Hi, everyone! Welcome to the Fall 2014 POLS 220 blog. In order to comment below, you will need to follow the simple directions for setting up a name/account on blogger.com (it's free). And you need to comment to get the easy 4 points that each blog assignment can be worth. You get half a point for anything, and grades increase in .5 point increments based on the criteria I list below.
For this first assignment, you should address a simple question: should departments (let's say journalism, but if you're in another major, you're welcome to use that) require students to take POLS 220? Be sure to consider the benefits of studying state and local government, but also the tradeoff between this requirement and some other course that you might not take because you have to take POLS 220. Is there another course outside your major that your major should require instead of POLS 220? If so, why? In answering the question, feel free to use lecture material, your own considered views, and, especially, any outside sources you wish to bring in. You get half a point simply for signing in to the comments section. You can earn up to 4 points (pretty rare) for this week's assignment by providing more substance. Better answers will be well-developed (though they need not be long), will consider the comments of your colleagues (it's OK to disagree with one another; just don't be disagreeable!; and it's OK to respond to comments after others make them. Better answers may also bring up outside sources (feel free to leave a link).
Good luck on this assignment; it's due by 2:00 pm on Wednesday September 3. If you have problems with it, please email at berchnorto@msn.com Good luck!--Neil Berch
As a Television Journalism major I do believe it is imperative to learn about the government. To start, if we do not fully understand our first amendment, then truthfully we should change our major because that is what grants us the ability to do nearly 90% of what our job entails. However I do not believe journalism majors in general specifically need to take POLS 220. Students of the Reed College of Media are required to take JRL 428, Media Law and Ethics. A class that currently is discussing the topic: Why should the media care about law? In greater depth we’re discussing precedents that hold great value to journalistic endeavors, reviewing the American court system, and going over the 6 types of law U.S. citizens adhere to. All of this is coming out of a mere two full non-syllabus covering classes. That all being said the class as it is currently going seems to hold a large amount of overlap with the average POLS classes. If journalism students are already required to take Media Law and Ethics, then taking another class that virtually deals with the same things, yet is less tailored to journalists specific use of such material seems to be a waste of time. While as an aspiring journalist I believe some of the material covered in POLS220 such as the varying political cultures could come in handy, I fail to see how that could not be covered in a JRL428. For journalism majors I believe a class dealing with current events would be far more beneficial than essentially two political science classes covering the same types of material. Journalism does involve the past which has allowed us to evolve into what we are today, however it also is very much so associated with the present. Many students who want to become the sources of current events one day are so wrapped up in their studies of the past that they are missing the events happening right now due to a lack of hours in the day. Omitting POLS220 and replacing it with a current events class for journalism majors would eliminate the repetitive information and be more beneficial in the long run.
ReplyDelete-Jordan L. Crammer
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ReplyDeleteAs a Buisness and Economics Major POLS220 is an important class to take. The government plays a role in everything we do in our lives no matter what it is. Learning about the decisions they make and why is a good skill to learn. First off, the government affects the economy and all the businesses in it. They control and stabilize the economy by their best opinions and assumptions. For example the economy was hitting recession so the government had to act in order to keep stability, they chose to bail large companies out for the greater good. Why these decision were made over other choices is something that maybe POLS220 could help answer. Second, the government imposes tariffs, property taxes, and sales taxes that will greatly affect numerous amounts of businesses. Knowing more about these laws and regulations could help a business succeed. Loans, aids, and deals are created for all sorts of industries and corporations all from the government. Another example would be price ceilings, floors, varying taxes all created by none other than the government. Industries need to follow laws and regulations in order to operate. The economy can be altered in an instance by the government so I feel that it is very important to learn more about this entity that influences so very much. The economy has large ties with the government so I feel that POLS220 is an important class to take. Uncle Sam influences everything in our lives so why would the economy be any different ?
ReplyDeleteI think that classes such as POLS220 should be required regardless of one's major. In high school, many of us aren't really taught the intricacies of government or why a lot of it is important. In fact, we aren't taught about a whole lot that actually matters in the real world when we absolutely should.
ReplyDeleteAs a strategic communications major, I respectfully disagree with Jordan Crammer's comments about POLS not being necessary for those taking JRL 428. Depending on what kind of journalism one is going into, detailed knowledge about what is being taught in this class is needed. It shouldn't just be about the law and how it relates to the media. A big part of journalism (at least in my mind) involves muckracking and exposés. How would one know a corrupt government if they don't know what a non-corrupt government looks like?
I don't think POLS220 should be replaced with a different class simply because it not only lays the groundwork for what a government should be, but also allows those who don't know much about the real world to learn.
You're right about not thoroughly being taught about our own system of government in high school. While we learned the basics and can spit out memorized facts and dates, it's incredibly important to understand the history, laws, and overall way the system of our own country works in order to be active citizens.
DeleteGood post, this class gives us the knowledge to know about how the government works. It is something that we can always apply to our life. I do agree that we were never really taught much about how the government works and this class gives us the chance. I also disagree with Jordan Crammer's post, one should know how the government affects you on a daily basis not only how the media relates to law.
DeleteThis course, POLS 220, should be required for all majors because being informed about your state, and especially local government, can help promote change. The only exception that I think that should be made is if a major requires a specific class, as Jordan Crammer stated about his journalism requirements, that covers similar material only more relevant to their subject. As a social work major I find it extremely prudent to be taking this class. Many social workers, who work for the government, work hand in hand with many legislators, policymakers, and others to maintain an overall well being of the people they are representing. Knowing more about how government works will allow myself and other social workers be more successful at our job. On the front page of the Congressional Research Institute for Social Work and Policy it clearly states that social workers have to go through several hoops to figure out just how to get the support of the legislators,(http://www.socialworkreinvestment.org/). The National Association of Social Workers even states that it is our job to be the voice of the people who are most vulnerable and promote societies rights(https://www.socialworkers.org/pressroom/features/issue/advocacy.asp). This course can help build a better understanding of how the government works making it easier for social workers to get their policy changes supported.
ReplyDeleteFor those who are complainers, basically everyone, and care enough about something, taking this class will also prove beneficial to them as well. If a person wants to complain about pot holes and the unsafe conditions of road paving in Morgantown, the first question they are going to ask themselves is, who do I talk to about this? Probably on the second or third day of class we reviewed who we could and we could not actually get in direct contact with when it involves government officials. As the professor stated some of those people none of us could get a hold of, unless they were a relative of some sort. We reviewed who we could get in touch with, most of us said we couldn't get in touch with the major. Professor Berch corrected us and informed us that in fact we could get in contact with the major or Morgantown. Topics like this are important for every member of a community to know, its our right to know, and we should take full advantage of it.
Emma,
DeleteI completely agree with your post. I believe all students should be required to learn about their state and local governments because then they will be informed and educated enough to make changes if needed. I also agree that students should not be required to take this course if they have a course that covers the same information more closely related to their major.
As a Political Science major, obviously POLS 220 should be required for me. However, other majors who require the course are making the right decision. People can often feel detached from or find it hard to get involved with the federal government. State and Local government bodies are much more realistic for the average person to have a voice in. POLS 220 teaches everyone about these bodies and presents opportunities to be heard. I am currently taking an SEP class as a GEC even though I am a Poly Sci major. On the topics in that course is called “Sport and Politics”. So even in two worlds so distant apart like sports and politics, they still find common ground. For any social science major such as Sociology or Psychology, learning about the workings of government so close to home is important to see how people interact with this entities. Even if your career never touches politics, politics touch everyones life. Learning about the workings of government is never a bad thing and can always be useful. As long as this class is relevant to your major, I fell it doesn't matter what class you are missing out on.
ReplyDeleteMy major is secondary education social studies, so it is very necessary that I take this political science class. Although my passion is mostly for history classes, as a social studies teacher I need to be prepared to teach classes such as: political science, geography, economics, and many different history classes. I also enjoy learning about state and local government because I am able to relate so much information from past and present governments in other countries. When we were learning about individualistic, moralistic, and traditionalistic political types in class it was extremely interesting and nothing I have ever heard in another class before. I do not feel that I will be able to give my students the best education unless I am also educated as much as possible. Also, when we talk about things such as federalism and a sense of nationalism I have already heard things like these and can relate it to so many times in history. Of course my major should require other courses for my major but not at the expense of Pols 220, this class is definitely necessary. I know not every may need or require a political science class, however, it is so much better when people know and understand what is going on in their country and how things work. If everyone was require to learn a little bit about our government there would probably be a lot less confusion and a lot more educated people! Here is a link just stating some of the classes that social studies teachers are required to teach.
ReplyDeletehttp://teach.com/what/teachers-know/teaching-social-studies
I agree with you Breanne; when you say you haven't heard about the political types because I haven't either. I believe I will learn a lot of information in this course that I never knew before.
Delete-Saydi Whiteman
It is common as a Television Journalism major to question how relevant this course was to our major. However, just after a few days of being enrolled in Political Science 220, I believe there are many benefits this course has to a major like mine. Although journalists can write about anything, politics is without a doubt one of the most influential topics in our society, therefore I strongly feel it is essential to be enrolled in such a course where the focus is our government. What I believe is the biggest benefit of studying both state and local government for journalists, is that we get to learn how to handle debates on major problems and also how we learn to resolve them. Regardless of which type of government you are learning about, state or local, there are endless amounts of problems and issues that need to be solved. As a journalist, I strongly feel that I will one day run into similar problems, problems as simply as picking a side of an argument, by weighing out the pros and cons, similar to what politicians do to one another when they are in a debate. Another benefit to learning about both state and local government is learning about the amendments. As a journalist, my profession is to say what I want, then write about my opinion, which goes back to the first amendment, giving us the right to freedom of speech. Quite honestly, I do believe this course is much more beneficial than Political Science 102. This is because Political Science 102 focused more on issues in politics that were way out dated, which is why I feel that course served no benefit to anyone in the journalism major. Because Political Science 220 focuses more on current politics, I strongly feel that there is not any other course outside my major that would benefit all journalism majors like this course does. As I stated before, this course gives the best of both worlds… our past views on politics and our current views on politics therefore I feel confident about this class helping me in the future as a journalist.
ReplyDeleteMolly,
DeleteI completely agree that this course serves television journalism majors a lot better than 102. I was completely bored in that class, and it seemed like an extension of the History 152 and 153 classes that we had to take. Having already taken them when I took 102, I breezed through it and didn't learn anything new. However, I have already learned things in 220 that I could apply directly to assignments I'm being given in other classes, in my major, and also in real life.
As our generation is quickly getting older, I believe that it is our responsibility to be as well informed about our countries way of governing as possible. I think it is important for all of us to have a good understanding of how the whole process works, therefore, I do believe that taking Pols 220 is beneficial for everyone, no matter the major. We are quickly approaching the time where we will be the leaders of this country, whether it be in our government, in our schools or in big businesses, it is crucial that we are knowledgable.
ReplyDeleteAs far as my major is concerned, it is very important to really know the information being taught to me in this class. I am a Secondary Education major with a specialization in History. When I graduate, I will be certified to teach many forms of Social Studies, one being Political Science. The material being taught to me in this class could potentially be used in my own classroom one day. Therefore, I think that this class should be mandatory.
Chelsea N. Flanery
This political science class is required for my major, social work. I honestly have no interest in classes like this and sometimes it's hard for me to understand certain topics completely. However, I do understand why this course is a requirement for the social work program. The state and local government creates many of the social work jobs and deal greatly with social work and social welfare policies. Each state is different with their social welfare policies; for example, how long people can receive help and how much money they receive a month. When we learned about different political cultures, and what some states were (individualistic, moralistic, traditionalistic) I thought this could help me in understanding why states have certain social welfare policies. I feel that a lot of topics I learn about in this course will help me throughout my career in social work. I do not know any other courses I would/could be taking that would give me as much information pertaining to social work as this course will; other than all my other required courses.
ReplyDelete-Saydi Whiteman
I agree with you that this isn't my first choice for classes, but I feel it is necessary and it teaches important things I should know or should have known already as a college senior. It's important to understand how the government works not only as part of our majors and studies, but because it's something we take an actual part in and it influences many lives and history.
DeleteAlthough my major does not require me to take POLS 220, I think there are certain majors where this course is very important. In my opinion, majors such as journalism and business should be required to take this course. There is a wide variety of choices in the journalism career, but politics is a very popular topic in this field. I think it is very important for journalism majors to have this background for their writing in the future. Also I think it is very important for business majors to have this course because politics play a big part in all businesses. The economy is changed constantly because of decisions made in the government. However, as a nursing major, I do not think this class should be required for me. Although I don’t know much about political science, I do not think that this course is necessary for my future.
ReplyDeleteI am a journalism student and the Reed School of Media requires its students to take this course in political science. Now, I could go the easy route and say that the dean of the college wants us to well-rounded students who are well versed in many aspects of adult living, but that’s not the main reason I feel taking this class is necessary.
ReplyDeleteIf I didn’t have to take this class, I wouldn’t because I feel anything I would need to know about politics I would look up or learn along the way in my career as a journalist. My plan is to shoot and edit sporting events for a living, and I don’t foresee any scenario in that job where I would need to know the difference between a Unitary System of Government and a Confederacy. However, I cannot live my life without trying new things and stepping outside my comfort zone once in a while. There may be important life lessons within the course material that can apply to any job.
To me, political science is a study of behavior; the behavior of individuals, groups and communities. Though I may not remember every detail of Marbury v Madison, learning of Marshall’s clever decisions that established the precedent of judicial review left an imprint in my mind that one must keep their eyes open to opportunities to make changes in their careers. Before this court case, the judiciary branch had little power and many court cases were won in favor of the states. Marshall’s actions turned the tables on the states and gave some much needed power to the judiciary, thus bringing some balance to the distribution of power in our government. Many other lessons can be learned from information we will go over in this class. It’s like what was mentioned in lecture today, math taught us that there are an infinite number of points on a line, and so there are an infinite number of government styles a nation can adopt when it comes to categorizing it by how power is distributed between state and federal governments, and how much power lies with the citizens.
I have one final comment. Journalist will cover a wide variety of stories during their careers, and they are likely to cover a political story because those stories include the factors of a good headline story (prominent subject matter, timely occurrence, human-interest stories, conflicting or controversial issues, and close proximity). So it may be prudent for a journalist to understand the basic mechanisms and inner workings of their local, state and national government so as to have a better understanding of politicians they may have to interview or write about one day.
Tristan,
DeleteI admire your statements about not remembering all the facts in law cases, but applying the principles from them to our careers (I'm in the Reed school, too). I agree that it's important to know how the world works, and also that we may need to know about politics. I also work in sports with the university and have had to know something about politics, as sports and politics are related whether we see it or not. Also, mentioning that five aspects of a relevant story are all included in politics make it easy to see why a journalist definitely needs to know at least the basics, which this course will teach us.
I am a journalism student with an emphasis in PR. The Reed College of Media requires my major to take this course. Even though this isn't my choice or favorite class to take, it will definitely help out with my major. Politics come up with a lot of real life situations and PR especially with different campaigns and events. Current events play a big part with public relations and crisis management. I probably won't go into a field with PR politics or anything to that sort because it's not my favorite field to learn about, it will definitely come in handy. Also, having some education on the state and government is always a plus because it's always nice to know what is going on within the world and local issues. The government plays a big role in our lives and it'll be a great aspect to carry with me and my future endeavors.
