Voting Habits [interactive graphic]

The Upshot at the NY Times put together a graphic that shows voting rates of different groups.

The big interactive graph is a little busy when all of the data are together but users can narrow down by certain categories which can help you make comparisons between groups. You can see what percentage of the group voted in 2012 but also who they voted for.  If that seems like too much information, try using some of the smaller graphs to make your point.

Interactive Graph: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/06/10/upshot/voting-habits.html

Various Smaller Graphs: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/06/10/upshot/voting-habits-turnout-partisanship.html?_r=0

Cash Welfare in the United States

This summer Marketplace put out a great podcast mini series on cash welfare in the United States.  Not only was the series informative, the accompanying website contained informative info graphics that would be useful in classes.

http://features.marketplace.org/yourstateonwelfare/

When you visit the site, scroll down to the bottom of the page to locate data on your own state. A sample graph is below.

 

It would be great to pair this with readings by some of the sociologists featured in the audio series, such Kathryn Edin or Tressie McMillan Cottom.

Birth Year & Political Views [Interactive Graphic]

Whenever an election is grabbing media attention, student interest peaks. I often talk to students about how social statuses can influence who votes and what types of choices they make.  The graphic makes a nice starting point when talking about this and can also be used in a methods class.

The NY Times produced this interactive graphic about age and voting.  It clearly shows the cohort effect as well as the tendency to grow more conservative with age.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/07/08/upshot/how-the-year-you-were-born-influences-your-politics.html

The current graphic is only for whites > I hope they are able to look at other groups in the future.

Money in Politics [Interactive Graphic]

When I talk about inequality and power with student, we often discuss the role of money in politics.  It can be hard for students to grasp exactly how much money we are talking about but I think this interactive graphic from Slate magazine can help students visualize the issue.

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2015/11/super_pac_money_how_political_groups_are_spending_to_influence_the_2016.html

Check it out!

Are Young People Politically Challenged? [Video + Data + Map ]

Student at Texas Tech interviewed other students about their knowledge of political and historical topics.  They recorded and published the results here:



In the past I have designed a 'quiz' with similar questions but this video may be easier for you to put together.  I use the quiz or video to launch into a sociological discussion about youth and  political action. When talking about the political and power processes that influence youth engagement, I like to draw upon data and resources from  The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement [CIVIC] Check out their website here: http://www.civicyouth.org/

They recently published an interactive map that allows you to look at youth voting rates by state and over time. You can also make graphs.  The maps and graphs have a lot of functionality but the side effect is that the site can feel overwhelming and isn't the most user-friendly so I would not use it for the  first time in class.   However, once you get a feel for it, I think you will see that this is a great way to show students data.Link to Interactive Map: http://www.civicyouth.org/maps/elections/

Laws re: sexuality and gender identity in the U.S., by state [Interactive Graphic]

This interactive graphic allows students to explore legal policies that impact gay, lesbian, and transgender people by state and region in the United States.  Issues covered include marriage, hospital visitation, adoption, employment, housing, hate crimes, and education.

Link: http://www.theguardian.com/world/interactive/2012/may/08/gay-rights-united-states?CMP=twt_gu

Global Corruption [interactive map]

Transparency International has several tools that you can use to teach your students about political corruption.

One of the best places to start is with this interactive map.

You can also look at the data using the table below the map.and take a brief quiz to test your knowledge about political corruption. [My students always love taking these 'no stakes' sort of trivia quizzes in the classroom]

Gender and Emotions in Politics [Video]

This video "The Broads Must Be Crazy - Belittled Women" from The Daily Show with John Stewart mocks the idea that women are overly emotional and unsuited for politics.

Video link

I use this video in conjunction with the resources below to start a discussion about assumptions concerning women's ability to be successful in political positions due to their supposed "emotionality."  I call this section "Policing Powerful Women."

Article: Carlin, Diana B. and Kelly L. Winfrey. 2009. "Have You Come a Long Way, Baby? Hillary Clinton, Sarah Palin, and Sexism in 2008 Campaign Coverage." Communication Studies 60(4): 326-343.

Video: Bill O'Reilly "There has to be a downside to a woman president"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sk9prKSeFN4

Image from http://thesocietypages.org/socimages/2013/02/08/policing-powerful-women-hillary-clinton-and-the-ny-post/


Slideshow of Images: 10 Stereotypes of Women in Power

http://www.thegrindstone.com/2011/10/24/mentors/famous-business-women-role-models/10-of-the-most-annoying-stereotypes-about-women-in-power-337/gallery-page/1/

Demographics of State Legislature[Data]

If you are looking to show your students how politics reflects division of race, ethnicity, and gender, the National Conference of State Legislature has put together some very user friendly data on the composition of state legislators.

http://www.ncsl.org/research/about-state-legislatures/legislator-data.aspx

The above link will take you to a page where you can find information about

• Women in state legislatures
• African American legislators
• Hispanic legislators
• Legislator occupation
• Political party composition

 I like to ask students to find the information on their home states and then I use the information to initiate a conversation about under representation of minorities. 

2012 Presidential Election Exit Polls

If you are looking for information on how social categories influence voting patterns, exit polls are always a good source of information (as well as an interesting talking point in methods courses).

This NY Times interactive feature is a graphically pleasant way to look at some exit poll data.
http://elections.nytimes.com/2012/results/president/exit-polls

Voter Turnout [Data]

Looking to give your students a project where they locate data on voter turnout in elections?

Check out the United States Election Project here: http://www.electproject.org/home/voter-turnout



You can get national and state level data from the site.

Political Typology Quiz [Interactive Quiz]

The political typology quiz created by Pew Research consists of 23 paired statements.  Users select the statement that they most agree with it.  After responding to all 23 statements, PEW estimates the political ideology that best fits each user. The ideologies are PEW's categories of political viewpoints and NOT political parties.  Users can take the quiz individually or compare to colleagues.

Link to the Quiz: http://www.people-press.org/quiz/political-typology/

In addition to starting discussion about Political Sociology, this quiz would be useful in a methods class to take about operationalizing and measuring "ideology". Do students agree or disagree with the way Pew sorts people? Could they improve it anyhow?

Female candidate speech on gender in politics

Watching TV show "Scandal", I found this video of a Congresswoman responds to a sexist interview. I think this would be useful for illustrating ...