After wrapping up the three week 2016 RNC class at John Carroll University, I have many things to reflect on. First, I learned a lot. I learned more than I was anticipating on learning. Politics was always second nature to me, so learning about journalism was really cool. I watch, read and share media everyday, but never really gave a thought as to who was behind it, until now.
When I learned I would have to blog in this class I was a little bit intimidated. Being someone who had never even read a blog, I felt hopeless in the beginning. After blogging the first two weeks my confidence and ideas started to build. My self conscious kicked in when I tended to be bias in one of my blogs, which is one of the seven deadly sins as a journalist.
Dr. Swearingen and Dr. Buchanan lead this course wonderfully. Political science and communications do not seem to have a ton of overlap at first thought, but after taking this course I have learned one would fail without the other. Politics would have no publicity and journalist would have no story. Although this Summer course was fast and super condensed, I took a lot away from it. This class gave me the opportunity to be more involved with the RNC than I would have been on my own.
This RNC course has made me think critically about conventions. I think more analytically of the speeches and platforms of the parties. I look more into media and how it is either portraying the truth or a hidden agenda. I realize how hard it is being a journalist and a politician. Due to human nature, everyone tends to sway a certain way on certain issues. The journalists and politicians that can put their own feelings to the side for the greater good of the community gain my highest respects. The most important overlap I would love to see between the two is telling and reporting the truth.
I went into this course not knowing what to expect, and I left this course with more knowledge on subjects I didn't even know I was interested in. I have nothing but the biggest thank you for the professors and my classmates that have shared so much with me over the last few weeks and have given me new experiences and new ideas to think about. Seeing and hearing other people's perspectives and thoughts on things really makes an individual think different. I think about all things from both sides, and try to find an overlap if there is one. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to be a part of the history that was made in Cleveland!
Thank you Caitlin. That is a very moving tribute to your professors and classmates, and much appreciated. I too was a bit worried, going into the course, that the political science students like yourself would not be interested in what I had to teach. But I found that everyone opened their minds to the other side of the course and it all flowed together very well. I'm so glad to hear your perspective on this, and that it worked for you too!
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