ReplyDeleteKarli,
DeleteI am also in the Reed College of Media and have to take this course. I am Strategic Communications with an emphasis in Advertising as opposed to PR, but i can agree that although this isn't my top choice for a class to take the information we learn is important in our lives and possible career paths. I think that having this course will benefit us later on in life whether it be directly with work or just in having the knowledge to give us a better understanding of how our government actually works. Although i don't want any part of politics, these basic level courses are very useful in giving us a grasp on the system as a whole which i believe will come in handy later on.
As an Accounting major, I believe everyone should be required to take this course. Honestly, at first I thought it was pointless and had nothing to do with my major, but after actually putting some sort of thought into it, it's really worth the time. Everyone needs to know how the governmental systems work on a local and national level. Everyone also needs to know what is going on in their city, state, and country. Many people are not interested in politics, but they should be, in order to understand why things are the way they are. Many do not understand the effects of certain bills and why they have been voted into law and so they mindlessly complain about such things on the internet or in general conversation. If these people would even just read about the effects on the internet (or in our case, go to class), they would be more educated on these issues and would understand why they're happening. As uninteresting as it may be, politics take a massive part of our daily lives and everyone deserves to know what's going on in our country.
ReplyDeleteHaving a background government I feel is essential in any major. Understanding how your local, state, and national government work will allow to build a better career. I am majoring in business an economics and our government regulates business, therefore in order to run or work for a business knowing the system is key. As well being up to date with current issues and how they will affect your business, positive or negative. Along with which political candidates will support these issues and your business.
ReplyDeleteI am a Television Journalism major in the Reed College of Media. Political Science 220 is required for my major, and I think that anybody majoring in the liberal arts should be required to take it. Medical students take medical law classes, in which they're informed of the precedents and laws that will affect them when they are in the workforce. Other majors that don't/won't work specifically with the law or politics probably can get by with the knowledge they learned from classes in high school.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, I don't think that all majors should require this class, but for Television Journalism it is imperative. Journalists gain their rights from the government and the Bill of Rights. If it is true, there's not much information that we can't put out there. However, knowing your rights and the precedents that were set beforehand are very important. As Jordan Crammer mentioned in her post, the Reed College of Media also requires all students to take Journalism 428, which is media law and ethics. While we are learning about the rules that we must follow, we also need to know the way these rules were made. There is definitely a way to "think like a journalist", however, it's also important to "think like a political scientist". Both require looking into detail and figuring out why and how things are happening and making conclusions from those events. You can never be sure when, as a journalist, you will be thrown into something dealing with the political world. We talked in lecture about why WVU let in so many out of state students, how geography matter, and how the culture of the demographic you are talking about always matters (Idaho v. New York women senators, voter turnout, etc.). Even if you're covering sports or entertainment there will be a time when you have to deal with an athlete's court case, or the legality of Sarah Palin being paid to tape her own television show during her campaign.
For me, there is no tradeoff, because I am already taking filler classes, since I got ahead in high school. However, if the school was to require another class, I would up the foreign language requirement to four semesters instead of two. I think that knowing a second language is a huge barrier between today's journalists and successful careers.
This blog is kind of long, but I read it for another class, and it's worth it. It shows the bias that political journalists use when they don't know the political system and the ideologies of the system. This article is why journalists should have to take political science courses.
http://pressthink.org/2012/08/everything-thats-wrong-with-political-journalism-in-one-washington-post-item/
I do feel that the department of strategic communication should require students to take Pols 220. Although there are a plethora of other course that would seem more critical to the success and of more interest in the field I wish to go into. Knowing the basics of local and state government will give me valuable information to use and keep me away from trouble. It is without a doubt critical to understand the way the government works when embarking on any career. Some may call for more than others or may call for knowing more specific knowledge such as for my choice career of communications. For example knowing the 1st amendment is crucial in regards to speech and press which is a huge part to the field I intend to break into post college. Most of my knowledge in this area has come from the class JRL 428 which is required and is a core class for my major. This ethics and law class which also plays along the same lines as this Pols 220 class with a much deeper ethical debate is very useful for the field of communication. With that being said I personal believe it should be a choice between this class and other Political Science classes. Although this class is pivotal in understanding how government essentially works and operates on basic terms I feel its most of the common sense that is often times over looked which is good it brings those topics to light. However, there should be the opportunity to choose other Political Science classes to get a well rounded knowledge of the subject.
ReplyDeletePart 1 of 2: I'm glad you asked this question. I'll be graduating this year with a BA in Advertising, and I'm honestly very frustrated that I have to take this course. The other day we were talking about Marbury V Madison, and I almost walked out of the class. Not because you (professor) weren't entertaining or teaching the information in an engaging way (you're hilarious), but because I was infuriated that I had to "learn" about Marbury V Madison for the 5th time in my educational career. I first learned about it in 7th grade, then in 8th, then in 10th, then in 11th, then last year in my American History 2 class. How many times do I need to know bout the writ of mandamus? And each time, the point or application of learning it has not changed. Therefore, I have not learned anything additional since that initial time in 8th grade. Maybe if every time I was taught about it, a layer of depth, of difficulty, of challenge, or of critical thinking was added, I'd understand why I had learn it. For this topic to be repeated over and over in the most shallow, mundane way, and then for it to be implemented in a class that's a requirement for my major, which I will probably never use, is extremely frustrating. If you're going to call it a college class, nevertheless force me to take it, at least provide a challenge or a layer of depth to a topic that has been beaten into me over and over and over.
ReplyDeleteAnd I understand, we have to begin at the beginning to understand what we will be learning in the end of this course. But even then, I looked at the syllabus all the way through May, and I've already learned about many of these topics in previous classes. I think it's a flaw in the education system that they think giving us an assortment of various topics as "requirements" or "gen-eds" will produce some kind of "well-rounded" individual. Why would you want to produce thousands of students who take the easiest level of these bullish*t classes, only to slack off and cram right before a test, only to forget the information a week later? Why wouldn't you want to form a system of education where almost every course provides a hands-on, in-depth, challenging learning experience? Therefore producing students who actually have a shot in this competitive job market because they really, truly are *experts* in their field?
Part 2 of 2: Not to discredit State & Local, I definitely think it's important for a variety of majors to understand the topics we will learn. And I'm sure if I took the final right now, even though I've already "learned" much of what is on the syllabus, I'd probably fail. Because I didn't learn, I just did what I had to do to pass. But when it comes to making informed voter decisions about MY state and local government, there are a multitude of ways I can educate myself rather than wasting my time in a class. Even within my required major courses, class after class is repeating the same shallow, often outdated information. How about some upper level design courses as requirements? How about a required agency internship? How about required courses on developing interactive media, developing apps, emerging social trends, advanced digital design, producing innovative strategy and creative content? Colleges should be like magnet schools. It's just frustrating because maybe if colleges spent less time on producing "well-rounded" students and more time on producing real experts, less young adults would have to shovel out tens of thousands of dollars for a graduate schools, more young adults could enter their desired industries right away, and I'm sure there would be some ripple effect on the job market, the economy, and the depressing outlook for our generation's economic future. I'm well aware that this turned into a sort of rant, and I will be the first to admit that my opinions can definitely be wrong, but I just wish I could walk out of college with a resume that says, "Hey, look at all of my internships and hands-on experiences and critical problem solving skills and this innovative creative content I've produced" instead of, "Hey, I took Intro to Concepts of Math, Geology 102, State & Local Government, and ULIB (are you kidding me), so I can add, tell you about the difference between the Scientific Theory and a Hypothesis, and I know how to use the WVU library." I'm sure there are plenty of other students who would agree that for some of us, college isn't about getting a degree, but about entering our fledgling "real world" careers with even a shred of confidence that, up until this point, we have been groomed by our high level institutions to be a force to reckon with in our desired fields.
ReplyDeleteSo your response basically blew up my phone. It's the best blog assignment answer I've ever gotten! I don't agree with all of your rant. I think employers are actually looking for some of that liberal arts education (not that you'll be asked in a job interview to explain a writ of mandamus). I think your most important points are that we don't coordinate what we require (across disciplines and across time), that we often don't teach it in a way that helps you to remember it beyond the test, and that maybe some of what we require is self-evident (though there is the problem that WVU students come with a variety of educational histories). Thanks for your contribution. I look forward to others commenting, and I'd be happy to talk further in person (I promise I won't walk out either!).--NB
DeleteMany people in my opinion do not realize that government is there to help and assist them in their daily lives, instead they see it as a threat to their lifestyles. This is due mainly to the lack of education or perhaps a misguided education on government. Government, especially on the local level, is arguably the most influential, of the three layers of American Federalism, on our day to day lives. For example, we would not have local parks or public transportation if it was not for local government. Furthermore, communities would be uniform if the state or national governments ran them because they could not focus on just that one community. Moreover, local governments help set up a local identity whether it be good or bad and it is very important as a citizen to be involved. In theory, as local citizens of that government, the people will decide what is best for the community, and if a few people are truly participating in local government then the local identity may not accurately reflect that community. Therefore, not participating will ultimately have a negative affect on yourself. The same applies on a state level except on a larger scale. So to answer the question about whether or not it should be required for say a Journalism major is no because the credit hours could be spent furthering your knowledge on your major, however it is very important that you self-educate yourself about state and local governmental policies and procedures.
ReplyDelete- Matthew Pennock
West Virginia University prides itself on the myriad of majors it offers its students. Many incoming freshmen step foot on campus with an undeclared major in hopes of finding their niche after a year of general electives, and most do. While I believe that these courses serve as a buffer for those students to filter through their interests during their first year, I also believe that for those of us who have already established a general direction in life we intend on pursuing, their primary purpose was best served in high school: where we had not yet made such declarations. As an Advertising major, I established my own personal passion for writing long before I had graduated from high school. I knew I was good at it, and for that simple reason, I chose to pursue it. Now here I am, three years into college, and for whatever reason, the majority of my tuition money has been spent on unwonted courses such as “Geology” and “German” —two subjects that couldn’t be of less pertinence to my field of study. In the grand scheme of things, roughly 18 of the 79 credits I’ve taken have been major requirements, 12 have been minor requirements, and the remaining 49 have been general electives. Now I understand the university’s attempt to create a plethora of “well-rounded” individuals, but there’s a fine line between “well-rounded” and “information overload”. Instead of retaining and utilizing the material that’s being taught in these general electives, I’m focused on beating the system. Memorizing arbitrary facts, for assignments exams that will simply be buried and forgotten the moment I exit the classroom. Which is not to say that I do not value your course and the interworking’s of this country’s governmental system. I simply wish to learn more about my own chosen field of study.
ReplyDelete-Elise Coleman
Elise,
DeleteI agree with your statement that we are just trying to "beat the system", seeing as I'm a broadcasting major, and have taken only six classes in the journalism school as a current junior. However, I don't agree that you can't learn something from these general courses that we are made to take. Since my freshman year, I have seen things fall into place as a result of taking journalism and general classes at the same time. For example, in Media Law and Ethics, we are learning about the court systems and the laws that govern our professions. We are learning the background of these decisions and laws in this class, POLS 220. I am also hearing terms in my econ class that I need to know for my broadcasting packages focused on economic development, and learning about how our languages were formed in my humanities elective class that affects how I use the terms in my writing. So, while I do believe that maybe German is a waste of money, I do think that as professionals in writing and broadcasting in many different areas, and in order to help people (as in advertising), we should have a background in these sorts of classes.
In 2012 (the first year most of us could vote), only 58.2% of the population eligible turned out to vote in the election. (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-p-mcdonald/turnout-in-the-2012-presi_b_2663122.html). Given how many people do not take the opportunity to exercise this right, whether due to apathy or lack of knowledge about candidates, I do feel that we should be required to take this class no matter the major you are in. I am political science, so Pols majors should especially be required to take the class. You can't and shouldn't spend four years learning about politics and not take a class dedicated to the state's governments. The class gives people a great insight into the balance of power that was established by our states being given certain powers that prevent us from living in a country with a federal government holding all of the power. Our government was formed with the democratic ideal of direct participation of the citizens to help elect representatives that will run the country how their constituents would want and without a knowledge of how our states work and operate in their respective legislatures, people can live very uninformed lives. No matter the major that you are in, a knowledge of the workings of the state governments is key to being a well informed and active citizen in our society. I personally am planning on attending law school after I graduate and then practicing law afterwards, something that I could not do without knowledge of state governments and the ability to learn and follow how different state's actions can effect that of the one I might be living in later in my life.
ReplyDelete-Jayson Hamrick
As an English major, I'm not required to take any Political Science courses but I do so because after obtaining my BA I want to attend Law School at WVU. I am a transfer student and have taken many Political Science courses and although they seem redundant, they have proven to be helpful with preparing me for my ultimate goal: Law School. Although I'm not required to take this course, I do believe that students should enroll. Not so much because it will contribute to their degree or strengthen job skills but for the mere fact that as adults we should have some understanding of how state and local government operate. This course will teach us how to be a better citizen when it comes to our civic duties. As college graduates, we are supposed to be the "cream of the crop," but how is that possible if we never expand our knowledge outside our degree requirements. I believe that we have strayed so far from the idea that we should go to school just because we want to learn. Anymore it's as though we go to school to be able to have a nice job, house, life, money, and even take standardized tests so that our local high schools will be able to receive funding and operate normally. We pay a lot of money for our education yet many of us forget that we are here not only to make a better life for ourselves but to learn what the "average" person would not know. Our majors could require lots of other courses but as far as I'm concerned, I don't see anything wrong with Political Science 220. This course seems to focus not just on state and local government but also everyday life. Our professors are a source of knowledge and by taking this course we have access to one who is able to teach us more than what is required for our major. For example, I didn't even know that Morgantown City Council was trying to ban the trucks from driving through town. Yes it's local government, but it's also teaching us to pay more attention to what's affecting us as residents of this town. Not only is this informative, but it teaches us to think critically. During class, the professor will ask many questions and I never would think of some of the actual answers. However, after being in state and local government for such a short time I have noticed that I start to look deeper into the things I question. In the end, I believe that this course will help us a lot more than we realize.
ReplyDelete-Whitney Kesner
As a Journalism major I do believe it is necessary to take this course. First of all, we all could benefit from learning more about our state and local governments. After all, it is our civic responsability to be informed voters. But how do we expect to be informed voters without the proper education? We are the future of this country and we need to have the necessary information to be an active membet in our communities. This course will teach us about our state and local governments and what it entails. Secondly, even though I am a Journalism major, I plan on going on to law school after undergrad. Taking this course will be a good stepping stone for when I start law school. Granted, I'm not saying that this course will make or brake me in law schoool, but it wil surely be good to have the knowledge about state and local governments prior to. I know many people who went to law school that majored in Journalism during undergrad. I'm sure that is not why the Journalism department requires this course, but it does benefit me.
ReplyDeleteI am a Political Science major so yes I do think this is a very important class and should be mandatory for my major, but that being said if you are a Poli Sci major and do not already know about most of this stuff you probably should not be in Political Science. It is also very important to see how States have a lot more power than people think they do and that the government we as citizens can be closer to is State and especially local government. Most people who follow politics do not really even look at local and state government, they throw on a CNN, Fox, or MSNBC and watch the news for thirty minutes and that is it. I feel that this class helps people in Political Science by allowing them to see how the State governments work and to really open up to the idea of Federalism in the United States. Our country is one of few to have this idea of Federalism and I personally think it is very important to understand the levels of our system if you want to be part of the system. In closing I do feel that this class should be mandatory for Political Science majors, but for two reasons to weed out the people that should not be in Political Science and to reinforce the major for those that enjoy this class and take something away from it.
