United States Government

Unit 3

Government

Assignment

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Interest Group Research

This exercise is designed to help you understand what interest groups are and how they act within American politics. Interest groups play a key role in affecting electoral change through lobbying, campaign funding and engaging public participation.

1.  Investigating Interest Group

Use the first link below to look through an extensive list of special interest groups or you may look through the other groups listed by category.  Choose two of the interest groups to investigate. Then answer the questions listed below for both of the groups selected.

Interest Group Options:

Special Interest Group Political Index

Ecology and the Environment

Greenpeace USA

Nature Conservancy

Natural Resources Defense Council

Sierra Club

Ethnicity and Race

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People

Black Panthers

Mexican American League Defense and Education Fund

League of United Latin American Citizens

Jewish Defense League

Aryan Nations

Ku Klux Klan

Second Amendment and Firearms

National Rifle Association

Hand Gun Control

Violence Policy Center

Labor Unions

AFL-CIO

American Federation of Teachers

National Education Association

Texas Federation of Teachers

United Auto Workers

Women’s Issues

League of Women Voters

National Committee for Equal Pay

National Organization for Women

Pro Life Action League

Pro Choice Public Education Project

Public Interest/Ideology

American Civil Liberty Union

Amnesty International

Consumers Union

Christian Coalition

Citizens Against Government Waste

Center for Voting and Democracy

Death Penalty Information

Justice for All

Marijuana Policy Project

Center for Economic Justice

Public Citizens

Public Interest Research Group

Union of Concerned Scientists

 

2.  After selecting the groups answer the questions below:

  1. Which interest groups did you choose?
  2. What are the main interests of each group?
  3. What segment of the population do they target or represent?
  4. What political interests do these groups have?
  5. If you wanted to, could you join this group?
  6. What kind of participation avenues do they offer?
  7. Does either of the groups offer some kind of incentive for joining or participating? If so, what? Even if they don't, why would some groups do this?

Question #1 is worth 1 point.  Questions 2 – 7 are worth 4 points each for a total of 25.

This assignment must be 400 words or more.  There is a loss of 2.5 points per 40 words below 400.

 

 

You may use this form to submit your assignment

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Assignment # 3
Interest Group Research


 
                                                       

1.  Which groups did you select?

2. What are the main interests of these groups?

3. What segment of the population do they target or represent?

4. What political interests do these groups have?

5. If you wanted to, could you join this group?

6. What kind of participation avenues do they offer?

7. Do either of the groups offer some kind of incentive for joining or participating? If so, what? Even if they don't, why would some groups do this?