NOTE: If you are short on time, watch the video and complete this See, Think, Wonder activity: What did you notice? What did the story make you think? What would you want to learn more about?
SUMMARY
Political scientist Robert Putnam has spent decades studying divisions over race, religion, culture, wealth and how we might find our way back to a more unified nation. In this segment of Judy Woodruff's America at a Crossroads, Putnam discusses his idea that increasing personal isolation has led to our current political instability, and how community organizations can help solve the issue.
View the transcript of the story.
Key terms
News alternative: Check out recent segments from the News Hour, and choose the story you’re most interested in watching. You can make a Google doc copy of discussion questions that work for any of the stories here.
WARM-UP QUESTIONS
- Who is Robert Putnam, and what is his background?
- What is the main idea about politics in America in Putnam's book, "Bowling Alone"?
- How does isolation and loneliness lead to political extremism, according to Putnam?
- Why does Putnam think our current politics is like the "Gilded Age" of the late 1800s?
- When did isolation from community begin to change in the U.S., according to Putnam's book, "The Upswing"?
FOCUS QUESTIONS
In this segment, author Robert Putnam offers one theory, or central idea, about the reason politics in the U.S. has become so divided in the U.S. in recent years — that people have become lonely and isolated, and that leads to distrust.
- What is your theory? Why do you think politics today in the U.S. is notable for its "growing isolation, distrust, inequality and political discord" as Judy Woodruff describes it?
- What do you think can be done to counter this isolation and distrust?
Media literacy: Do you know what non-political organizations in your own community exist to bring people together to solve problems? How could you find out more about them?
WHAT STUDENTS CAN DO
Part of author Robert Putnam's theory of U.S. politics as described in this segment is that by the early 20th century, community organization to solve problems helped to end an era of isolation and paranoia in politics.
Learn more about that time using these case studies from Journalism in Action, our site dedicated to using primary sources to understand how the public learned about historic events. Read through one of the following case studies focused on the late 19th/early 20th centuries:
Find 2-3 examples of the public learning about injustice and working together to solve a problem. Do you think these examples support Putnam's theory? What are some of the ways the examples you chose reflect problems or challenges that still exist in the 21st century?
Fill out this form to share your thoughts on Classroom’s resources.
