SC Debate Last Night and Primary

I enjoyed the debate last night and linking it to what we all learned in DC. What was particularly rich was how Newt attacked the media and John King for that initial question about Newt's ex-wife and the suggestion that Newt had asked his ex-wife (according to that ex-wife) for an open relationship. Newt must have loved the question really. He attacked King, CNN, ABC and the whole media and finally suggested that the media is "protecting" Obama. The media is/are an easy target since they are so woefully mistrusted and seen as biased and Newt might be laughing all the way to a SC primary win.

Newseum: The Iconic Banner

During my two and a half hour visit to the Newseum on Friday, I came across, what is now my favorite exhibit of the entire museum, the Cox Enterprises 1^st Amendment Gallery. Encased in five glass cases were the five fundamental freedoms, what James Madison called “the great rights of mankind.” The one image that resonated with me most was a sign, hung high above the last case and off to the right:

While taking Dr. Sharkey’s POSC420 Constitutional Law class last semester, we discussed various Supreme Court cases, which included Morse v. Frederick. It was a court case where a high school principal suspended Joseph Frederick for displaying his banner across the street from the school. I found the case interesting because of the Tinker case relation and the outcome of this particular case. The simplicity of duck tape and white paper created this iconic banner. It was exciting to see something, that was so easily made yet had a huge impact on the Supreme Court and it‘s community, up close and personal. Who knew that is all it would take?

Finding Common Ground

I originally wrote this post Friday, but I've just recovered from the trip enough to actually share my thoughts here. :)

During our Friday morning session, we were asked what the most important thing we learned was. After reflecting for a bit, I realized that the most important thing I learned is how gray politics really is. Although I've always understood that there is not only right and left in politics, it has be awesome to see that in person. More often than not, the words of the speakers were not about the "big" issues we think separate Democrats and Republicans, but rather the smaller, more important factors that bring us together. The media tries to tell us that the parties are too polarized to come together. Our speakers did discuss the fact that the parties are very polarized, but that the reason for that resides in the fact the the members of the parties do not correspond with one another. It gives me hope knowing that I heard from speakers of different parties and was able to see common ground in their words. The most important thing I've learned this week is how vital it is for us to show Americans that politics isn't black and white and that although it's okay (and necessary!) to disagree, we must find common ground to move forward!

Blogging at Gate D22

We went to the Holocaust Museum today during our free time. I have been to the institution on many occasions and yet, the exhibits never lose their poignancy or weight. Also, the abundance of information offers something new- whether it be an insight or fact previously unknown- even on the 10th or 11th visit. We spent about two hours there before we went to the White House, and though I would have loved to make it to the FDR Memorial, the HM demands your attention and specific kind of measured contemplation as you walk through. I also enjoyed bearing witness to the reactions of my friends and the discussion during the walk to Pennsylvania Ave.

These are the stairs from the final exhibit. I really enjoy the architecture of this museum - how they mimicked the authoritarian and mechanical feel.

Hall of Remembrance

As I am writing this, we are waiting for a new plane to arrive from Charlotte. As you can see, we are pretty equipped for the delay! Laptop, books and conversation :)

Delayed Reaction

Columbia College students' and company's flight was delayed at the airport around 7:30 p.m. But here's some previous traveling photos. (Top Left: Train - Your seat is now a hot spot./ Top Right: Hillary Owens and Christina - Joy Ellerbe gearing up for a flight to Baltimore, before hitting D.C.

~Christina - Joy Ellerbe

Washington: A Growing Experience

The Capitol at night reflected across the pool

Me, Chantel, Jessica, and Allie in front of the White House

When I first made the decision to go to Washington, I honestly had no clear understanding of exactly what the trip and the seminar through the Washington Center would entail. Coming from a fairly conservative family, I have usually followed the political views understood in my house, and it wasn't until coming to Columbia College that I began to question the foundations on which my beliefs were made. However, the questioning of my stance in the realm of politics has only recently become productive, and the trip to Washington only helped me to both solidify some of my opinions on political issues--such as education and marital rights as well as bipartisanship and the weight of the government--as well as learn how to be a more informed voter by understanding the truth behind the media's influence and campaign financing. 

