explain what the issue has to do with government and/or policy.
Write your opinion of the news entry and explain why you think the way you do.
Be prepared to share with your class on Friday’s

OBjectivity?


A major goal of news media is to report events objectively. In order to judge the objectivity of different sources, it is useful to look at multiple sources and compare their findings. To complete these assignments, you will need to locate and read many different news items including newspapers. Most are online. Many require that you register (no cost). When you register, record the news source, your user name and password. Have access to these for further use
.
Find multiple sources for your topic. Print out a copy of your report on these resources
1. Print: Newspapers: Local: , National or International:
Magazines: Local, State, National, International
Internet: Reputable agency or organization, Blog
Television: News reports (such as FOX, CBS, CNN, Univision), Specials
Radio: National Public Radio (NPR 89.3), Talk radio

Below is a list of some media sources. If the link does not work, then google in the name and then go to the site
Sources of News
Right Oriented (R)
Left oriented (L)
Moderate or Center (M)

(L) Breaking News and Opinion on The Huffington Post
(M) The Christian Science Monitor csmonitor.com
(R) Breaking News Latest News Current News - FOXNews.com

(L) Democracy Now! Radio and TV News
(M) Newsfront
(R)drudgereport.com/favicon.ico
(L) Truthdig Reports
(M)BBC NEWS News Front Page
(R)World Net Daily:
(L)The Nation Unconventional Wisdom Since 1865
(M)CNN.com International - Breaking, World, Business, Sports, Entertainment and Video News
(R)Reason Magazine
(L)Salon.com - Breaking news, opinion, politics, entertainment, sports and culture.
(M) Associated Press The essential global news network
(R) Right Wing News
(L)Home AlterNet
(M) NPR : National Public Radio : News & Analysis, World, US, Music & Arts : NPR
(R)Daily Kos: State of the Nation
(L) Views - September 2009 CommonDreams.org
(R) NewsBusters.org Exposing Liberal Media Bias

Where to find Community Service

This website lists 632 company profiles for Associations/Non-Profits Companies in Staten Island, New York. Non-profits in Staten Island

http://www.manta.com/mb_53_F0_EQF/associations_non_profits/staten_island_ny


The organizations are listed in alphabetical order
Scan through the organizations
Click one that interests you
If there is no information on the organzation, call and ask
If you find the organization worthwhile or interesting, call and ask for a volunteer opportunity!

http://www.where-to-turn.org/

Select the Student Volunteer DataBase
Look at the various sites and calendar for Community Service
Set yourself up for a community service opportunity
Lots of kids do the snow shoveling for seniors.. print the application and turn in!

More Resume Stuff

Basic Information that Should Be On Your Resume

Your resume is a "snapshot" of you, your qualifications, and your knowledge, skills, and abilities. The purpose of a resume is to give a "down and dirty" quick look at your background to see if it relates to the position you are being considered for. Putting too much information on a resume is almost as bad as putting not enough information on a resume. Your resume must be able to promote all of your knowledge, skills, and abilities in a positive, unique and refreshing way that is different from all of the other candidates. MAJOR HEADINGS (SECTIONS) OF A RESUME I believe there should be no more than about five (5) major headings or sections contained in your resume. No more, maybe one or two less - depending on what you have to offer. Some of the major headings I believe in are your objective, experience, education, community service / volunteer work, certificates / licenses, and/or special skills and training. Let me discuss each section in detail:

OBJECTIVE:
A one-line description of what position you're going for and with what agency. Some people say you don't need an objective. I disagree. By listing the exact job title (taken from the job description) and the agency you're testing for, I think it shows a little effort and personalization. Listing no objective is almost as bad as listing something like "to become a firefighter (and nothing else)."

