WEEK 5- Discussion 1: Political Representation and Changing U.S. Demographics
Research shows that the demographic makeup of the United States will shift considerably over the next thirty years. However, the demographic composition of the United States government is not representative of these changes.
For this discussion, review the Paul Taylor’s article
The Next America (Links to an external site.)
, https://www.pewresearch.org/next-america/#Two-Dramas-in-Slow-Motion which presents statistics to show how the gender, racial, ethnic, and age composition of the United States is expected to change over the next few decades. Also review the Pew Research Center’s report
America’s Changing Religious Landscape (Links to an external site.)
. https://www.pewforum.org/2015/05/12/americas-changing-religious-landscape/ These resources will give you an overview of the demographic composition of the United States and over time.
Next, review
Congressional Demographic (Links to an external site.)
https://thesocietypages.org/graphicsociology/2012/10/10/congressional-demographics/ (for an audio version click
here (Links to an external site.)
) and this
Washington Post article (Links to an external site.)
https://thesocietypages.org/graphicsociology/2012/10/10/congressional-demographics/ to review the demographic composition of the United States Congress.
After reviewing the resources above, address the following:
- Describe the following:
The current racial, gender, and religious composition of the United States.
How these demographics are expected to change in coming decades.
The racial, gender, and religious composition of the United States Congress. - Compare the demographics of the United States population and the United States Congress by summarizing any similarities and/or differences.
- What are the potential consequences of the demographic composition of Congress not matching the demographic composition of its citizens? In other words, what problems may occur if the makeup of the members of Congress does not match the racial, gender, and religious makeup of the citizens?
For additional assistance with this part of the question, please review the following resources:
- Read the article The Uneven Presence of Women and Minorities In America’s State Legislatures – And Why It Matters (Links to an external site.) https://thesocietypages.org/ssn/2012/11/12/minority-representation/
- Listen to this podcast (Links to an external site.) https://thesocietypages.org/officehours/2016/03/02/lois-lee-on-recognizing-the-non-religious/ discussing the social science implications of a non-religious identity
Or read one of these articles: Lois Lee on Non-Religion (Links to an external site.) http://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/podcast/podcast-lois-lee-on-non-religion/ or The Nonreligious are Britain’s Hidden Majority (Links to an external site.)
Your initial post should be at least 250 words in length. Support your claims with examples from the required material(s) and/or scholarly resources, and properly cite any references