While political rhetoric can often be overwhelming to the public, and I am no exception to this confusion, I do think that going to Washington and being in the presence of influential individuals in the media, politics, and political science has helped me to unravel the massive knot that is the American political system. Additionally, becoming a more informed citizen in the notion of politics has helped me to think beyond the immediately visible information I receive in other areas of my life as well. Speakers such as Clarence Page and Steve Bell, both journalists who covered extremely controversial subjects for major news outlets in print and television, demonstrated that the products of the media cannot be taken entirely at face value due to influences from bias, whether intentional or not. After my experience in Washington, I will face the world knowing that I have the chance to influence my government, but I cannot "go [ignorantly] into that good night."

Who Controls The Media? Fact or Fiction

This just in: Columbia College Administration was upgraded from Classroom #2 to Classified Room... One comment was made, "We plan to take over and seal the dysfunctional habits of the American government with duck tape." (Top Right: Newsroom in Newseum).

Obviously Congress was not too pleased about this! Are these unhappy faces the result of knowing Cover Ups? Bryant believes change is due but not with the intentions of the Columbia College Administration.  (Top Left/Right: News clippings of various events).

Is this story believable? Perhaps for some Americans it is. Taking images and fragmenting sentences could misinterpret someone's intentions on purpose or by mistake. Ultimately, American's reflections should lie quickly on the concern of whether we understand the Freedom of the Press and if we want Freedom From The Press. (Top Left/Bottom Right: Snap shots from Newseum's displays).

~ Christina - Joy Ellerbe

South Carolina, I think we found you in D.C.

Allie found South Carolina's pillar at the WWII Memorial, while it continued to snow.

The Political Universe: Bipartisanship

I have been in politics for over a decade, having taken a complete interest in several serious issues from a young age. However, one issue that has had a profound presence in the last week is, of course, political parties within the Media. While there are several political parties found within the entirety of the United States, only two stand above the rest; the Republican and the Democratic Parties. This is a common fact nearly everyone in the United States understands, accepts, and usually allows to wholly divide/unite a group of persons.

These two parties have been thoroughly represented through the mass of speakers we have had the fortune to listen and to learn from. From former Attorney General Edwin Meese to Governor Howard Dean, there is no doubt that the Democrats and the Republicans have been duly promoted and discussed. However, as interesting as this bipartisan system is at its most chaotic as seen from the campaign struggles, there comes a sense of detachment from the rising distrust a large majority of Americans have towards the two political parties. I actually had the luck to ask former Attorney General Edwin Meese his views on a possible, and successful, third party. He did not agree with me.

Within the week, there has been a theme; the complete political universe in the United States of America extends from it's center-point; Washington, DC. From that center-point arises the two parties. You are either for, against, or just entirely 'inept' to choose a side. However, during our Capitol tour, reflecting on these cold facts, I began to connect these facts into some sort mess of a theory that I have been striking at for years; a true third party. Considering the Tea Party's success in the 2010 Midterm Elections and the Occupy Movement that has expanded well beyond even my expectations, this week's seminar of politics and the Media has made me more convinced that my interests in the political party system is essential in providing me (and possibly others) a political theory on a third party. This party will not encompass Republican or Democratic ideology, but consist of a union between Independents stripped of their party biases, ready to tell the American political system and the Media that follows it that there is a full change in the tradition of bipartisanship.

When speaking about a third party, I believe most of the speakers have been pessimistic in that a successful new party can arise and not divide either major political party. However, time will tell, and thanks to this wonderful Seminar, I have been able to mold my theory and reflect on how the American political universe will (hopefully) eventually transform drastically.

Deliberate in the Situation Room

Some Columbia College women and Professors deliberate in their very own situation room cleverly called Classroom #2. Why was 2nd Street the best street? Simple, 2nd Street was second to none! (This is when you laugh).