ReplyDeletePolitics plays a role in basically every career in one way or another. As a strategic communications major in the Reed College of Media, I think it's important that I have a degree of political knowledge, but not necessarily a completely in depth insight. I don't particularly care for politics and I don't necessarily think the structure or history of government are all that pertinent to my career, but I do think that there should be a familiarity with politics. There's always a political connection that can either spring a message forward or stop it in its tracks, and that is where the importance of the subject comes in. It's also important to know what all political stances are, because in public relations and journalism you have to be politically correct and neutral when discussing events, and that's impossible to do without having at least some knowledge base.
ReplyDeleteWith that being said, however, I don't think that this course is the best option for journalism/strategic communications majors. I do think that everyone should have a basic understanding of governmental structures for their personal knowledge, but as far as careers go, I don't think strategic communications majors should be required to take this class. As many of my classmates said, we have to take Media Ethics and Law as a journalism course that teaches more specifically to our field and would probably be sufficient for our career knowledge of politics, unless we chose to go into a political-based career.
I would like to start out by saying that no, I don't think that all majors at WVU should require their students to take a political science class. According to the American Political Science Association, political science is the study of governments, public policies and political processes, systems, and political behavior (http://www.apsanet.org/content_9181.cfm?navID=727). Do nursing students, dental hygiene students, speech pathology and audiology students, engineering students, or students in bio-chem planning to go on to med school really need to know about the process of our governments or political policies? In my opinion, not really.
ReplyDeleteI understand that we are all citizens of the United States, under a federal government where we have a relationship with the central government and the state government.
That being said, it wouldn't hurt any of us to be better educated on the way our state and local governments work. That doesn't mean that this course should be "required" for ALL students to take in college.
I am a Social Work major and I sort of understand why I'm in this class, then again, I sort of don't. That opinion might come as a shock to some.
I know as a Social Worker I will be working close with the government due to the fact that a lot of welfare and Medicare/Medicaid is government funded. I may also advocate for certain groups of people by questioning public policies and trying to get what's best for my client out of our government welfare systems.
Is this class going to hurt me? Not at all, but the School of Social Work requires me to take 2 policy classes that are Social Work specific. I feel that those classes are going to be much more beneficial to me as a Social Worker than this class is.
From looking at the syllabus, I have developed the idea that this class introduces the broad spectrum of how the state and local governments work. I feel that talking directly about policies that Social Workers use to aid their clients is going to be way helpful to my future career than this class will.
I read Tanya's blog response and she makes some really great points towards the fact that WVU tries to make us well-rounded where maybe that's not always the best. I know a handful of college graduates who can't find jobs because they didn't necessarily go to school to "become something", but they had classes in foreign languages, histories, anthropology etc. Those classes aren't necessarily benefiting their resumes.
To revisit the real question on hand, I don't feel that the Social Work major should REQUIRE this course. I think that maybe it would be great to be used as a highly suggested GEC. As I stated, they are already requiring us to take Social Work specific policy classes.
If we were going to be required to take a political science class, maybe we should be required to take a class like POLS 102 which is Global Political Issues instead of this course.
According to globalissues.org, some of their most popular articles are on poverty (http://www.globalissues.org/). Wouldn't learning about issues on poverty, or issues that affect all people be more beneficial to a Social Worker? Social Workers work with people day in and day out. Becoming more familiar with issues that affect the people of the world probably wouldn't be a bad thing.
~Samantha Gaspar
I happen to be a journalism student and DO think this class is essential for my major, but I believe that every student benefits from a class on the state and local government. Knowledge is power, and understanding government on a more local level can impact your daily life more so because it is at this level that your active involvement makes a noticeable difference. The local government affects your money, your commute to work, your family, your child's schooling, your parent's job, your neighborhood- these are all things that matter, and as a citizen you should really want to know what's really happening.
ReplyDeleteFor journalism majors especially, I believe POLS 220 is necessary no matter what specific field you are involved in. Whether it's reporting on the radio or television or writing for a newspaper, you will undoubtedly deal with issues involving the government. As journalists we are expected to inform the public about a wide breadth of topics and sound knowlegable about said topics- yet the majority of people remain ignorant of the structure of our state and local government (myself included). How can I give the best story when I don't know any background? The answer is that I can't! Any journalist absolutely needs to be aware of the local councilmen as well as the state representatives; most of us will likely be interviewing these figures. You can't ask intelligent questions that will serve the public if you don't know what you are talking about. Having more understanding of the state and local government will also give us better confidence to ask the crucial questions because we know what we're saying.
Journalism majors need to be well-rounded due to the versatile nature of our jobs, and I do agree that there are some classes that waste our time and rob of us of more important focuses. Geology is definitely high on that list in my opinion. However, politics & government is inextricably linked to the field of journalism and this course is definitely relevant.
-Hannah Chenoweth
I think there is a distinction between classes of information we should know and information we actively want to learn. As a senior now I am more cynical about the idea of GEC's and not being able to learn about things that actually interest me. But while my Salem Witch Trials class may be interesting and fun, it is not exactly inclusive of the basic and not so basic information I should know about the government in the country I live in.
ReplyDeleteBecause of the fact I, and the majority of the people I know, are citizens of the U.S. I think it is not only necessary, but smart and proactive to know about the system for which we live under and that in many ways has the power to govern our own bodies. Understanding and being able to make an informed decision about what you believe should happen in the government is the very basis of being an informed citizen in this country. It is also extremely necessary when going into the profession of journalism. Knowing the way the system of government works is not only necessary because of covering government actions up close and in relation to society, which is in many ways a broad part of journalism, but in knowing your rights, the rights of the governing bodies, and how to handle not-so cookie cutter situations. Furthermore, why should you have any credibility in your profession if you do not know what you are talking about?
In this relation I believe it is incredibly necessary to learn about our system of government in a detailed way. Yes, I would rather be taking a class about jump roping, but in the end I am here spending thousands of dollars to get my education so I had better come out of it informed about the governmental bodies that regulate the society I live in.
I am a journalism major and I think POLS 220 should be a required class for this major. Journalism has many aspects that people must understand and one of the few basic concepts a journalist must understand is government. This is not to say that every journalist needs to be an expert in government, but it necessary for them to have a basic understanding of how everything works at the state and local levels especially. Many journalists can be sent to cover a meeting of state or local bodies and it is important that the writer understands what is being discussed and how to report this news to their readers. Along the same lines, if a member of a government body is interviewed, a journalist must know what is appropriate to ask and not make a fool out of themselves. Every article must be well thought out and if a journalist includes information irrelevant to the article, it makes him/her lose credibility almost instantly. In the last two class lectures, discussing federalism and having a basic understanding of the history of government also is key for a reporter. Research and history is also important in putting together feature articles and having that knowledge can give you an edge up.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I think it should be a required class, I think there are better options for people like myself. I know it sounds like I'm going back on what I said, but I can explain. In journalism, like many other fields, there is a variety of interests. From government to sports, there is a journalist with just about any sort type of expertise you can find. As a sports writer, it could certainly be deemed unnecessary to have a class that teaches government when you could be taking a sports communication class in place of it. Interest varies by person and if there was a particular way to isolate that and pick your classes around that, it would be a much more effective method. However, for the sake of being a journalism major, POLS 220 should be required. Having that basic understanding can go a long way when your sent out on an assignment one day.
As a strategic communications major I have been required by the Reed College of Media to take this course. Although I have no plans to begin a career which relates to politics I do feel that it is important to take this class. Local and state governments affect so many aspects of our lives and having general knowledge is absolutely necessary. Being as though change is much more capable for us as citizens on a local and state level we need to be well educated when it comes to decision making. Aside from this I feel that having basic background knowledge on current political issues and the way the system works makes a person much more well rounded. Being able to hold a steady conversation on what is happening around us is important in a sense that it shows others that you care about your community as well as your state. So again although I can’t see myself relating this class to my career choices I do believe that it is information that I will be able to use throughout my life.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading through these comments I am noticing that the majority of them are for taking POLS 220 with a few against taking POLS 220. I'm going to start fresh out of the gate by saying that I am against taking this course, but my major, Social Work, requires it. Much like classmate, Saydi Whiteman, I do however understand why it would be imperative for Social Work majors to take this course. As social workers we need to know what the patterns of state, local and federal government are so that we can adhere to all rules under each branch/section of government. That being said, this class has been one big U.S. History lesson that spans from fourth grade onward. To me, it's repetitive and sounds a lot like the U.S. History course I took last Spring. I understand that we have only had four days of lecture, and like most things covering the history of a subject is where you start. I was prepared to jump right into stats, government patterns and behaviors. What I have payed most attention to in class so far was the twenty minuets we spent on why one state promotes more government involvement than another and why one state gives more to its welfare recipients than another. At the risk of sounding like a know-it-all, the definition of political science is "the branch of knowledge that deals with systems of government; the analysis of political activity and behavior." (thanks Google!) I personally am ready to analyze our governments behavioral patterns, activity and legislation. I have been learning about the history of our federal government for at least fifteen years, I'm a burnt out on the topic and am ready to get into the nitty gritty! All that being said and rant aside, I do enjoy the course mostly due to the professor's dry humor and the intelligent insight from other students. I know that once we get passed the history of our government, I will enjoy the class even more.
ReplyDelete-Dorothy Raskind.
As a student who has not yet chosen a major, I am taking POLS 220 in order to better understand what I am interested in. After reviewing the syllabus and attending a couple of weeks’ worth of lectures, I feel as if the material is somewhat basic. Many high schools require their students to take a course on local and state government, in which much of the material in POLS 220 was already covered. With that being said, I believe that this course is of value to those who do not already display a knowledge of basic government. It covers a vast array of material that would be crucial for any major that deals with state and local topics including journalism/political science etc. According to WhiteHouse.gov “Most Americans have more daily contact with their state and local governments than with the federal government.” Because of this extensive interaction, the knowledge attained throughout this course is incredibly valuable.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.whitehouse.gov/our-government/state-and-local-government
-Chase McClung
As a Social Work major I believe that POLS 220 is a good requirement. After taking multiple Political Science courses in high school I was thrilled when I saw POLS 220 as one of my requirements. From attending the few classes that we've had and reviewing the syllabus I have noticed there are major benefits from taking this course. The course covers multiple different things and brushes on so many topics that I believe would be helpful for a Social worker to understand such as major policy issues in state and local government, tax and education policies, and becoming familiar with relevant processes in the state and local government. Everything we learn in this course will help me become more rounded with my knowledge and maybe I will be able to use it towards my career one day.
ReplyDeleteVictoria, I agree with you that this course will help make Social Work majors more rounded. As someone with the same major, I believe it will be good to know about the policies that state and local governments have. Social work and learning about the government can go hand-in-hand.
DeleteAs a journalism major with an emphasis on advertising, I believe that POLS 220 should be required to take. I also, believe that any student at WVU should be required to take this course regardless of their major. POLS 220 is beneficial in teaching you the fundamentals of how the state and local governments work. This is common knowledge that every American should know. This course will help me with my major and give me knowledge in order to succeed. In advertising you may be required to work in the political field. Knowing how state and local governments functions is imperative to making a good advertisement to promote a political agenda or a political campaign. Judging from the first few days of lecture I believe that this course will be very knowledgeable and full of important facts that will help me better understand our government.
ReplyDeleteBeing a Journalism Major I do think it is beneficial for students, in any Journalism related major, to take political science courses.Journalists have to be educated in our state and local governments because if they cover a news story on politics in their local area they have to know the ins and outs of what makes a government run smoothly. Even so the viewers of that news channel can understand what the news caster is trying to get across in their broadcast. Most civilians don't understand political terms so it is the newscaster's job to make it clear so it can be understood. It's also important just to have a general knowledge of the political system. The lectures we talk about in class are about the basic structures of the local and state governments. Thats helpful and can be useful in the future, for example a broadcast journalist that covers a political debate. Obviously I'm not a political science major but as for being a well-rounded student I do believe these courses are important to help us become well-rounded citizens.
ReplyDeleteI am currently a Journalism Major, but more specifically Public Relations. I think taking political science courses is extremely beneficial. With any kind of journalism you need to be in the know about whats happening in the world around you, so if you are not educated on at least how state and local government work then how can you write, report or send out a press release about certain things? Many Journalism majors deal with politics at some point in their career whether you're helping with a campaign or simply reporting on some local news, politics is all around us. I think no matter what your major is you should be required to take at least on political science class, especially POLS 220. Learning about state and local government is necessary to live in the real world later on in life. So yes, I do think its a good idea a lot of majors are required to take political science courses.
ReplyDeleteIn about 9 months I will be leaving WVU as a Strategic Communications major with an emphasis in Advertising. For those of you who don't know, this is in fact part of the Journalism school. After being a part of this major for almost four years, I have learned it is very important to have a background in virtually almost everything. While I didn't believe this as a freshman or sophomore, I now look back and realize how important it is to have at least some knowledge in almost every subject. Relating to Political Science in particular, I think it is highly important to leave WVU with some advanced knowledge about the American government. Why? Advertising, the way I have learned it to be, is to simply sway and/or strengthen someones opinion about a product, issue or even a person. Therefore, advertising plays a huge role in political campaigns and can even help portray subliminal messages in non-political campaigns. It is good to have some knowledge about political science so my fellow advertisers and I can understand competing campaigns and come up with brilliant ones on our end as well. For example, in class we learned about the 3 types of political cultures there are and which parts of the United States adapts these particular cultures. This would be important to know for advertising when it came down to targeting demographics and psychographics. Not only is taking this class important to journalism students, it is important to know as a well-rounded and productive member of society. We as Americans are privileged to have the right to vote and we should exercise that right every chance we get. HOWEVER, it should be noted that we should not exercise this right if we don't have the knowledge to back up our opinion.
ReplyDeleteNatural selection. That is my best answer for this question.
ReplyDelete(For the record, I am a pre-pharmacy major and a freshman. This class is not required for my major.)
Now, I realize that natural selection is more of a science term than a political science term, and that if you interpret its definition literally then it doesn't technically apply. But if you take the general concept, it is the ideal solution.
Let's start with the definition.
Natural selection-"the process by which forms of life having traits that better enable them to adapt to specific environmental pressures, as predators, changes in climate, or competition for food or mates, will tend to survive and reproduce in greater numbers than others of their kind, thus ensuring the perpetuation of those favorable traits in succeeding generations."
(http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/natural+selection)
But what does all of that mean? More or less, survival of the fittest. In biology, this applies to reproduction. For the purpose of this discussion, it applies to the job market.
This course is required for a wide variety of majors because it is thought to make a more rounded individual, as well as give insight into the ways of the government that may be relevant later in a students career. While I do believe that this knowledge is important and I personally think that everybody should know how our government works, I do not think that this course should be required.
Here's why. If your major currently requires this class, chances are the material is, to some degree, relevant to the career path you've chosen. Assuming that is the case, if you voluntarily take this class then you will be that much more prepared for the work force. If you choose not to take this class and the material is something you need for your job, you are going to either have a hard time finding a job or you will have a hard time keeping your job. Essentially that means that if you need it for your job then you should require yourself to take the course.
Long story short, everybody needs to make sure that they know the information they may need to know for their chosen career. If the student chooses to not take a class that is relevant, that is his or her own loss and should be up to that student. Natural selection in the job market will select those who have properly prepared themselves for the task at hand and select against those who are not knowledgeable in their field. By not requiring all classes, students have to be responsible enough to take what they need to, but also ensures that if a student already knows the material then his or her time is not wasted. Instead of requiring classes, the university should simply recommend them.
