Politics and the Internet

The articulation agreement for CIS2 as a transfer credit requires that the impact of computers and the internet on politics be addressed in the course material. So we are looking at political web sites.

When you access a political site, what do you see? What information is provided? How is it provided? Images? Media? Interactivity? What information would you expect to find on a political site - contact information? News updates? These are very subjective evaluations. That is precisely the point. What is YOUR impression?

These sites are now part of the political process, as was clearly demonstrated in the last Presidential election. Whether you vote or not, you can be informed and persuaded or not by the messages on these site. These sites provide what organizers think voters should know. By comparing two, you are thinking about many complex issues associated with the evolution of the political process facilitated by the the internet.

Please note that the assignment has been expanded to include some explicit prompt questions to guide the activity.

Search the web for 2 political web sites - political party, candidate, ballot initiative, etc. Does the site provide useful and interesting information? Is the web site design attractive? Does this site contribute to the political process in a way that was not possible without the internet? Rate the effectiveness of each site on a scale of 1-5. Then provide pros and cons (total of 5) to explain your rating. For example, if you rate one of the sites as a 4, then provide 4 reasons why the site works that well and 1 reason why it didn't get 5 out of 5. Do this for both sites you select. Find one effective political site (4-5) and one that isn't very good (2 or less). Provide your rating and reasons for both sites along with the web addresses, and post your evaluations to the Politics and the web discussion forum.