~Christina - Joy Ellerbe

Restricted Area: Justice At Its Finest...

I major in Religion and minor in Philosophy, as well as, Political Science. In my case, going into a politically driven battlefield and expect to create philosophical connections was not likely. Yet, I must say, I have found the most intriguing philosophy on ethical issues of triggers and responses within the conscious of the public, the media, and the politicians. (Left picture: stairs of the Abraham Lincoln Monument).

The politically charged universe is currently one

of the toughest realities to contend in. Said people are constantly looking at what color you are, how you speak, where you come from, what you wear, who are you associated with, who you know, and other surface trivia. For example, there was a young man who wanted to ask just about each speaker of the Seminar a question; though he was not articulate he had substance, credit, and comprehension of his questions and the answers he received. Many people were not impressed by him, rather many used his goofiness as an excuse to mock him in the most discrete sense. I became an admirer of his skill simply because of one rule: Heart, Reason, and Will. (Top Right: Part of the MLK Jr. Monument with the words Moral Universe and Jusitce being highlighted by the picture/ Bottom Right: Powerful words from the Korean War Memorial as it snowed).

Suddenly, I was transported into an experience not of my own. I saw the content of his heart, I saw his reason/logic, and I scanned over his will (determination and guidance). Leaning over to a friend of mine, I whispered, "Now that is someone I don't mind being affiliated with." This young Russian was the start of realizing the thought, what I like to call a unified-political-color-blindness. If you can align yourself with someone, to quickly be transported into their seat, your perspective becomes an existential philosophy, it becomes Justice At It's Finest.

~ Christina - Joy Ellerbe

Watching Political News In the Lounge

European Union Visit

Thus far the Washington Center week in DC has been a wonderful experience and has provided an opportunity to understand a variety of political and media institutions. However, while the focus of the conference has certainly been on American politics, the media, and the upcoming primary election, we were also privileged to tour the Delegation of the European Union where we learned more about the structure and significance of the European Union.

I found this site visit particularly interesting because of the unique international component and because the financial woes currently plaguing the EU make learning about it all the more interesting. The EU is a confederacy of many, but not all, European countries which together make various policy decisions. The majority of member states also share a common currency, the Euro. Currently, the EU has been the focus of much media attention both inside and outside of the United States due to the financial crises within certain member countries and worries regarding the stability of the Euro. While these events may seem far away, they will ultimately impact the US economy due to the strong trade relationship between the EU and the US. The ability to learn about the EU directly from the embassy was one of many learning experiences which I have had this week which could not have taken place inside a traditional classroom, making the Washington trip a unique and valuable learning tool.

~Lindsay Johnson



Communism Memorial?

On Sunday, the day of our arrival to DC, Lindsay and I decided to go to CVS to buy some items for the dorm. On our way back to The Washington Center, we noticed that there is a Communism Memorial. It is dedicated for the one thousand victims of communism. Who would have thought such a memorial would be placed in front a building in the middle of DC?

Hope Diamond

I finally got the chance to go to the Natural History Museum to see the Hope diamond up close.

CC in DC!

Coming into this political communication seminar, I didn't know what exactly to expect. "I enjoy politics and I'll be in Washington DC immediately prior to this seminar anyways for another seminar dealing with science policy, so why not?" Needless to say, I wasn't really sure what to expect. As the week's progressed, I've learned a wealth of knowledge about various opportunities involving politics, the media, and future Washington DC opportunities in the form of internships. We've heard from various speakers in the media as well as directly within the political field. Not only did we get a chance to hear these speakers share with us their triumphs as seasoned professionals, but also we were given the opportunity to ask these speakers questions, time permitting. Although I don't necessarily want to go directly into politics, at least not for now, I feel as if I've gained a better understanding of what this career entails as well as their perspective on media bias and present economic issues. In regards to careers within the media, I know that I don't want to go into a career pertaining directly to journalism or delivering news in front of a camera, but I gained valuable insight into the means by which these professional achieved their professional goals. Ann Compton spoke with us earlier in the week. Little to my knowledge, Ann Compton graduated from a liberal arts college with a degree in general liberal arts studies. Given her success and notoriety, I expected her to have graduated from an Ivy League college with a specific major, so I was pleasantly surprised to hear that she majored, more or less, in a wide range of subjects and she also attended a liberal arts college. I found her response to my question regarding the benefits she feels she's gained from her academic background refreshing, especially since she didn't receive the stereotypical education. This made me more confident in myself as a student at a liberal arts college, similar to Ann Compton when she was still in college.