-Mischa Preston
Personally, I am glad that so many majors at WVU require this course. The knowledge of basic institutions, processes, and policy outputs of the American sub-national government should be known to all college graduates, not just the select few. I am a Social Work major and I think it is very important for people in that particular field to know what is going on in politics because they would need to follow the current policies in trying to help their clients. This class will cover tax and education policy and those affect Social Workers and their clients so not only would the Social Workers need to be aware, but it would help if the clients were aware as well. (Clients of Social Workers could be anyone from a Journalism major to a Biology major or to a Fashion major, not just people who are uneducated, which is the current stereotype.) Policies in the United States are going to affect everyone so it would be helpful if more people had some incite about it. This class is essential to those Social Work Majors who plan to go into policy-making because they would need a basic substantive knowledge about the major institutions, political actors, and relevant processes in state and local government as well as the knowledge of major policy issues in state and local government. In my opinion, this is all very important information for a Social Worker in policy- making to know because they would not be able to put in their best effort in helping their clients if they were unaware of policy issues in the United States. And for those of other majors, to say it is unimportant to be aware of the issues is not going to help the issues or come up with solutions for them.
ReplyDeleteI think that being required to take POLS 220 is a really positive thing. For starters it is actually kind of sad how little I know about politics both at the state and federal level. I am journalism major and I basically talk about anything, except for politics. I am turning 23 years old in October and I think it is important I start learning this stuff. I feel that there are two classes that will help me for the rest of my life which are Econ and Poli Sci. Econ will show me how the economy around me operates and Poli Sci will teach me how policies are enforced and made. I look to take this class very seriously because there is always possibility one day where I have to cover a political event or person. I know this class will not be fun and at times it could get boring however, this class could help me in everyday life. I also want to start voting and making a difference. I have still never voted and I’ve been eligible to vote for four years now. If I can get a better understanding of this material I would be a knowledgeable enough to vote in a state or local election and have my vote count
ReplyDeleteI believe that this course should be required by the university, because it would make us more informed on how our government works, when we go to vote. For me, I feel like this would be more important than having to take multiple English classes for a Business major. Once we take this class, we would have a better understanding of what we see on the news and can make a more informed response to it.
ReplyDeleteJust looking at the majority of responses of this blog Im a step out and say NO this course should not be required to take. The best education one can get is self education and if one really wanted to learn about how there state and local government works they would teach themselves. There are so many sources out there that one could teach themselves how all of this works. To be completely honest the average person doesn't care how there local government works, these are the same people that don't vote during local elections and cant name a city council person or representative. I feel students who are engineering or pre med etc are pretty much wasting there time in a course like this. They are also wasting there time in art courses and pretty much every elective that has nothing to do with their major but the university feels you need to be a well rounded student. With all this being said Im actually a poli-sci major and I do enjoy these types of courses.
ReplyDeleteAaron,
DeleteI understand what you are saying but I believe it is important to get a well balanced education, this is the whole idea of a "college education." Just because you can't apply the information directly to your area of interest, doesn't particularly mean it won't benefit you. Tech schools are more focused on learning only what you need to know for your major.
Though I am not interested in political science, I believe it is necessary beyond a major requirement. I am a native from West Virginia and when I saw that we had to follow the state Legislative election, I was embarrassed that I knew little to nothing about it. Like my fellow classmate, John Horak, I am a journalism major and understand that it is likely that I may have to deal with something to do with Politics in my job field. When I first started 102, I was angry that I even had to take it. Now looking back I realize how ignorant I was. Politics determine almost everything we do, and if we don't take a say in whats going on then we are pretty much letting other determine our fate. I believe that all majors should require this class because if more are educated about our government, then the more likely they will cast a vote.
ReplyDeleteMy opinion is that every major should be required to take this class, I think that it is very important that as future professionals students should try to be as informed as they can when it comes to how our government is run and all of the politics that come along with it. I am a Public Relations major in the journalism school, even though I am not really interested in Political Science I hope that this class will help me better understand different things I read and see in the news.
ReplyDeleteI think this class is important requirement to take. I am majoring in strategic communications, with an emphasize in advertising and minoring in business. With this in mind, I am required to take Survey of Business Law (BUSA 310), Media Ethics and Law (JRL 428), and Intro to American Government (POLS 102). This class is the root to all the laws I am required to know and classes I am required to take. It is important to understanding the basic institution of our unique system.
ReplyDeleteAnother important reason for learning state and local government is because you never knows who your clients are going to be; either in public relations or advertising. Your PR firm might have to deal with a local political leader and it would greatly benefit you to know as much as possible about his or her position.
Not taking into consideration your area of interest, everyone should take at least state and local government. As long as an individual is living in the United States, they will be living in a state. It is important to know how that state is governed and the levels of state government. With knowledge about state and local government, it could encourage students in be more active the political science world, and even vote for their local representatives. I feel it is nothing but a huge benefit to know how the government and country came to what it is today; such as how we acquired so much land in the west (Louisiana Purchase due to Jefferson). Part of having a college education about being well rounded and knowing things out side of your major.
If I had to choose a different class that should be required, as oppose to this one, I would say a business law class. Students can apply more of that content in the real world.
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ReplyDeleteI am majoring in Mathematics, therefore i don't think it would be that helpful for mathematician to take a class about State and Local Government, but i think it's good for students, future workers in our community to have the knowledge about these rules and laws and how they work. So i guess i am on the edge of really choosing, because why would a mathematician need to know about State & Local Govt, that's not going to be helpful in their careers, but i believe it would be helpful for the community as they should know the laws as they are the ones who would be voting. The reason why WVU makes students take so many GEC's to be a well-rounded student and be able to connect situations with what we learned in college. I think other majors like Journalism or communications or business, should be required to take this course, as it will help them in their career.
ReplyDeleteI don’t think any class should be “required” for any major. Yes we should have classes divided into categories so we know what classes we should be taking, but why force people into taking a class? In my experience, (18 years of it, wow sooo impressive, right?) I've seen a severe lack of enthusiasm by at least one student in every class I’ve ever taken, and sometimes it can be extremely distracting. I understand WVU wanting their students to expand their horizons, but shouldn’t we be allowed to expand in the direction we choose? Why should students like Tanya Wasyluk, Saydi Whiteman, and Elise Coleman be forced to take a class like POLS220 when they could be taking a class they’d actually feel enthusiastic about? Why should they have to pay money to sit in a class thinking “why am I here” while they zombie stare at the clock? They could be doing something more productive with their time. Plus, if they didn’t have to take the class, then there would be more seats left open for students who actually do want to take the class like Emma Trapp, Chelsea Flanery, or Tristen Webster. They all feel that taking a class like POLS220 is beneficial for their personal growth, and they are students who are actually interested in the material; they want to learn it. I think when students collectively enjoy a class it makes for a better learning environment. Personally, yes this class is technically a requirement for my major (Political Science), but I would have taken POLS220 regardless because I want to be informed about state and local government. As college students we should be self-motivated to learn about and try new things, but it’s reality that not everyone is going to know what everyone else knows. Some people are going to know about state and local government, and some people just don’t want to know about it. If you are completely disinterested in a class, if you feel like you could be taking a class that is way more beneficial for your major, and if you’re going to just be irritated the entire time, you shouldn't be forced to take it.
ReplyDeleteIt is important to study political science both state and local government because it makes you a better critical thinker and able to analyze why something is happening whether it be in politics or not. All countries essentially run on politics and the government, so it is important to know the fundamentals in order to be an active citizen in your country. Studying political science teaches you the limitations of the government and the rights and liberties you have as a citizen. This is important to know no matter what field you go into and this is why it is a required course to take for most majors before graduation. I do not believe there is any other course that should be taken as opposed to POLS 220. Although some of this information I have been exposed to throughout my educational career, each teacher puts a different spin on events and it is a good reminder and refresher for me before going out into the workforce in a few months.
ReplyDeleteAs a journalist, what I know and understand about politics and the government is very important so I can properly inform the public. If I am not informed I will not be able to accurately report on a subject or story to inform the mass media. Politics is a huge issue and one that everyone needs to be informed about especially journalists.
Political science as well is important in a democracy because citizens who are informed of their rights are more vigilant and aware. This makes for more people who are going to stand up to unjust occurrences. As a democracy all citizens need to work together and be informed of their rights, freedoms and the rights of their government to better help society.
I hope one day to be a freelance journalist doing photography and video. Knowing this it is very important to me to not be one sided on an issue so that I am able to tell the best story possible about what is occurring. An article in the Washington Post discussed how publishers impose their views on their newsrooms and how papers with more Republican readers tend to publish more conservative stories as opposed to papers with more Democratic readers publishing stories that are more liberal. I hope to understand both sides of the spectrum and be able to give viewers a look at each perspective so they are able to understand the bigger picture and make an educated decision for themselves about whatever the issue might be.
Understanding political science enables journalists to give fresh angles on the news and the ability to describe historical trends and compare them to what is going on today. As well, it can help a journalist provide structural context to an episodic event by understanding what was surrounding a certain issue in order to better understand why something occurred and how it occurred.
An article by The Atlantic discusses how many times journalists and political scientists do not work together but instead contact each other when need be. The article stresses the importance of working together more and understanding the fundamentals of each in order to make journalists and political scientists better at their job and better at informing the public.
Sources:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/robert-samuelson-media-bias-explained-in-two-studies/2014/04/23/9dccdcf6-cafd-11e3-93eb-6c0037dde2ad_story.html
http://themonkeycage.org/2011/05/26/how-political-science-can-help-journalists-and-still-let-them-be-journalists/
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2010/09/political-science-and-journalism-some-thoughts/62366/
I am a Journalism major, and I don't really think Political Science should be a required course for me to take. However, I do enjoy Political Science so it's not really a big deal to me at all. I've found that numerous classes that I'm required to take before I can graduate have been unnecessary, Poli Sci is interesting at least so I do not find it difficult to pay attention. Even though Political Science does not directly correlate with Print Journalism, it is still applicable to every day life in America. After all, politics are the backbone of our country so it is important to understand how the government functions.
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised to hear that you do not really think that POLS should be a requirement for Journalism majors. Speaking from and Advertiser's perspective I think that it is important for students of the Journalism School to take POLS classes so that we can learn about government so we can inform our audiences to the best of our ability. We don't want to promote false advertisements or get important terms within state and local government wrong if we are reporting on a story. Just a thought, maybe by the end of the course you will see that maybe POLS does have some correlation with Print Journalism.
DeleteAs a social work major, I am required to take POLS 220. To be completely honest, I have no desire to take any political science classes, however I do understand why it is a requirement for the social work major, as well as several other majors. If political science was not a requirement for students, I guarantee this class would not be as jam-packed as it is. I do believe that by taking this course, I will learn outside knowledge that can help me better understand various topics in my field. Like another social work major student mentioned, social work can definitely tie in with the government and politics pertaining to social work so this class will definitely be very beneficial. I’m not sure what other majors do require this course but I do think every student should be required to take some sort of political science class, whether it be an 100 level course or something above that. Because this particular class is semi broad in what we will be studying, I believe it can definitely teach students a lot in which ways they can relate it to their own majors.
ReplyDeleteAs a criminology major, I do believe it is essential to be knowledgable of all aspects pertaining to government. My major did not require me to take this course, however, being a freshman with an intended pre-law desire, my advisor assured me that this course would be very beneficial and highly recommended not only to count towards credit hours, but for my own personal interests as well. Coming from a small historic town (Gettysburg, PA), and factoring my young age into the mix as well, being in such a large diverse class is somewhat intimidating. Regardless, I feel as though this class can do nothing besides benefit my on-going education. With the little knowledge I already have, government is diverse, extensive, and most of the time pretty confusing. It is not logical to expect to become a successful lawyer (prosecutor, district attorney, corporate, ect.) if you are not cultured in the government system. The basics I learn in POLS 220 may not specifically pertain to my expertise but they will help me better understand government policies and further my analytical skills. Even if POLS 22 isn’t relevant to your specific career, nothing in this course will be considered useless knowledge. It is important to not be ignorant to the world, country, and most specifically the state and local government you live in.
ReplyDeleteThough it may not seem to directly contribute to the degree track of an individual, I feel this knowledge can be beneficial. As a Forensic Science major I think that topics covered in the course will give a firm idea of how local governing body operates. My major specific example would be that of a coroner. A coroner elected official, (this info was new to me)…. There are instances in which you have under qualified personnel, or physicians from unrelated fields retaining these examining positions. With many noted mistakes involving wrongfully accused felons and misidentification of the deceased around the country the question of why opt for a Coroner system is raised. A medical examiner system in which Forensic Pathologist handles the cause of death and identification has proven to be a much more efficient system then a coroner system. The medical examiner system is the more costly of the two. Elected local government officials decide where our resources are best utilized… On the basis of knowing how governing entities spends your tax money, I feel that all departments should require students to take POL220.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.fox8live.com/story/21018138/lee-zurik-investigation-good-living-for-st-tammanys-coroner
I am required to take this course for my Masters degree in Secondary Social Studies education. I have to take this class because I could potentially be teaching state and local government to high school students. Obviously I could not teach the course to the best of my ability if I was not properly educated on the subject. While I am required to take this course, I feel everyone should be. It is important that people understand how the government around them works. I feel taking this course will create a more educated voters pool. Furthermore, knowledge about local and state government allows people to take power over their government and allows them to use the government to it's full purpose.
ReplyDeleteAs a whole I can understand why the journalism school requires its students to take POLS 220; because, many broadcast journalists and print journalists will be covering local and state politics as their careers. However, as Advertising major I do not see why this class is relevant to the field I hope to work in. Yes I agree that the first amendment is crucial to my work, but I have learned about the implementations of that amendment in my major core classes. With that being said, POLS 220 is not the least relevant class I have had to take because of my major. However, there are other classes that would be more beneficial to an Advertising major besides POLS 220; such as, business classes (marketing, especially), design classes, and copywriting law classes. Although I do not think I should be required to take this class, political history interests me and I am eager to learn about local and state government because I am not too familiar on the subject.
ReplyDeleteI would say that I think political science 220 should be a major requirement for all majors, because I think politics make up everything in our life, even if we are not completely aware of it. It is especially important to be aware of what is going on in your state and local government. People need to be more involved in what happens in their state. I am a psychology major and I was not required to take this course, but I think it would be beneficial for people in psychology to know about politics. It is also a way that psychologists could relate to their patients. I think that it also good to have this course to broaden your knowledge on other subjects and be more informed.
ReplyDeleteI believe POLS 220 is important and everyone should be aware of some local and state government, but I don't think it's important for every major. I believe that taking this course might be forcing people to care about government when a few might not. I think that we should only be required to take said course if we have a spark of interest in the class itself.
DeleteAs a Journalism major I understand the need to take a class about State and Local Government. It serves as a sub- group under the Federal Government, We as citizens of the United States interact most with our State a local government, what goes on in Police departments, schools, and even the DMV is all based on State and Local Government. " Under the Tenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, all powers not granted to the federal government are reserved for the states and the people. We cannot understand the Federal Government without understanding State and local governments. The United States was set up as a Federal System were power is shared between the national government and the states. That begs the question why study government at all? We study government to understand how they effect our daily lives, and to understand why certain policies are made. I as a Journalism major will have to deal with government a lot, from what gives me the right to publish a story, the first Amendment, to being able to accurately broadcast to the public in the event of an important governmental decision. I also believe that all citizens, not just college students who are required to take a class, should have basic knowledge of State and Local Government and National Government to help them when they go to the polls to vote, and to help bring about change in their community.
