Contemporary College Students' Political Socialization

Being a group of youth , the modem college students Since I 990s have turned out to be apractical political power day by day. They have become the focus of the social attention as thepolitical socialization of modem college students is of vital importance to the prospect anddestiny of individual, to the rise or decline and survive or ruin of state. It has been proved thatthe research of the political socialization of modem College students is of great theoretical andpractical significance to the growth of college students as well as the social stability anddevelopment. The paper, guided by the theory of Marxism and based on various fields such asPolitics, Sociology, Social-psychology and Youths Studies, makes an overall study of themeaning, present situation and countermeasure of the political socialization of modem collegestudents. The paper consists of three parts.In part I, after the definition of the connotation of the political socialization of collegestudents, the author lays focus on the analysis of its meaning. The author also points out thatthe political socialization of college students is the process in which the young students at thestage of seeking knowledge, under the help of the given media and tools, gradually accept thepolitical culture, form the specially political consciousness, attitude and belief and finallyproduce Political behavior. As far as the significance is concemed, the author persists instarting from both individual and society, Combines the character of times and makes a fulluse of the method of Marxism-analysis so as to reveal its meaning.In part II, the author elaborates, the present situation of the political socialization of modemcollege students through four important factors (political consciousness, political attitude,political belief and political participation) which determine its essential state. The author holds-2-the view that for modem college students there is something downcast in their high politicalconsciousness, something neutral or unclear in their correct political attitude and somethingweak and divergent in their steadfast political Conviction. They are active and reasonable inpolitical participation in spite of their relatively low level. For each factor, the author analysesthe trail and fundamental character of the development of political socialization of modefncollege students by combining the positivist research with historical research.In partlll, Having analyzed the present situation of political socialization of modem collegestudents, the author probes into four counter-measures on how to promote and optimize thepolitical socialization of modem college students mainly from the angle of social macro-control.He advocates promoting and optimizing the political socialization of modem college students byadopting the following measures such as: strengthening the right theoretical guidance, settingthe new pattern of political education in colleges and universities, optimizing the socialenvironment, tightening up the link of political practice and participation and so on.