Although we'll be flying back down south for the winter, I know that I will continue to carry a bit of Washington DC with me, even when I'm back in the science labs and learning in the classroom again. I look forward to seeing how the various lessons I've learned while in Washington DC will continue to positively affect my future, whether or not I decide to go into politics or the media.

Posted by Nikki Atencio

Discovering a New Perspective

When I decided to go on this trip, it was because I loved politics and knew that I would have a good time. But now that I am here, my experience has been much more than good. It has been great. I have had many opportunities to attend seminars and visit places such as: The Capital, Occupy DC, The Delegation to the European Union, and the Democratic National Committee. But more importantly, I have learned a lot through the speakers that the Washington Center has brought in. I have gained so much understanding by listening and comprehending the political perspectives of others. I have strengthened my values through understanding the values and perspectives of others. I have enjoyed this diverse environment where I have been exposed to all different kinds of thoughts on politics and the media. I am so grateful for this experience and  am thankful that I got to discover the different perspectives of the politics in this country.

My Washington Experience

Before entering The Washington Center, I knew what I wanted to get out of this experience and that was learning more about the media, but most importantly I was interested in the lectures about Journalism. The speakers Ann Compton, John Howard, and Clarence Page did a fanastic job of explaining, giving examples, and being honest about the world of Journalism and the media. Listening to these speakers I have better confidence and ideas about my career in Journalism. Also during the week, I learned a lot about politics as I knew little in that area before attending The Washington Center. TWC has done a great job with putting together this opportunity for young adults and finding appropriate speakers for us to relate too. Leaving The Washington Center, I can truly say that this experience is one that has opened my eyes to greater opportunities. Inside Washington is a trip I will never forget!

My Experience So Far!

I have really enjoyed this trip to Washington so far. I have been to Washington so many times in my life, but this is the first time that I learned so much about my country. I am very interested in politics and this has really opened my eyes to how the media plays such a big part in the way that elections take place. The media is a key component to the victory of a candidate. It can either make you or break you. When I say this, I am stressing the fact that the media's coverage is the direct source to the audience that the candidates are trying to persuade. The candidates cannot see every person or shake every hand, so it is important to make sure that a positive image is set. Ann Compton gave me a clear insight on how media sets a tone for presidents. She basically said that one bad incident with the media can ruin your whole campaign. Steve Bell gave us many visual aids to compliment the thoughts of Ann Compton. Mr. Bell showed us videos that showed the media making a fool out of cadiadtes. Since I am interested in politics, I now know that I need to be prepared for the harsh critisms that I will receive from the media.

The Washington Experience: American Dream

Coming to Washington, DC with my fellow classmates, I had no idea of what I was getting into. I knew that I was going to have the opportunity to network and meet new people, but I can say that I have truly learned the inside scoop and the behind the scene positions of many professionals. I have sat in the same room with people that I never would have dreamed that I would see so soon in my lifetime. This has truly been an experience.

I thought that maybe the seminars would be more politically oriented, but the speakers mainly focused on media and media biases. All of the speakers spoke on issues with media and its affect on the political campaign. Some insisted that many of the mediums used today are corrupted by bias activity. They also spoke on the idea of the major transition from print to digital media.

