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Tasks: Political Parties in the United States

Republican and Democrat campaigners carrying flags with donkey and elephant symbols
Govva: James Boast / CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Understanding the text:

  1. Why do the Republican Party and the Democratic Party dominate US politics?

  2. Is there anything that the two parties agree on?

  3. What are the most important issues for the Democratic Party?

  4. What are the most important issues for the Republican Party?

  5. Can you name a president from each party?

Debate:

Divide the class into groups. Each group focuses on either Republican or Democratic viewpoints. Make sure the number of groups is even, so that the groups can debate each other. (If the number isn't even, this can be solved by having one group debate twice.)

Two groups, each representing one of the two political viewpoints, choose the same issue to research and debate.

After you have done your research, debate the issue using typical Republican or Democratic arguments.

Below, you will find a short list of issues to debate. If you can think of other issues on which the two parties are clearly opposed, you are free to choose another topic.

Issues to debate:

Choose a topic and find out why this is an issue in the United States and what 'your' party thinks about it.
Prepare arguments for the debate.

  • abortion

  • gun control

  • the defence budget

  • climate change and international cooperation on climate change

  • teaching evolution in schools

  • the health care system

  • the death penalty

  • mandatory minimum sentencing

Research:

Choose a task to research. Share your findings with the class. Choose the method of presentation that you think will work best for your topic, e.g. presentation, film, audio-recording, lecture with tasks for the class, etc.

  1. Polarisation is an issue in American politics today. What is polarisation, and why has the United States become so polarised?

  2. In the United States, we see news organisations that support either the Republican Party or the Democratic Party. Find examples of such news organisations, and discuss what consequences it can have when the media does not report the news or portray events objectively.

  3. Research one of the issues that are particularly important to the political parties. Then discuss what you think would be the best way to resolve the issue, and explain which party you agree with the most.

Analyse:

Find a film clip of an official political advertisement from one of the political parties.

Study the advertisement and write a short text where you explain what devices are used to influence viewers to vote for the party's candidate.

You may include:

  • cinematography

  • music

  • voice-over (man or woman, tone, etc.)

  • rhetorical devices

  • literary devices, for example imagery, hyperbole, alliteration, metaphor, etc.

By following this link, you will find a selection of campaign ads from the 2020 presidential election. You may choose to study one of these or find your own. Link to YouTube: 2020 Presidential Election – Political Ads

Create:

Choose one of the tasks.

  1. Make a campaign poster for one of the political parties.

  2. Make a radio advertisement for one of the political parties.

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