First Year Convocation

Election 2004: A Watershed?

 “Bowling Alone: America’s Declining Social Capital” by Robert Putnam

Study questions prepared by Joseph Buttigieg, the William R. Kenan II Professor of English and Fellow in the Nanovic Institute for European Studies:

 

  1. In "Bowling Alone," Robert Putnam observes that the continuing decline in voter turnout in the U.S. parallels not only a general withdrawal from "direct engagement in politics and government" but also a significant drop in civic activity (i.e., membership and participation in organizations, clubs, and associations of all kinds). Do you agree that there is a connection or a correlation? If so, why? If not, why not?

 

  1. Researchers have noted a rapid expansion of "support groups" in the U.S. over the past few decades. Also, nonprofit institutions (e.g., art museums, public radio and television, etc.) and non-governmental organizations (e.g., Amnesty International, Sierra Club, etc.) receive substantial support from the general public. Why hasn’t this translated into a broad range of civic activities and associations that bring people together?

 

  1. In high schools all across the country, large numbers of students participate actively in clubs and associations of all kinds. Many students also devote considerable energy to volunteer work. How, then, does one explain the civic disengagement of all strata of the general adult population (regardless of income or educational level)?  At what point does disengagement start to occur? And why, in your view? (An undergraduate once told me, quite cynically, that students only engage in extra-curricular activities in order to enhance their résumé. Is there any truth to this?)

 

  1. Putnam’s article assumes that "social connectedness” is a good and desirable thing. Do you agree? If so, then what do you believe one can possibly do (at the communal and/or the national level) to encourage and foster it?  If you disagree with Putnam’s assumption, what do you think will sustain social cohesion and the belief in the viability of democracy in the US? (In other words, can democracy as we know it survive the increasing atomization of society?)

 

  1. "Religious affiliation is by far the most common associational membership among Americans," Putnam writes.  Based on your own experiences and observations, do you believe that the churches have an effect on civic engagement?  If so, in what ways? If not, why not? Either way, is it salutary?

 

Study questions prepared by David Campbell, Assistant Professor of Political Science, faculty member in the Program in American Democracy and Fellow in Notre Dame’s Institute for Educational Initiatives.

 

  1. According to Putnam, why is it important for people to trust one another?  What are the social consequences of widespread trust?

 

  1. What is the connection between attendance at bowling leagues and social trust?

 

  1. What does Putnam mean by social capital?  How is it different than physical or human capital?  How is it similar?

 

  1. Why do you think social capital has declined in the United States?  (If you are interested, Putnam has written an entire book on why social capital has declined in the United States, titled Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community).

 

  1. Does social capital have any negative consequences?  Are there trade-offs between more social capital within a community and autonomy for the individuals within that community?   Similarly, can communities have too much trust?  How much trust is too much?

 

  1. How does Putnam’s explanation for declining voter turnout differ from Patterson’s?  Are they in conflict, or are they complementary?