ReplyDelete- Jordan Gunnoe
http://www.whitehouse.gov/our-government/state-and-local-government
https://sites.google.com/a/jpsonline.org/krepps/why-study-government
Although I understand that the idea that being forced to take a class not required for ones major is aggravating, I feel it is necessary for all students to be well rounded. Regardless of a students major, every person should be well versed in the political structure that makes up both their local and their state governments. Far too many citizens of this great nation are unaware of the inner workings of the very people they elect to represent them, much less the entire law making process. Then people get upset when they feel their needs or desires are not met when it may or may not have been their representatives fault. This is exactly why I believe making classes like this mandatory at a university such as this one is a great thing. It will not only educate but also could potentially open up further interests for students to pursue. Slowly helping to end the political ignorance that has befallen the US of A.
ReplyDeleteI believe the requirement of this political science course for my major, social work, is beneficial to my program. State and local government is important to social work because we are basically employed by them since they create our jobs. Also they create the policies and guidelines social workers. The history of social work is tied in with the government, so I feel like this class is essential for my major. Plus, it's always good to know how the government works and its functions. However, this class would not be one I would choose for myself, but I understand why I am taking it. I don't know any other courses I could take that would give me the same information as this course.
ReplyDeleteThis class gives me a great opportunity to learn about how State and Local Governments work in the USA. As a Public Relations student minoring in Political Science, this class can help me knowing background information on how State and Local Governments works. I am currently taking “West Virginia’s Government” and “Media’s Ethics” classes. POLS220 is helping me getting background information that is related to my other classes.
ReplyDeleteThis class also helps media students to know their rights and boundaries when they work on their field. This can improve their work and prevent them from getting themselves into trouble. Not knowing the law is not an excuse to break it.
It is also important to be able to know the difference between Local, State and Federal Governments’ responsibilities. This can help media students, especially, when they are covering a story or investigating a case study. ‘
Finally, this class is important for my major and it completes other required and elective classes. I think that students will benefit from this class after they graduate, when they work in the real world.
Abdulaziz Alfadhli
I totally agree with you when you said this class is helping you get the background information that is related to your other classes. It's also helping me with one of my Social Work classes. I also agree when you said it will benefit when we are graduate. I believe everyone should know about our local,state,and federal government just to make them more aware of what is going on.
DeleteNice post!
As a Civil Engineering major I am not directly required to take this course for my major. I am using this class to meet one of my GEC requirements. However, I personally think that a class such as this would be beneficial for everyone to take. Having a good understanding of how state and local government work is something that everyone should have under their belts. After interning for the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation for the past two summers it has enlightened me as to how the government plays a role in what they do. When state work is being done the public eye is on you 24/7. There is not much you can do without being seen by everyone when working for the government. I would've never thought that people would actually take the time to call in and complain about how work is being conducted or what work is being conducted but I was wrong and that is the reality. So many times people will call and complain or even talk to you in person while you're working and don't understand how things work to make some of the arguments that they try to. Applying my experience, if more people were informed on how state and local governments worked they would be able to make their voices heard to the proper people where changes can be made. I believe that just by listing a few things as to how it plays into a major such as civil engineering, you can see just how beneficial it can be. I have found that I have been required to take a few classes that are not beneficial or in some cases even relevant to my major so being that political science can be applied so broadly to a variety of subjects/majors an d very beneficial to know entering the "real world".
ReplyDeleteAs a communication major, I believe that this class, Political Science 220, should not be required for all majors, only some. However, with that in mind, I do believe that it should be recommended. There are certain majors, such as communication studies, journalism, law, etc. that should require this class so that when students within these majors have somewhat of a background on political science and laws in order to help them with future endeavors. Now for majors such as math or majors within performance arts, I do not think they should be required to take this class, however it should be recommended. It should be recommended because this class will help them know some basic helpful information within their basic rights, but it shouldn’t be required because this class will not help them much within their major.
ReplyDeleteI don’t think this class should be required for any major outside of political science. I agree that it is important for everyone to have basic understanding of how the government works in order to be an informed citizen but college is not about gaining a basic understanding. Kids should leave high school knowing how the state and local governments work however practical knowledge is not on the standardized tests. In this case, it’s not a question of what could be taken in place of POLS 220 but rather how much time and money could be saved by not having to take the class. While I do believe everyone would benefit from taking this course, I do not believe the benefit of the course outweighs the cost.
ReplyDeleteI myself am a political science major so this class is important to me because I will build upon what I will learn in this class. If political science is not your speciality, I don’t see how memorizing the 3 different classifications of political culture is vital to your future career.
As a business major, I am not required to take this course but, I am taking it however because I believe that with a better basic understanding of our local and state government I could be able to use that knowledge to be a better business person. The state has sets of laws that must be obeyed by people and businesses. The more you understand your government and history of the government, the better you could build your business. I do not believe that this course should be required by all majors, only a select few. This course may seem conflicting with other majors and seem to be a waste of time and money if it is not necessary for the major you have chosen. Pols 220 is however, a great course to look into for certain majors that may not necessarily require it. As a business major I do not have to take this course, but I chose to anyway because the benefits outway the downfalls in my opinion. Learning about the government is one of the most important and smart things that can be done in my opinion. If you can understand how your government works, and why it works that way it works, You will be able to make better choices for presidents, and other political aspects.
ReplyDeleteIt is important to know how the government works at all levels. It is beneficial to individuals and the population as a whole to be politically literate. This allows people to make a more educated decision about who they vote for and lets them know what level of government to go to when they have an issue. Pols 220 is an excellent class to take if you are looking to learn more about how the government works. However, I don't think it should be a required class for majors outside of Political Science, but it should be a recommended elective in all majors.I do feel that there should be more of an effort to teach about the workings of the government in high schools so students can have an understanding of how the government works even if they don't go to college.
ReplyDeleteAs an international student at West Virginia University who is not planning on living in the USA I think I should not be forced to take POLS-220. Since I am planning on moving back to my home country after graduation probably I am not going to use most of the things I am going to learn in this class. Despite the fact that, I might not benefit from most information and skills learned in POLS-220, this class might land me a job with an American company who operate in the Middle-East just because of this class. Therefore this class could boost my resume when looking for a job. Moreover, companies who plans on operating in the USA market needs to consider educating their employees. Different departments at West Virginia University like the Journalism department should encourage its students to take POLS-220. The fact that I am a senior student who is graduating this semester with a busy schedule, POLS-220, is not a class that I need to add to my already busy schedule. However, if I was planning on working in the USA I would make sure to consider taking this class. I would recommend this class to all my American and international friends who are planning on working in the USA or for a company thats operate in the USA.
ReplyDeleteFaisal Alghusoon
I agree with Tanya Wasyluk on the issue of classes covering the same material over and over again. In my two years of going to WVU, I have now covered the same or touched on the same topics in FIVE different classes of Political Science including 220. The structure of classes here is ridiculous to say the least. I have learned about Federalists and Antifederalists in 3 different classes (including 220), the structure of courts and governments five times (including 220) and not to mention the Marshall court. Every class goes deeper into the subject than the last, but it is incredible that I have to sit and listen to the same thing over and over again. Now on to the main question, should 220 be required? No. If any class should be required it should be Intro to American Government Pols 102. This class goes over the workings of the American Government as a whole, now if someone wanted to dive deeper into the Local and State governments, then they should take 220. I am not fond of people who are ignorant about politics or saying their vote does not count, but one should not be required to take an in depth class unless it is required for their major.
ReplyDeleteAs a Public Relations major, I definitely understand why politics are imperitive for journalism students. While we should take classes to improve our knowledge from a politics standpoint, I don't neccessarily believe Political Science 220 needs to be required. I personally feel that a lot of these types of classes tend be repetitive. State and local government is an important concept for anyone to understand. But honestly I do think that there are other courses that could potentially benfit students in the journalism field. I strongly feel that more Journalism classes should be available for each specific major. I would certainly rather have more courses in the school of Media than anything else. But unfortunately that is never my schedule. To graduate fully prepared in society with a PR degree, I do agree that students should achieve a base in politics. But, repetitive classes and course requirements could be altered in a positive light to completely give media school students the best education.
ReplyDeleteAs a Strategic Communications major with an emphasis in advertising, I think that it is really beneficial for my major to require me and other advertising majors to take POLS 220. In my opinion, when it comes to state and local government, advertising can either make or break a candidate. Having a course such as POLS 220 to in force a good overview of studying state and local government is a great tool to have under your belt if you are going into the field of advertising. Learning the ropes of state and local government as well as learning how to approach specific problems as a political scientist would greatly befit anyone who was going into advertising, especially if they planned on working on campaign teams for public officials. Throughout history, advertising has played a key roll in politics. Eisenhower used campaign advertising to connect with the "common man" of America, Nixon benefited from it during the Cold War, and JFK used more than 200 campaign commercials during his run for president. The most controversial of all campaign advertising came about during the Johnson administration, when his team released the commercial known as "The Daisy Girl". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Id_r6pNsus. The commercial was aired only once, but it made Johnson a shoe in. Powerful advertising can be directed toward the heart of voters and work in politicians favor, but it can also be skeptical and make out someone to be who they are not. Therefore, it is important for advertising majors to take classes such as POLS 220, so that they can become knowledgeable about way things are ran and approached in state and local governments.
ReplyDeleteAs a Political Science major, I abosultely believe that this course should be required by my department. Whether we like it or not, government plays an immense role in our lives, from the laws created to the regulations imposed. By taking an even deeper look at our state and local governments, one can have a better grasp on how their governments are ran and how to better participate in them. As a freshman, I do not have any prior experiences from other college government courses that I could compare this class to. However, I did take the AP variations of American Government in High School. That being said, I do not believe that this class should be required to take by other departments across the board. While this class can certainly be beneficial, I do not feel as though it should be mandatory as a student could use this time to be in a class more pertaining to their major. Certainly a student could find uses from this class and attempt to practically apply them to their lives, but unless POLS 220 is necessary on your track to graduation and your career, I do not believe that it should be required by all departments.
ReplyDeleteA question that is worth debating is whether or not students should be required to take POLS 220. Obviously the answer can not be the same for everyone. We all have different majors and future career ambitions. It seems as though the big debate is with journalism majors. I do feel like journalism majors should take POLS 220, some other political science class, or state and local government class; however, I do not feel like the university should require students who are majoring in journalism to take POLS 220 or some alternate class that is basically the same thing.
ReplyDeleteSince my major is pre-pharmacy, I am not required to take POLS 220 or anything related to political science or government at all. I understand why it is not required of students going into the medical field to take any political science class; it is obvious that a student does not need to have a vast knowledge of political science or government to be a good doctor, pharmacist, or physical therapist. On the other hand, even though students in the medical field are not required to take a political science course, I feel as if taking a political science course can be very beneficial to all students no matter what their major is. It is always good for one to know about politics and government, for that is essentially how the country operates.
I understand that students majoring in journalism are required to take POLS 220. While I do agree that it is a good thing for students to take, I do not agree that it should be required. Only the student can know what he wants his career path to be. What I mean by saying, “ only the student can know what he wants his career path to be” is that only he can know what he wants to write on when he begins his career. Although I do not understand how a journalist can go their whole career without writing something to do with government or politics, I am sure some can and only the student knows that.
POLS 220 is a great course for any student to take no matter what their major is, but I do not believe they should require any student to take POLS unless their major specifically deals with government or politics. However, I do hope every student will desire to have a basic knowledge of their state and local government and politics in general.
As a social work major, I fully understand why I need to take this course. Although I do not find this material the most interesting, it is important to know. Social workers operate throughout the various levels and branches of government as they help people get through their issues. As well, social workers are involved in federal programs that deal with behavioral health, child welfare, social services, criminal justice, etc. I have also learned some of this material before, but it was years ago. For me, it has been a while since I had to actually remember about state and local government. So, yes I see why I am enrolled in this course, and I can't think of any other course I would take in place of this. This is my first political science class here at West Virginia University, and this is the only political science I am required to take. I am hoping to learn more about the state and local government, because I think everyone should be at least aware of how it works.
ReplyDeleteAs a Business major I think that that Political Science 220 should be required for my major. In my major it’s not required, but I am taking this class for myself because I am interested in politics. I think that politics do affect everything in our lives in some way. I think everything has politics in it, and everything a politician does is for political gain. With that said I think that Political Science 220 should be required for Business majors. State and local government affect local business significantly, whether that is local taxes, or local ordinances. So it would behoove Business majors to not take Political Science 220. I think that it’s important to know where your taxes go and to understand another form of government that will regulate business in our town.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I am undecided on my major currently, I took this class because I am interested in possibly majoring in Political Science. That being said, taking this class would definitely be in my best interest, however,(as shown), many students disagree with this class being mandatory for their majors. I personally believe that no matter what your plan is after college, state and local government will be relevant. State and local government effects EVERYONE, so being knowledgable on the topic will only help in the future.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to assume that the majority of us eventually plan on moving out of our parent's homes and at some point starting a family and career of our own. Although that might not be the case for a select few unmotivated, basement dwelling, home bodies--It's safe to say that being aware of where you plan to start your new life is important. Whether it's moving to a stoner friendly state; a town with great public schools; an area with low crime rates; a region like New England, where towns are the major unit of local government; it will be helpful to know what you're getting into.
If you decide that you want to make a difference in your town and/or state, it is important to know how to go about doing so. Being knowledgable about state and local government will familiarize you with election/candidate research, petitioning, civic duties/responsibilities, how and what/who to vote for, etc. This class will help us understand the roles of different governmental bodies/figures, as well as where they fall on the ladder. State and local government isn't something that is irrelevant just because it doesn't fit inside the description of a given major, state and local government is something that effects everyone.
As a Strategic Communications Major, I understand the necessity of a course like Pols 220. A majority of PR jobs come from the Government the deal with lobbying as well maintaining government officials image to the public. However not only is Pols 220 beneficial in that way but studying history and studying the foundations of how we built governments tells us a lot about people and how they react to certain things. Having a communications degree means I will be working with people on a daily basis, I think all history classes including political science doesn't just tell you about the rules of the government but shows you the history of people and their decisions as well. The only suggestion I have for another class that would be beneficial for me to take would be a class strictly on how to use all the new technology and software, though a lot of my classes require it's use the teaching of how to use it properly is not always there. I am excited to learn more about the foundations of our country and how they decisions made then still affect me in today's world.
ReplyDeleteSamantha Jenkins
I am a Strategic Communications major with a minor in Communications. I believe that it is important to take this course as a requirement for my major. I am also in JRL 428, which is law and ethics in journalism. Although learning law and politics are not my favorite, I understand why it is important to have knowledge in this subject. As a communications major, it is important to know what the law allows and does not allow you to do. However to understand any law, you have to understand the context on why and how it was created.
ReplyDeleteI think this class is not only resourceful to my major, but to any American citizen. It is important to understand how our legal system works and how it is suppose to help us as a democracy.
I am a Political Science major, and while I recognize that a thorough understanding of our system in America is integral for almost all occupations, I would not say that every Poly Sci major should be required to take POLS 220. I am planning on going to law school and practicing law some day. This being the case, my career will be intertwined with the low level bureaucracy in America. However, this is not the case for all Poly Sci majors. WVU offers three "Specialized Tracks" within the Political Science major, one of which is the International Relations track. People in this track may very well be considering careers in the Foreign Service, or other careers which abroad. International Relations often has nothing to do with the framework of our national government, let alone our state or local governments. It is not a stretch to say that these people may feel that their time is being wasted by taking this class. In fact, they may be right.
