1. How are political opinions formed? What is the first political event you can remember? Do you know the party identification of your parents?  What people or events influenced your opinions about politics?

 2. Does political advertising manipulate public opinion about issues and candidates? Is this any different from advertising a consumer product? If political attitudes are partly the result of manipulation, does this make a mockery of free elections?   If citizens’ preferences are not freely chosen, what does this mean for democracy?

3. Describe the difference between liberal and conservative ideologies in American politics. Using one social or demographic group as an example, describe some of the factors that may have shaped the ideological orientation of that particular group