Reading topics about Political Sociology I would define it as the interaction of people through the daily functions of citizens in society. It is more about asking the questions as to why we think and behave the way we do in certain situations and how it is linked to political topics. Political Sociology exists in many aspects of our lives. Religion, Class, and Race all interact in society and shape the history, current and future social movements of politics.
The scientific approach in looking at religion and it's development has shown evidence that sociology played a major rule in religious organizations. Different religious groups are easily characterized by the community. One area that brought much attention after 9-11 was regarding the Islam nation of religion. Focus was drawn to the theories and concepts of understanding the religion and the acts brought out in society.<Anthony J Blasi, Sociology of Religion in America: A History of a Secular Fascination with Religion. Numen Book Series. Studies in the History of Religions. Leiden and Boston: Brill, 2014, hbk, ISBN 9789004271005, pp ix + 265>
Manza,Jeff, and Clem Brooks "Class and Politics" studied the number of voters in regard to class and if there has been a decline. Social classes are broken down into three areas high, middle and lower. There is a gap between the Democratic and Republican parties in the sense of class income. In the era of the 1960's the balance of American equality in household incomes started to shift. With the change in opinions on how much the minimum wage should be, the amount of taxes for properties and of course the growing numbers turning to welfare. <http://www.scholarsstrategynetwork.org/brief/does-class-matter-when-americans-vote> <htp://sociology.as.nyu.edu/object/JeffManza>
Agenda Setting Theory - Also known as The Agenda Setting Function of the Mass Media, it was first put forth by Maxwell McCombs and Donald Shaw in 1972 in Public Opinion Quarterly (you can download the full article here). They originally suggested that the media sets the public agenda, in the sense that they may not exactly tell you what to think, but they may tell you what to think about. In their first article where they brought this theory to light their abstract states:
In choosing and displaying news, editors, newsroom staff, and broadcasters play an important part in shaping political reality. Readers learn not only about a given issue, but also how much importance to attach to that issue from the amount of information in a news story and its position. In reflecting what candidates are saying during a campaign, the mass media may well determine the important issues—that is, the media may set the “agenda”of the campaign. <McCombs, M. (2003). The Agenda-Setting Role of the Mass Media in the Shaping of Public Opinion. Scheufele, D. (2000). Agenda setting, priming, and framing revisited: Another look at cognitive effects of political communication. Mass Communication & Society. 3(2-3), 297-316. Media can have a strong influence on what we process in our mind and how it shapes what we think. Julex1524 (talk) 17:14, 14 June 2016 (UTC)