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Assignment | Political Typology Beyond Red vs. Blue (Plank): Getting Started

GOVT 2305 | Prof. Matt Plank (Fall 2025)

The Assignment (Research Portion)

Your Goals

  • 6 pages total, minimum : 2 pages for your reflection + 4 or more pages of researched analysis + Works Cited
  • MLA citations - 8 sources minimum
  • Copy of your own political typology report (first page only)
    • Discuss: pick 6 issues and explain how they connect to you -- this is your reflection.
  • Assign a current politician of your choosing to a Pew political typology.
    • Discuss 4 issues to justify how you think they fit that type, using at least 2 sources for each topic.

Read More About the Types

 

Pro-Tip! Research Tip!

These typology labels aren't universal. Focus your research on your selected politicians as liberal/progressive or conservative, and then make the connection to the above typology yourself. 

  1. What are the key facets (characteristics) of each type?
  2. What broader issues relate to those facets? (Environment? Crime?)
  3. How does your politician tend to vote on those key issues? 
    1. This is where you're going to have research a little more broadly on their leanings.
  4. Now, connect that stance on those issues back to one of the eight types. Your paper will revolve around justifying the connection you've made.

PowerNotes

PowerNotes is a research manager that works on anything you can open in your browser. Save and organize quotes as you research so you've got an outline ready to go. The built-in citation tool can export a bibliography.

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Creative Commons License
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