ReplyDeleteAs a Journalism major, I believe that Pols 220 is an important class to take for all students, regardless of major. Understanding State and Local governments ties in to our lives as college students more than we often think. For example, when problems and new regulations arise in Morgantown, it would be helpful to understand the power we have to influence the local government to make the right decisions that affect us on a daily basis. Being a journalism major, we have to take a class in laws and ethics of advertising, but that doesn't cover the material that will be covered in Pols 220. As a senior in college, understanding state and local government is crucial as it begins to affect me more and more while I am looking for a job, and housing in another state. Also, just becoming a US citizen this year gives me the power to vote in the US so understanding more about politics will enable me to make an educated decision in the voting process. Since voting is technically a privilege and power of a US citizen, I feel responsible to be informed in current politics. Not only is it beneficial to understand state and local gov to become a well-rounded citizen, but it also can make me a more effective advertiser. One line of advertising that can often be overlooked is advertising for political campaigns. These campaigns are massive and one day it could be me on that advertising team. Political science is an important class for all students and should be a basic requirement such as math, history, science, etc.
ReplyDeletePOLS 220 is not a required course for my major, history, nor is it even required for my minor in political science, but just one of several course choices. The reason I chose this class is because I think it has a much greater value to everyday life compared to the other choices. Regardless of this, I do believe that it should be a requirement for history majors. History courses have a tendency to only cover the federal or supreme power in the countries and empires they cover. For example, if a class was covering Imperial Rome it would only go into detail about the governing system of the whole empire. Students would learn about the role and interactions of the emperor and senate, but not so much about the governing of provinces or local rulings. This applies to many classes, even those in U.S. History (or at least the survey courses). They go over much about the federal government and it's interaction with the states, but leave out the county and city governing bodies. As a result it would seem foolish to leave this course out of a history majors curriculum. What sense does it make that one would know so much about the world and understand nothing happening in their back yard? The bigger picture might be important, but it is the small details that make the picture whole. Thus I believe that while this course is not required for my major by the university, it is actually essential knowledge for any historian or citizen for that matter. The information this course contains will have a greater effect on my everyday life than perhaps any other I take and will effectively give my voice on government a place to start.
ReplyDeleteAmber Ringer September 2, 2014
ReplyDeleteSocial workers should have to take this class. Social work programs are sponsored by the state and federal government. The local and state government play a large role in the funding that the welfare system and others programs get. The state and local government also make the laws and requirements that people have to meet to be eligible for assistance. This class should be required even though I have no interest in politics. This class will be beneficial to my business profession and personal. Life. Knowledge is power!!! Taking “intro to law and legal system or West Virginia Government” would also be a beneficial for my area of study, but I don’t think they should replace this class. There’s always benefits in every class that you take. As a social worker maybe we should be required to take more then just this one class. If we would take all the classes that would benefit us we would never get out of school.
I also agree with you amber that state and local governments do play a large roll in social workers funding and regulations for programs. I had no interest in this class but now I do understand I need to know these basics to be able and follow the issues that are developed for us in our work. also agree it would take forever to graduate if we took all the classes that could pertain to our major!
DeleteAs a journalism major, I do think that this department should require students to take POLS 220. The specific majors that this department offers all can overlap in the everyday work place that these students could possible enter after graduation. Such as public relations, advertising and marketing. As a public relations major I definitely see the benefits of taking this class and being able to understand and have an educated conversation with someone about state and local government. I do not think that there is a big trade-off between being required to take this course and another because there are still many opportunities to take those other courses. This course also helps to understand other courses I had to take such as history because there were many lectures concerning the creation and evolution of what US government is today.
ReplyDeleteI am a social work major, and I believe that all social work majors should have to take this class. Social work programs wouldn't be possible without local and state government. If someone is planning on getting a job in a certain field, then they should know how that field works, and knowing state and local government is vital to understanding how social work functions. Taking the few social work classes I am taking now, we learn about how social work got started, and how it works today. Social work would not be what it is if it weren't for government, specifically at the state and local level. Since I, as a social worker, will be working with government agencies and workers, it is very important for me to get a decent understanding of how the state and local government works. Though many may not see this as the most important class for social workers to take, it is important either way. This class could really be a good one for any major, but most people would not chose this unless required. Either way I feel it will be very beneficial to me, and my major in social work.
ReplyDeleteI think it should be required for journalism majors to take POLS 220 and any other major that is affected by the government. I think it is essential to know how the government works because many jobs are influenced by the government. For people in mathematics, chemistry, etc. I don't think it is necessary for them to have this as a required class because it is not their main focus and probably won't help them anywhere in their future career. People should not be required to take a class that isn't going to better themselves toward their career path. It's a lot of extra money, time, and effort that they have to do for something they will never use. I do agree that it is essential that everyone knows how the government works, but most people can get by with what they learn in high school. I also think there are benefits to taking this class such as having a better understanding of how the government operates, how states vary, and learning about political culture.
ReplyDeleteAs a Political Science major, I find myself in agreement that POLS 220 is a necessary prerequisite useful for all paths of Political Science. Being able to understand the government at a state and local level, I believe, is an essential aspect of being groomed for a successful future, no matter what one's major may be. While there will most likely be an exception to all cases, I would venture to say that most students who have decided to take up higher learning would be informed enough to understand that the laws and agendas of local governments vary, quite surprisingly, throughout the country. With this in mind, I find it crucial to be able to fully understand one's local and state governments, so that with that understanding, predictions regarding where that government's future might be heading can be accurately depicted. Down the road, upon graduating and beginning the next chapter of our lives, where one decides to live plays a big factor in the path their live's will lead, and in understanding the government at a state and local level, an informed decision can then be made as to what government is most tailored to one's desires in life.Therefore, I believe that understanding the government at a state and local level, in other words taking POLS 220, is essential to all students who want to have a sense of control in their future endeavors.
ReplyDeleteTo answer if I need State and Local Government, I need to ask a few questions of my own. As a Political Science major, could I walk out of college and take up my job as a political scientist if I don’t understand domestic politics? Maybe, if I were to focus my study on international relations, but even then I’d need a firm grasp on State and Local Government to have a base of comparison to fully understand how each government is set up – to get in the minds of other governments to understand why they’re set up the way they are. But coming back to a more local perspective – how could I function without knowing what’s around me? I couldn’t – any attempt to be a credible political scientist would be futile, to run for mayor, country commissioner, state legislature, Governor, U.S. Congress, and the Presidency would only be a dream then, and my degree in Political Science would be worthless. How could I even be a business man and not understand the politics around me? Living in ignorance isn’t bliss, it’s a curse. When the choice is presented before me: Take Pols 220 or hold an empty degree, the former would take precedence without question.
ReplyDelete- Richard Boykin
As a social work major I am not to familiar with politics nor was I interested. Now I have more of an understanding of why I need to take this. social workers do work with state federal and local government on issues that deal with peoples problems and wellbeing. Taking POLS220 will help me with a better understanding where and how government grants and laws are formed. We work with the these programs providing research, needs, and help that can make lives better and reconstructed.
ReplyDeleteAmber Wagner
Amber,
DeleteI am so glad that you have realized the necessity of this class to your desired field. There will be many federal government programs that will be created and formed starting at the state even local government level. With your knowledge of how these legislations work, you yourself may even find yourself contacting one of your representatives to create a program to better help the local citizens you are serving, such as
-Allison Wallace
I never looked at it like that Allison. Federal programs can start on a state or local government level. It takes someone like a social worker to start programs and know the laws and regulations to be able to implement a plan of action. Put together regulations and laws in accordance to what is mandated on a federal level. You would need more knowledge then this course offers but it's a good start.
DeleteIdeally a class that focuses on local and state government such as POLS 220 can appear to be beneficial as a requirement for all majors. I believe that the knowledge of local and state government is a vital component to encourage change however I also believe that there are other ways to obtain such knowledge. As a Public Relations major I am enrolled in more political science classes then public relations, which is where I find POLS 220 to be problematic and unrewarding. Personally I spend a significant amount of time engaged in general education courses, such as POLS 220 that it leaves no room for courses that relate to my major in a more beneficial way. Personally I feel that I have enough previous knowledge about local and state government to participate and stay active in the government when it is imperative for me to do so. Yes I agree that in some way local and state government can tie into a majority of the majors offered at this university and it is also a part of our everyday life, however I do not agree it should be a required course. The role of local and state government should be discussed when necessary in ones major requirement courses not be required as an entire separate three-credit course.
ReplyDeleteAs an advertising major, and as a citizen of the United States, i believe that when choosing to enroll in in higher education the two classes of national government and state and local government should be a requirement as is the fundamentals of science, English, math and history. Politics and governmental function are two areas where our generation is creating a hole in academia. The knowledge that is learned in these courses is essential to becoming the leading generation in our country. As every college graduates goal is to obtain a career, they must know how what field they are in is impacted by choices that their elected leaders are choosing for them. How can you live in a country that has a such strong checks and balances system, if you do not know about the issues that are being debated and ultimately determining what obstacles or clear paths may lie ahead of you in your future.
ReplyDelete-Allison Wallace
As a Broadcast Journalism Major, I feel that POLS 220 to be important for my major. Originally, taking any type of political science class was no good for me. I had no interest because I had a simplified view of politics which was, "politics, along with any science for it, is entirely problematic and based on opinion altogether." I changed my tune soon after, understanding that political science is hardly opinion based and instead focuses on what it's all about, the science; understanding the institution of politics and applying them to your own decision making involving politics.
ReplyDeletePolitical science, in the long run, benefits me as a journalism student. Without it, I may certainly lack as a journalism student.
-Joel Jarvis
I am a biology major, so it seems kind of obscure to see that I'm taking this class and therefore is also not required for my major. While I was browsing through the GEC classes I had to take I picked this one out of interest. I myself believe the government has an effect on everyone living in this country so I should know something about how it works seeing as how it could effect me no matter what I decide to pursue. This class may also help me see opinions on todays controversial government issues and therefore would help me develop my own opinions on these issues helping me to understand what it is I believe our government should be doing for our country and vice versa. This being said I do not think all majors should require this class though because many of the majors you could be studying do not have much to do with this political science course and could not help them in there career down the road. Although I do think it could be slightly beneficial to most socially.
ReplyDeleteI am majoring in strategic communications with an emphasis in advertising. I believe that taking political science 220 should be a requirement not only for journalism majors but also for all students. State and Local government is something that effects our daily lives whether we know it or not; as citizens we should have a basic understanding in what is happening in our community. The School or Media also requires POLS 102, which I also believe every student should take. This class is extremely beneficial and covers material that is relevant to our lives. Policies made within our local, state, and national governments have a direct impact on our lives.
ReplyDeleteBeing in the School of Media, I was also required to take JRL 215. Within that course we focused on what you can and cannot say within an article, how important it is to have reliable sources, and to exclude opinions and have only facts within our stories. Understanding my basic rights as a journalist was extremely important because if something were to be misconstrued, I could potentially be sued for libel or slander. Within the next year and a half I will be required to take other courses that go into more depth about the rights and laws within media and business. I feel as though it is not only our responsibility, but also the university’s to insure that we leave here educated on our rights and the restrictions we may have within our profession.
-Andrea Carrillo
I am a accounting major with a minor in political science. I do think it is important that not only political science majors be required to take state and local government but every student be required to take this course. I think that taking this course will not only help my minor of political science but also benefit my major of accounting. I believe that this course will help my major of accounting, by helping me understand state laws that could possibly deal with structures in accounting. This is a vital course for all students to make sure they are informed about their state and local government. If one does not know what or how the forms of government operate then they are only hurting themselves. Some students may not think that taking a course on their state and local government would be beneficial to their learning but if one is not informed about local laws and regulations then this may hurt them in the future. Now there might be some disadvantages to taking this course rather then taking other courses that could benefit you with your major. For example if taking state and local government over another course that could be more vital in your education for your future occupation, it could very well hurt you. All in all, taking state and local government is a great benefit for yourself to make sure you stay informed and know what the types of government do.
ReplyDelete~Tyler Tumblin
As a Strat Comm major with an emphasis on PR, I am required to take POLS 220 to graduate. I have never had an interest in political science and I most likely would not have taken this course if it was not required; however, I do not disagree with this major requirement. Any journalism major, especially with a PR emphasis, must be politically informed in order to properly do his or her job. It is important to know how different political groups think and operate when communicating with a mass audience. Political knowledge gives PR practitioners advantages when it comes to identifying and reaching a target audience. As a public communicator, it is also imperative to be aware of various state and national laws to avoid any legal fiasco for oneself or a client. The study of ethics and politics are closely related in journalism education, and many themes are repeated between these courses. A basic political understanding is useful for not just every major, but also for every citizen.
ReplyDeleteIgnorance isn't always a choice, ignorance more often than not, comes from lack of exposure. With my major in advertising I don't have the room to be ignorant because then I'm going to create a commercial or some sort of other advertisement and have wrong or to vague of information on it.
ReplyDeleteI have never been good at any sort of math or history, it seems that I only have a good understanding of what is going on right now, so I struggle in classes such as Poly Sci 220 and I honestly don't like classes like these but I do think that it is a good idea to require classes because I feel like it helps make a person take a step outside of there box and think with an open mind. One of my favorite is "The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education." said by Martin Luther King Jr. and I think that having more knowledge, other than what you have for your career is character.
As a Visual Journalism major, it was frustrating to me knowing I was required to take a class about Local and State Government. My classes usually involve cameras and writing. I wanted nothing to do with the class at first, but now I am seeing it from a different perspective. I believe it is important for all majors to learn about local and state government whether it be the state they live in or not. Politics and government is not necessarily something that we are forced to learn about in high school.
ReplyDeleteIf there was another class besides POLS 220 that we should be required to take outside of our major, I would have to say two- it should be economics or a class to learn about banking and taxes. I say this with the same reasoning I used as to why learning about government is important. It is all around us. Money and economics is all around us just as much as the government is. The economy and how to handle money is something that every college student should learn about and understand, just like government. It would help to be knowledgeable about all of these things before entering into the real world so it does not just smack us in the face like a ton of bricks.
This article discusses how studying economics in college is like learning a martial art: http://chrisblattman.com/2012/01/11/how-much-economics-should-you-study-in-college-or-why-economics-is-like-a-martial-art/
Being a criminology major this course isn't required, but knowing how your local government works is greatly beneficial and affects your life directly. I saw this class as an extension of what I have learned in previous courses and in many career paths I happen to be interested in. Other majors may see this importance to its students to have to basic understanding of their government which in turn makes in a requirement. Your local and state government is where your voice can be heard the most and where many laws start the can impact you that you may not have heard of. Being able to voice your opinion and know where to go is vital and this class can show you how it all works. America was built around being able to speak up and be heard and no where is that more important then at your very home.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. There are so many people out there who don't know how to seek help or just don't have enough knowledge to start somewhere. It is really important to voice your opinion and know the basics :)
DeleteAs a social work major, I think it's really important for me to take Pols class not only because social workers mainly deal with social welfare and government based aid to help support people in need but also because it gives you a perspective of how things work in each state. I moved to America about 7 years ago and God knows I am still learning about how the government works here. I lived in Pakistan (which some of you may know not really have the greatest government *if any*) Over there, we don't really have welfare system. We have a caste system and if you are disabled, then its tough luck (not to be rude). My family wasn't exactly considered rich but I went to school with children whose parents couldn't afford tuition and my friends would have to leave and were forced to drop out of school. There's no such thing as free public schools or aid for students going to college. Rich stay rich and poor gets poorer. I believe it is really important for anyone to learn about how the system works in their country just so they know the resources that are available if something bad were to happen to them. I believe as a young adult, it is very beneficial for us to learn how the government works because one of us could go on to hold a position in the government some day. This class not only teaches us how the government in our state works but also sheds light on how other states governments work so if one day, we want to move to another state we know what the laws and regulations are and where to go to seek financial and local help.