EXPERIENCE:
Some people like to write employment history or job history or work experience. I like experience because it is short and sweet, and because it can be paid or volunteer experience. Start with your present employer and work backwards (chronological order), not leaving any obvious gaps. For each employer, I like the following information: 1. Name of Employer (Company - not the name of your supervisor) 2.City and State of employer (no street address, no zip code, no phone number) 3. Exact Job Title - this is the title the background investigator is going to verify you held when you worked there. 4. Dates Employed - all you need is the month and date. The exact date will go on the application. June 2002 or 06/02 is sufficient. 5. Duties / Responsibilities - - keep the duties / responsibilities. If you need to save space, eliminate them.

EDUCATION:
This section should be no more than a couple of lines. List any degrees you may possess. You only need to list one or two schools (one to two lines per school). Keep it simple. List the name of the college, the city and state of the college, your degree you received or are pursuing, and your date of graduation or expected date of application.

COMMUNITY SERVICE / VOLUNTEER WORK:
List volunteer work like my experience. List the name of the organization, city and state, what exact title you have, maybe some brief duties (if you have room), and most importantly, a running tally of your total amount of volunteer hours you have performed.

CERTIFICATES / LICENSES:
When listing each certificate or license, you only need three things: 1. Exact name / title (as taken from the certificate or license) 2. Who certified you (as taken from the certificate or license)

SPECIAL SKILLS OR TRAINING:
Do you speak, read, and/or write a second language fluently? If so, list it here.

More stuff for high school students:

List any
Sports you play
Musical talents
Clubs and Organizations
Awards

Writing a resume

How to write a resume

In many ways, the resume objective is the bread and butter of the actual document. Including an objective provides the official introduction to the rest of your text, discussing your career objectives along with the kind of job you’re looking for. It sets the tone for the remaining contenct. Because of this, much attention should be paid to the resume objective.

Things Every Resume Should Have
You will want to layout your resume differently depending on the amount of overall work experience you have, as well as your level of experience in the field for which you are applying. If you don’t have much experience in the specific career field you are applying for, it’s best to detail your past work experience and relate the skills required in your previous jobs to the new job.

I. The Header
a. Should contain full name and all necessary contact information. Employers don’t want employees that are hard to find, so make it very easy for employers to setup an interview. Provide at least one phone number. If you have a cell phone, give that number.

b. Be wary of any email address or website URL you provide. You may be judged on the content of your website or the name on your email address. It’s better to create a generic email account such as johndoe76@gmail.com than use an email such as crazygamer@mysite.com. If your website is a portfolio for your work, it’s fine to include the URL, but if it’s a personal site or side project or business, it can do more harm than good and should probably be left off.
II. Objective or Qualifications Summary
a. More and more professional resume writers are moving away from objectives to a summary of qualifications. A qualifications summary briefly describes what makes you qualified to have the job.
b Objective to convey why you should get the job - your desire, work ethic or other intangibles.
III. Work Experience
a. Always include your most recent work experience at the top.
b. Always include all relevant or related experience, no matter how old.
c. Avoid long gaps in work history. If you have large gaps, try to include a description of any kind of related job or experience during that time somewhere on your resume.
d. If you’ve had many job changes or short stints at jobs, be sure to explain why, such as it was a contract job, relocation or whatever the reason. Never blame the job or previous employer as you could be seen as someone who is difficult to please, even if your arguments are legitimate.
IV. Education
a. Certain jobs take education under consideration more than others. Always try to include full details on your education including degrees and awards received.
b. If you’ve taken any relevant training classes for previous jobs, include them in the education section to beef up your credentials.

V. Skills
a. Many companies have Human Resources staff specifically designated to collect and filter resumes for various openings within the company. Often these workers are not overly familiar with the skillsets and various buzzwords used in your field. It’s important to include as many of the skills that are required for the job as possible. These include knowledge of specific business software, computer skills, even specific tasks that you know the job you are applying for will require.


Format:

Name Phone

Addresss Email

Education What, \where When?

Skills What, where When

Interests/Activities What, how When

Work Experience Responsibilities When Reverse Chronological

References