The best points for me were the personal ones that came from one on one conversations. After speaking with both Clarence Page and Stephen Bell, they encouraged me to take that step towards graduate school. The job outlook is very scarce for undergraduates, but no matter your major A Communication Studies students has as much opportunity as the Journalism student.


I would say that the best part is listening to the speakers stories of lifetime experiences and personal obstacles. Everyspeaker may not have the same views as the next speaker, but in some way I can always find a way to relate to each individual speaker. The speakers also never forget to leave out that they also can relate to you and were once in your position. It all goes back to the American Dream, I think... if you can do it, I can do it. I definitely support this idea.

Why Washington? Small reflection

Wow! What a wonderful past couple of days! Of course, we have been listening to some interesting speakers and visiting some great places. When I signed up for this class, I was taking into consideration all of the political communication classes that I have had at Columbia College. Before coming to CC, I was afraid to even enter a conversation that consisted of political discourse. I honestly avoided any sort of conversation. I decided to take Dr. Munsell's Political Communication class in the summer of 2010 and I really felt like I could "kind of sort of" talk politics.... Or at least listen to what was going on and not have a confused look on my face.

Through the MANY political communication classes and working at the South Carolina State House, I decided to sign up to go to The Washington Center to get a different viewpoint. Ironically, I wanted an unbiased opinion. I mean, Columbia College is a liberal arts institution and South Carolina is a red state, so where does that put what I have learned? Wasn't sure. Best place to learn is in the Nation's Capital itself.

I say that it is ironic that I wanted an unbiased opinion about political communication because one of the major themes of POLITICS AND THE MEDIA is bias. We have gotten to hear from right wing individuals (republicans) and what the conservative view points may consist of. We have also gotten to hear from the left wing individuals (democrats) and what the liberal view points consist of. Through talking with the other students, I have gotten to hear that their own personal political orientation may have shifted. I personally feel like I am better informed on why certain people do what they do, based on their political ideologies. I also feel like I can enter the ongoing conversation with more confidence as before.

I hope in the next few hours to do some networking. I would like to do more with The Washington Center later this year. The facilities are nice, the staff is knowledgeable, and the experience might be able to be imitated but not duplicated.

Katlin and Meese

Wednesday night we were given the chance to listen to the former US Attorney General, Edwin Meese, who served closely under President Ronald Reagan. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to him and hearing about things that happened during the 80s.

Keely and Dean

After every speaker students line up to ask questions. Each have to tell their name and where they are from and then the question. Here is Keely asked Howard Dean a question.

Reflecting

CC students are taking over to solve those problems!

Tour of the Capitol

Monica and Meese

Monica asks Edwin Meese a question during Q and A.

W night dinner

Food was great! Company even better!

Wednesday in DC!

I'm sort of working backwards here. W was a long but terrific day. It started with some good lectures in the morning and this highlight for me was Howard Dean. He was wonderful and enthusiastic--and very short. Then we went to the US Capitol for a tour, then dinner at the Hamilton across the street from the National Press Club and then a lecture by Ed Meese, Reagan's Attorney General.

more Clarence

Another pic from this morning!

Thursday's highlight so far

Clerance Page of the Chicago Tribune was, for me, the highlight of the lectures this morning. He was wonderful and several students got to ask him questions afterwards. He seems a great guy and wants to read Hannah Goldberg's senior research paper. :-)

Been Very Busy

We hit the ground running on Monday and have had hardly any free time whatsoever; thus the few blogs. We about about 3 hours of lectures every morning from random famous folks and then small group discussions led by me and Dr. Sharkey and then site visits and more lectures. Been an amazing time so far.

Photo Updates from Washington!

Our 19 Columbia College students and 3 faculty/staff trip
supervisors arrived in Washington on Monday!

Monday was a rainy day in D.C.

Hardy tourists indeed - sightseeing in the sleet!

A little bit of home!

Home away from home for our students and faculty
and staff for the week.

At least they have a kitchen!

We have our first meeting tonight at 7pm and then flying to DC tomorrow. Today is all about packing!!