ReplyDeleteWhen you look at a class like POLS 220, you can see very easily why it is so beneficial for various fields of study. Being a political science major it is of course useful to take because I am able to look and learn about the lower branches of government. Many fields of study also deal with the public sector and the governments that go along with those public sectors. To them, this class is most beneficial because it deals with the level of government that is the easiest to access without having to know someone high up in government. Learning how to fully access and understand your lowest level of government is crucial to everyone’s process of taking full advantage of all the things that you can access through your state and local governments. As you mentioned, journalism would greatly profit from taking this course in many ways. If you worked on a newspaper or for any type of business that delivers the news, you will now be able to know which parts of the local government you need to go to to get certain information. Not just that but your writing will benefit because you will now understand some of the events that take place in state and local government. Other professions like teaching will also benefit. For people going into the teaching environment you will be more knowledgable about how to get ahold of the necessary people to change things in your school system or even get funding for certain projects. All in all, I do believe that this course is definitely beneficial to every department in the university and it should be required as it is.
ReplyDelete-Sean Fitzwater
I'm a journalism major and I was actually required to take POLS 220 along with POLS 102. I really don't have a problem with taking political science classes, I just don't believe they should be required for people in distant majors such as journalism. However, I do believe there are several benefits to taking POLS 220. We live in a society where participating in politics is encouraged, but not forced. I feel like taking a class on State and Local Government can only increase my awareness about certain issues that I'll probably be dealing with first hand in a few years. I agree with several of my class mates that economics would be a good required class as well outside of political science (I was required to take ECON 201 & 202).
ReplyDeleteTaking classes in political science or economics or anything that you're going to be dealing with in the real world, really, is nothing but beneficial to you in the long run.
Hello everyone, I am Cameron Amend, and I am perusing a major in Nursing. I am not required to take Pols 220 for my major, but i thought it would be a smart class to take. Everyone should have at least an understanding of their local and state governments. Especially when dealing with someones health and well-being. If something was to go wrong with a patient, the government could be brought into the situation. This is a class that should be a requirement for any major, because the government is all around us. Down the road, if you're stuck into a bad situation being challenged by the local or state government, and you don't really have any understanding of them, you could be in trouble.
ReplyDeleteI see this as an essential class to take, not just for my major, but for everyone's future.
I feel that students should not have to take this course unless they are Political Science majors or in a major the closely relates to the topics in this course. Taking this as a major required course I do feel that it will help me as I advance into the real world and into my ideal career. Other colleagues of mine whom are in math and science based courses, I would not see necessary to take this particular course. By no means do I believe that they would not further benefit from the material; rather it takes away class time from classes that might be better spend in a class which pertains to their major better. It is my believe that the entire GEC system prevents students from getting a more job field ready education. By forcing students to take classes which are not going to help them in their job destination, are schools depriving students of the education in which they desire? Students come here with the idea that they are going to be able to take classes in which they are interested in, which pertain to their destined work path. Instead we are forced to spend nearly four semesters minimum on course that we aren't interested in, only so some departments do not go unnoticed. Departments know that to keep kids interested in their division they must do everything they can to get as many of their courses on a required course list. Students are paying a lot of money to go here to be educated in a specific field. GEC and non-major requirements take away opportunities for students to flourish in their respective area.
ReplyDeleteHello, my name is Andrew Dawson, and my major is SOWK, or Social Work. I'm required to take this class, POLS 220, and agree with others like Emma and Saydi who support the department's decision to make this class manditory. As someone who is going to be a part of the system, it will behoove me to be as familiar with that system as I can be. I may not enjoy this class as much as others, but I will apply myself and do my best.
ReplyDelete-Andrew Dawson
I am an education major with a specialization in social studies. I think that it should be mandatory for my major. Political Science does fall under the specialization of social studies, meaning, I could potentially teach the subject at a high school level. That being said, it is probably a good idea for me to learn the subject I could end up teaching. On top of that, teachers need to be constantly aware of what is going on in the State and Local government because education is a State power. The States are consistently altering schools and it is important to stay on top of that. In addition to staying current, taking a political science class (not just 220) will help me in my education classes. We discuss local and State government quite frequently and having a better background knowledge of the subject will make learning that easier. I don’t see how taking this course could hurt you, unless there is another required course you need that was only offered at the time this class is. I just do not see the problem with the majors requiring this class when all it does is keep you informed of the world around you.
ReplyDelete-Alison Thomas
I am currently studying Public Relations and I find it critical for students to take this course. There is a lot of elements in law that we should all know, no matter what major you are in. POLS220 gives students opportunity to become more familiar with the basics on how the American government works. As well as some background knowledge on how political parties form. The government has an impact on all of us in many ways such as taxes, education, economy and war.
ReplyDeleteWith my major being Social Work, I believe POLS 220, or any POLS course is beneficial. My future career will include working with people in the society, so knowing laws and how the government works will help me better understand what I need to do, and can do, to help others. State, local, and federal governments fund the welfare programs and others that are set to help those in need. The government also sets rules and regulations that those programs must follow. So, learning about the government will help to give me the knowledge I need to pursue my social work career.
ReplyDeleteTaking POLS 220 or any other POLS course would be beneficial to just about anyone. I dont think it matters what someone's major is, I just think everyone could benefit from learning about the government for use in every day life. Making a POLS course be a requirement isn't necessary, however I think people should highly consider taking at least one course.
Hi Elizabeth! I am a social work major as well. I agree understanding policy is going to be beneficial but I would have to say I don't think that this particular class will be what we, as social workers, need to fully understand politics.
DeleteThis class will not go into specific detail about the policies we will need to understand. With there being so many different policies out there, and the flexibility of the majors, it would be difficult for any one class to do so.
While I agree it should still be a requirement, I don't believe it will benefit this major as much as perceived.
Personally, I do not believe it is necessary that I take this course. Growing up in WV I have taken many classes similar to this for the majority of my life on top of JRL 428 which is a very similar course for Journalism majors. However, I do think that it is a good thing that POLS 220 is a required course. The University has no way of knowing each individuals unique knowledge and education. Even though us journalism students are required to take JRL 428 also, this course should give us a very broad and basic understanding of politics which is crucial for success no matter what your career path is. Knowing what is happening in the world around you and also having a good understanding of how and why is very valuable, and every student should try to absorb as much information from this course as they can.
ReplyDelete- Amber Seamann
As a social studies education major, I believe that it is crucial for me to take POLS 220, and other Political Science classes necessary to have an understanding of what our government in order to teach the future people of America. I chose my major based on the fact that I was interested in political science and that I wanted the knowledge to stay active politically in my community and to be able to teach students about politics. I am interested in more of the political science side versus the history side of the spectrum. The class already makes us think and that’s what I want to challenge my students to do when it comes to politics. I don’t want to teach the How? Without understanding the what? Or the Why? When we discussed. I’m hoping that this class will encourage other students to get involved with state and local government systems. Learning about State and Local government will provide us the knowledge in order to run and hold positions in our state and local governments.
ReplyDelete-Jihad D. Dixon
As I am one of the few in this course that aren't required to, it's a little difficult to answer this question. I am majoring in Electrical Engineering so obviously I don't need this course at all but I thought it might be interesting. My interest comes from the idea that a local government is something that closely and usually directly affects our lives. Requiring this for many of the majors included in here is important since knowledge about our local government is important. Knowing how the local government works should be necessary for reporting about the local government. I find it that way so that the general public is not confused about someone who spreads false information accidentally.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteState and local government is not a required class for my major which is recreation, parks and tourism resources. We were given the option on this particular GEC therefore it was not required. I personally decided to take the class because it relates to my intended graduate degree and I thought it would be useful information. Aside from all of those factors I think that parks and recreation students should certainly have to take this specific course. Parks and recreation deals with the local and state governments everyday, whether it is about zoning for a new park or whether it is to pass legislation to enhance the community in some way. Parks and recreation also focuses on social sciences which encompasses studying behaviors and opinions, more often then not those opinions deal with regulation and changes in policy. Understanding how local and state government works allows you to be up to date on policy changes and "speak the language" of government, ensuring something doesn't happen without your knowledge. In conclusion this course is important for not just parks and recreation students but everyone, since everyone has a stake within government.
As a Criminology major looking to become a lawyer, I believe it is important to be current on general politics and government issues, not only in the local town around you, but in the local state and our country no matter where you live. Therefor, I believe West Virginia University should require criminology majors to have to take a Political Science class. My reasoning for this is that the government is such a vital part of our lives, as it can affect things we do and how we handle them. No matter what job or profession you look to enter after college, the government either state or local will always play a part on your life and your everyday choices. I think politics and the government are imperative for us to learn, or have some knowledge of when entering the real world. We won’t always have our parents to guide us or help us with what the world has to offer. Whether you enjoy politics or not, they will always have a roll in your life even if you don’t try to keep up with them or acknowledge there roll. While in college I believe you should have to learn about the government and how it works, so that you aren’t clueless later in life when changes are happening around you, that affect you and what you’re doing. If the option is available to you as an incoming freshman, then you should take POLS 220. Being a Criminology major I think it is interesting, that I had to find this course on my own. It wasn’t suggested while I was deciding my fall classes. For students enrolled in other programs and courses, I would suggest taking POLS 220 because understanding how municipal and state governments work may be the basic interaction with government that people will encounter during their life time. For a handful choice of majors I would strongly suggest taking POLS 220. You may not notice it at first, but this course will help you a lot more then you can imagine. Upon graduating high school, I knew the basics from a previous law class but after only a couple classes of POLS 220 I have learned many new things that I wouldn’t otherwise have been able to learn in any other class. I’ve notice after only attending a few classes, I have learned more about Morgantown then I would have thought as an incoming freshman. Taking this class will help to simply expand our own general knowledge, and it cant hurt to help yourself by trying out a different class that may not be required for you to take.
ReplyDelete-Keerstin O'Donnell
As a Public Relations and Communications major I feel that it is necessary for all students to take POLS 220. Major wise, it may be more beneficial for a student in Journalism to study a higher Journalism class, such as JRL 428. However, I think that life wise, it is more beneficial to study a POLS 220 class. In one of our first lessons, the discussion of America after the civil war was brought up. At this time in history, individuals did not look at themselves as Americans but rather as Virginians, or whatever state they may have been from. We were taught that at this time there was no sense of unity or national identity, the lack of coordination of the states made for a mess. However, today as an American citizen there is a large sense of pride in our nation. I think in order for America to remain a powerful country, full of pride, all citizens need to be educated to understand our government so we can therefore understand our freedoms and what they entail. Although some individuals hate to admit it, the government essentially controls everything we do - from where our tax money goes, to voting laws and restrictions, driving laws, education laws, and so on. As a citizen, the best thing we can do to remain unified and to help protect our rights and our country is to be informed, and taking POLS 220 is a class designed to inform us.
ReplyDeleteAlso, in the Public Relations field it is possible to work with government officials. The government needs Public Relation specialists to help keep a positive relationship between the citizens and the government. In order to do this to the best of ones ability, I think it is best to understand the government. Clearly, POLS 220 has many benefits to taking, no matter what the major.
Angela Sparachane
I'm a political science and Spanish major, and although this class was somewhat of a requirement for me, I would have chosen to take it even if it wasn't. However, I do not believe that this class should be required for those who are not political science majors. Just as I chose to be a political science major and to take this class because this is what I'm interested in, other students chose their majors and classes for just the opposite reason. I do not believe college should be about making you a well-rounded individual; I think that is something that should be done on your own time. I believe the classes you are REQUIRED to take while obtaining your degree should ALMOST all be exclusively related to your major; I think that this guarantees more experts in any given area. I put "required" and "almost" in capital letters because although I think required courses should be major-specific, at the end of the day, it's your money, and you should be able to take the classes you want, even if that means extra time to acquire a degree. Although I believe that everything we will learn in this class would be helpful to all American citizens, I do not think that students should be forced to take a class they aren't interested in, or has nothing to do with their desired degree. Some people believe that math and science are the most important areas for young student to study, but thank God I don't have to take anything in those fields above the 100 level. It's important for citizens to understand how state and local governments work, but it's a personal decision to learn or not to learn about them, not something that should be required by the university.
ReplyDeleteStephanie,
DeleteI do agree with what you said about classes you are required to take while obtaining your degree should almost all be exclusively related to you major. I think some classes that students are required to take can sometimes be off the wall and by that I mean not necessarily related to their major. I think some required classes are just credit “fillers” when really there are some classes out there that would actually be more beneficial towards that specific major.
I'm going to be as openminded when I say this (and I am a senior journalism major), but I do think that people in or out of this major should take this as a class. Although it doesn't necessarily pertain to my major, seeing as I am a sports communications minor, I still think people should be able to understand the ins and outs of our nations government. There are obviously some other classes that need to be cut out of the journalism GEC's (like statistics and accounting/finance). I also think that by having this class, it would somehow teach (or so I would hope) people to stop posting political inputs all over Facebook and Twitter that make themselves look dumb. It really is not going to hurt anyone to know more about their nation, especially when your very own government is making the rules for society.
ReplyDeleteI am a political science major and to be honest I do not believe this class (pols220) should be required. With that being said, I believe it would be a good idea for political science students to take this course, but if they have no interest in state and local government, or feel they know enough, then I think they should be able to do what they see as fit. For those students that would be on the fence about whether to take this class or not, I would tell them to take it. Political science is a broad major and there are many subfields to it. Whether you wish to study american politics, the legal system, etc, the political systems in smaller areas, such as states, cities, counties, etc, can always help you understand the bigger picture. Also, the government on the local level is the most susceptible to citizen involvement, so knowing about it would put you in better touch with your local government and operations.
ReplyDeleteI do believe that POLS 220 should be a requirement for all students to take because knowing about your state and local government is extremely important and beneficial for everyone. This is something that everyone needs to learn about because it plays an important role in everyone’s daily lives, and I do believe that some people lack knowledge about how our state and local government works. Learning about the government is important no matter what major you happen to be in. An important benefit from taking this class could be something as simple as getting more involved in knowing about politics and understand debates. Although some majors may require you to know more about it such as Business and Economics or Social Work majors, I do believe that it is also important for people in my major to take this course as well. With my major being Journalism, I think it is important for journalist to know about the government as it may require us to one day cover a story on a political debate and if we don’t know anything about the government then anyone would be confused about what was actually going on you also want to make sure you are getting the right information out. There are many courses that I think my major should require instead of POLS 220, but one of the main courses I think should be a requirement is communication. I think knowing how to properly communicate with others is extremely beneficial especially since journalism is a major that involves being very personable. When it comes to doing research or even interviewing someone it is very important to know the best ways to communicate with someone especially if it is someone you would continue to go to for information. This is also a course that would ultimately benefit everyone in the future as they seek professional jobs.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your post. I think that it is important for everyone to be knowledgeable of their state and local government because of the role it plays in your every day life. I also agree with your statement that communication classes should be a requirement. Communication studies is my minor and I have learned a lot through my many communication classes. You hit the nail on the head when you said that taking comm classes would benefit EVERYONE in their future professional jobs, it is important to be a good communicator regardless of your chosen major.
