Marcel Election Theory Study Music

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Objectives (1) Students will be introduced to the idea of group ranking in connection to election theory. (2) Students are going to work in small groups and agree upon a group ranking and explain how they logically determined their group ranking to the rest of the class. Overview This activity focuses on having students vote, in small groups, which type of music they would like to be played during group activities and study time. More precisely, it tackles the questions that arise with group ranking. First, each student is asked to individually determine the rank of five music genres. Second, the individual preferences of each student are collected for everyone in the class. Third, the students are asked to determine, in groups, a final rank ordering for the entire class. This activity is meant as an introduction to election theory, and more precisely, group ranking.

Problem Begin the lesson explaining that no matter what music you play in class, you can only please some of the people, some of the time. Continue by explaining that there always seem to be arguments between students about what type of music should be playing in class. In order to solve this problem, you have decided that you are going to put it to a vote. Obviously not all students are going to prefer the same genre of music, so they need to determine the group ranking for the five genres.

Instructor Steps (1) Begin the lesson by discussing the problem with the students. If needed please view the videos under online connections + instructor background to understand the background behind this lesson. (2) Pass out the Study Music worksheet and have each student read it individually. Ask the students if they have an questions about the activity. (3) Have all of the students fill out their individual music preferences. (4) Explain that when each student is done filling out their individual preferences they should write their preference on the board in front of the class. (5) When all of the individual rankings on on the board, have the students form groups of four. (6) After forming groups it is their job to determine an overall class ranking based on all of the individual rankings. (7) When finished, each group should share their overall class group ranking and carefully explain how they made their decisions.

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Materials Study Music" activity sheet Time Introduction of problem (5 minutes), individual work (5 minutes), group work (15-20 minutes), presentations (15 minutes), & discussion (15 minutes). Online Connections + Instructor Background Introduction to Voting Theory and Preferences Tables http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=6rhpq1ozmuQ

Marcel

Name______________________________

Date______________

Study Music

Many students often ask if I can play music during certain parts of class. There always seems to be an argument as to what type of music should be played. In the past I tried to appease everyone by taking requests, but that left out students who might have been less vocal about their opinion. In order to solve this problem once and for all I want the class to decide this together.

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You will need to order the five genres (pop/rock, classical, oldies, country, & R&B) from highest (5) to lowest (1). For example, the following is a possible list of preferences: Pop/Rock Classical Oldies Country R&B 3 4 1 5 2

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In the above example the person likes country the most and oldies the least.

Fun Fact About $3.2 billion was spent on all political advertising on broadcast television in 2012, approximately $1.1 billion of which was spent in the presidential race.

Marcel

1) Please list your preferences for the music genres listed below: ! Pop/Rock Classical Oldies Country R&B Please go to the board and write your individual ranking in the same order found in the table.

2) Complete the table below by filling in the number of people with the following preferences.

Number of People Pop/Rock Classical Oldies Country R&B 1 2 3 4 5 5 1 2 3 4 4 5 1 2 3 3 4 5 1 2 2 3 4 5 1

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Fun Facts Approximately 68 percent of voting age Americans are registered to vote. That compares to 100 percent of Argentinians, 97 percent of Brits, 93 percent of Canadians and 77 percent of South Africans.

Marcel

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3) In your group, determine a first, second, third, fourth, and fifth ranked preference for the entire class. Please write down your preference for the entire class below and include the reasoning behind the method used. You can use any method that you wish, but be prepared to explain the reasoning.

Fun Facts The first official presidential election in the United States took place in 1789 with George Washington becoming the first president. However, only 10 of the 13 states participated in the election, as New York had chosen no electors, and North Carolina and Rhode Island had not yet ratified the Constitution.