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.