DeleteAs a secondary education social studies major I believe that pols220 is a beneficial class to have as a requirement. It can assist a young teacher in understanding the inner workings of a school board meeting, and how state and even local policies may affect their job. It is also very important to know how the government functions to be involved within it. I do not believe that another class should be substituted for pols 220 as a requirement. The class has the benefit of being able to help not only one's development in the field of social studies, but in the development of one's knowledge of the governmental system that they live under. With that knowledge a citizen can be more effective acting within their government, and can understand how their state and local governments directly impact their daily lives.
ReplyDelete-Nicholas Crites
This class required or non required is a good thing to have. I am a Public Relation major and minoring in Political Science so i am forced to take it even if it's not required. Life is basically politics and this class helps deal and know the situations of politics and how it happens and who run it and how they get there. It helps me so much for other classes i am taking. It gives me a good background about the state and local governments and how they operate. Although those won't help me in the future since i am international, but for the meanwhile they are good help and better understanding of how the system works. I would say it is better to have it required since it helps the student in many ways. It helped me with another class that i am taking, which is West Virginia Government. It make me more familiar with how governments work in general then when i got to my West Virginia class its just a more in depth review that is easier with the Pols220. In the end when people leave this class they will use the information and it will help them in the future.
ReplyDeleteThis class is not required for my major but I chose to take it because I love House of Cards but sometimes it's a little too stressful for me. I figured this would be a calmer option. Truthfully, I didn't put a lot of thought into choosing this class, but I’ve always thought the subject was interesting and I thought it'd be helpful to me and maybe help me to be more informed (being this is the first year I can vote). I will not say this should be a required class for all majors because it doesn’t make sense to be in a class that isn’t your specialty. I chose to take this so I obviously believe the information is useful, but some people may not feel the same way.
ReplyDeleteHello my name is Andie Ward, I am an advertising major. In my opinion no matter what major, you should be required to take political science 220 for your own common knowledge about public policies, study of governments, political behavior, and systems. That list goes on but you get the idea of how important it is to be educated about the government because it affects your every day life. To some people it does not make sense why we are required to take this class but in the long run we are only gaining from Political Science 220
ReplyDeleteI believe it will be beneficial to take poly sci 220 in the long run. As a political science major I can see the obvious reasons as to why this class is a requirement. No matter what sub field you plan on being an expertise in, you will never really seem like that "expertise" if you aren't knowledgable about your own local and state government. Also this class helps with my other classes. Learning about the basics of just my local government lets me advance in my public policy class where we analysis and try to adjust policies in our local or even (if you're aiming high) state governments. Policies regarding same sex marriage and minimum wage are two huge controversies that are regulated by the state government. These controversies, along with others, can be detrimental aspects of someones everyday lives. These someones need to understand the state and local government to allow their voice to be heard. Citizens can complain left and right everyday about things they don't like about their community, or things that bother them on the daily. Well take a stand and confront your state and local government. BUT, to be able to successfully do that. You must be educated on the system and know how to make the changes you want to see in the world.
ReplyDeleteFor other majors, I do not see ALL the benefits I do with taking this class as I do with a political science major. Yes, of course, it would always be wise to take a class on your state and local government. But I do not see it being a requirement. Every major as something different in a world to be an expert in and I think they should focus on those core classes. But this class from them should be an option, not a requirement. If they feel like taking poly sci 220 will absolutely help them advance in there field, or mainly sub field, then this class should still be an option for them.
Being uneducated about the system that runs your every day life, and your children's every day life. Yes, ignorance is a poor thing. But you can't say that one is ignorant to our government without this class. Newspapers, news channels, school board meetings, and even gossip are things that help keep citizens in the loop. If one can say that someone is "ignorant" for not taking this class is a bold statement. And if it was a true statement, it should be a requirement for every student in the university. But it's not. But never-the-less, the knowledge every single one of us will take from this class, we will all be able to use and can absolutely benefit us.
Gabrielle Murray
I am a strategic communications major with an emphasis in PR. Taking POLS 220 is a major requirement for me and I think it is a good idea. I didn't have the best time taking my first political science class two semesters ago so I waited forever to take this class. I think it is important for people in my major to understand the state and local government and be familiar with the law and the way things are run. Learning about those things could really help in event planning and PR campaigns. However, strategic communications majors are also required to take a media law and ethics class. I have already taken that class and feel that it was more beneficial for the line of work I want to go into. I don't want to go into politics when I graduate, but I think having a basic knowledge of the system is important to have after I leave WVU for grad school.
ReplyDeleteAs a strategic communications major, I believe it is necessary for my program to require that students take political science. West Virginia University requires all bachelor’s degree programs to take at least four years to complete. Two out of the four years are given for students to take courses that may not seem relevant to their major but are very helpful for them in the real world after graduating. A lot of students come to college not knowing exactly what they want to specify in so they end up choosing a broad major such as public relations. There are many jobs in the public relations field that people are unaware of. By taking political science, some students might become interested in the subject and look for a job as public relations professionals in the political field. Unlike some of the courses my program requires me to take, I do think this class is vital. I can think of some courses that I would replace with one more relevant for my major but I do believe political science is necessary. It is important as students to become well rounded so we can stand out when competing with peers in the job market. Political science courses can help students gain the knowledge they need to understand state and local government. In order to vote, I believe it is important to know a little bit about what you are voting for. With no previous knowledge of political science or its purpose, it might be difficult to understand the way our country is run.
ReplyDeleteAs a public relations major, this course is required for me, however I also believe that it should be a requirement for all majors. I think that the general population's lack of knowledge and understanding on state and local government presents a huge problem for modern society. As college students in Morgantown, decisions being made by both state and local government effect our lives on a daily basis. Regardless of which direction any of us choose to take after graduation, we will all remain voting members of society. How could we form valuable opinions and make educated decisions without any knowledge on our country's political systems? As a whole, I don't think we could, which is why I find the information that we will learn in this class to be extremely beneficial. That being said, I don't really think that there is a tradeoff for this class. If I were enrolled in any other major that wasn't required to take this course, I might argue that other classes are tradeoffs for POLS 220. For example, as a public relations major, I don't foresee myself using most of the information I was required to learn in certain higher level math classes. As I mentioned before, I believe that the information we learn in this class will be stuff that we continuously use in our every day lives. All public relations majors are also required to take JRL 428 (Media Ethics and Law). That class deals with many of the direct issues that public relations professionals will encounter day in and day out. If I would have had POLS 220 before or while taking JRL 428, I think it may have been able to help me better understand some of the things we were learning at the time. As many others have mentioned above, POLS 120 and History 152 & 153 were required prior to taking JRL 428, yet they all overlapped each other and became repetitive. As Jordan Crammer mentioned in the very first comment, I think that taking a current events class would also be extremely beneficial for myself and other journalism majors. However, on that note, I disagree that that type of class should be a requirement instead of POLS 220.
ReplyDeleteI am a Social Work Major and while I do not believe it should be a requirement, I understand why it is.
ReplyDeleteWhen I start out as a social worker, where ever I may be, every single thing I do is going to play into a strict policy. It's important to understand how politics and policy come about because of this fact. With that being said, I don't feel this class is more important then what other classes should be required.
My job will always be to help others and in doing so I will encounter many people that are not like me. I must be able to step back and realize these differences and continue my job as if it were my best friend. Therefore, I believe as a future social worker I should be required to take many classes that deal with the backgrounds of others. While policy will always play a critical role, my job will require putting others first.
To quote my favorite textbook (nerdy I know but this book is amazing! A must read) Patricia Hill Collins said "we typically fail to see our thoughts and [subconcious] actions uphold someone else's subordination"
I would rather be a well rounded individual able to help many, then to know the ins and outs of policy.
The quote comes from "Women's Voices, Feminist Visions Classis and Contemporary Readings" By Susan M Shaw and Janet Lee. The entry I quoted was "Toward a New Vision" by Patricia Collins beginning on page 60.
I am a strategic communications major with an emphasis in public relations so this course is required for me. I personally feel that this course is an important course to take for comm students because many people, especially in college, don't know much about local and state government issues, including me. Taking this course will give students general knowledge of what's going on in the world and will help their careers in the future, as well as the issues occurring in the US.
ReplyDeleteI feel that taking a political science course is beneficial to any major considering the decisions of state a local government affect every member of society. The decisions of the government, both locally and state affect almost every job field, from being a teacher to being a journalist. Personally, I am not interested and don't know much about political science, but I feel that this class can only help me in the long run.
For example, I was also required to take Math126. Even though I won't be using Algebra in my career I feel it is essential to know the basic understanding of it. This idea goes along with a lot of other courses, but POLS220 is a great way for everyone to learn about how different systems of government work around the country.
While I am a Journalism major, like the example, I may be in the minority when I say I understand the reason for this class to be a requirement. When most students come to college, they aren't always entirely sure exactly what they want to do. They may have chosen a major, but how often do students change their major to a completely different school? Let's say that this person is still 100 percent sure they want Journalism. They still need this class. Some of the information you will learn will indeed help you in the future. Whether it is for a situation you find yourself in, or in journalism a story you are writing, there will be pertinent information learned throughout this course.
ReplyDeleteStudents at college are mostly just started their adult lives. State and local government is not something that is taught in high school. It is something that could hurt you if you don't have the correct information. Not knowing how the government system works could really hurt you when looking into elections. Everyone should be voting for every possible representative of their town and state. How could you do that if you don't even know how the government works?
I think some of the history classes that are required are less important than some of the government classes we are required to take. We learn history starting in first grade. While revisionist history was a fun class, I don't know how needed it was.
I think that most classes in the media college covers everything we need. I like the way it is worked out for the most part and I like the fact that we have a local and state government class.
I think it is important to study political science which includes state and local government because by studying this makes you a better critical thinker and able to analyze why something is happening. As a Advertising major, I believe it is important to understand what is happening all around you including politics. Studying political science teaches you the limitations of the government and the rights and liberties you have as a citizen. This is important to know no matter what field you go into and this is why it is a required course to take for most majors before graduation. I do not know what course would replace POLS 220. Being an advertiser, what I know and understand about politics and the government is very important so I can accurately inform the public. If I am not informed on a certain subject, the audience would not take me as a credible source. I think by understanding and being able to analyze political science enables journalists to give innovative angles on the news and the ability to express historical events and compare them to what is going on in today’s society.
ReplyDeletePolitics are a popular subject in the mass media because every year there is elections and new politicians moving into office. As Americans, we should care enough about our county to keep up to date about what is happening during these elections. And people like me, would be the ones delivering the messages to the mass media. Politics are the strategies we utilize to achieve our goals. Politics are natural in us all and it would be untrue to argue that one is not political. When we were children and in school, we didn't vote for whose popular because we are pretending to do what the grownups do. We voted for whose most popular or for prom king and queen and even leaders of student council because politics is a part of who we are.
As a journalism major, I think is very important to take POLS 220. It doesn't matter what major you have because you need to be knowledgeable in elections. POLS 220 will help people understand candidates that are running for elections and will give them a better understanding of their views. It seems like a no brainer to me, why would you not want to be knowledgeable in elections and topics that can drastically effect your life. Also as a journalism major, there is a very good chance that I will have to report on popular election topics and candidates who are running for office. POLS 220 could make my journalism career a lot easier because I will have a much better understanding on political topics when I have to report on them. Also, PR and Marketing majors should take POLS 220 very seriously as well. Marketing is a big part of political campaigns because officials are constantly studying which areas their candidate is favored well and which areas they need to improve in. As far as PR, there are plenty of situations where candidates give speeches to, thats where PR comes in. The PR person will help the candidate plan out the speech to make sure everything goes smoothly. Weather its Journalism, Marketing, Public Relations, or any other major there is always a connection to Political Science. Political science is very important to all majors because it deals with political topics that could greatly effect your life.
ReplyDeleteI think that taking POLS220 can be beneficial to whoever takes it regardless if you are required to take it based on your major or not. When it comes to issues such as politics and things relating to all levels of government whether local, state, or national, it seems that too many people do not understand enough to make wise decisions. Many people take a stance on something without doing any research on their own based off of how their family and friends view things. Everyone is entitled to their own views and opinions, but of course just like anytime in politics there will be disagreements. I think this class is a good way for people to learn about issues and make their own educated opinions. The journals that we are required to keep for the 2014 general election will make us stay up to date with what is going on in the world and possibly might help people learn something they didn't already know. Also attending a meeting of a state or local governmental body will help students have a better understanding of how things happen "behind closed doors." I can also understand the negatives to taking this course if you are required to, such as not being able to take another course you are interested in. Even so, I still believe the benefits outweigh the costs and I think everyone by the end of the semester will have gotten some useful information from taking POLS220 that will help them the next time they vote or take a stance on a controversial issue.
ReplyDeleteI am a public relations major and this class is a requirement for my major, but even if it was not, i still think it is important for every major to require this political class or another one close to it. I myself feel as though i am not fully understanding of how state and local government works. How am i supposed to vote on future political leaders if I'm not sure how politics even works? I did take courses on it in high school, but none of them went as in depth as this class goes, thats why i think it is important for all students to take a course like this. Whether you are in to politics or not, it gads a major effect on your everyday life and all people should be properly informed of it.
ReplyDeleteAs a journalism student, I think it is completely reasonable for the College of Media, or any department for that matter, to make POLS 220 a major requirement.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, having knowledge of state and local government and how it works is absolutely essential for any citizen in the United States.
As Americans, we have a unique opportunity that many people across the world can only dream of. We have the chance to elect our own government officials, influence policy and have a say in the political direction of our town, state and country.
In my opinion, having the knowledge that a course like POLS 220 provides is essential for us to fulfill our duty as citizens in a democracy. I don't know how many people who vote, and I might be scared to find out, have little to no knowledge about our government and how it works, but I'm sure the number would be staggering. I believe requiring courses like POLS 220 is a step in the right direction in creating a well informed and politically knowledgeable citizenry.
There are several courses, which I won't name, that I have taken already in my time in the College of Media that I struggle to the benefit to students' lives and future employment in any fashion outside a GPA cushion. That isn't the case with this class. The benefits of having knowledge of state and local government are endless.
The Reed School of Media requires that students in their programs take 72 hours of credit outside the school curriculum. From day one as a journalism student, I complained about the extra classes that it seems other majors aren't required to take. As I get a little older (wiser perhaps?), I realized that these classes are an absolute necessity to my education. I am required to take political sciences classes, math courses, finance and business courses, art, and music courses. As much as I might hate the long list of GEC's I think it is extremely important to get outside of your major and learn some things you wouldn't have otherwise.
ReplyDeleteA friend of mine is a speech pathology and audiology major and he doesn't have to take nearly the same amount of GEC's that I do. He focuses on the classes in his major and not much more. What is that preparing him for? Sure, he will receive a great education and be specialized in speech pathology and audiology, but he will have no solid base in politics, finance, or even art.
Another benefit of taking these random GEC's is the possible finding of something you love. An interest found in these GEC's can be used to narrow your possible interest in a field. For example, I took a social work class as a GEC and decided (based on this class) that I would like to work with children. I found a focus in a class that I was kind of dreading taking. I took an advanced English course and found that writing poetry isn't really my thing. Otherwise without the course, I would have gone on thinking I was the next Shel Silverstein. GEC's are important to our education.
I believe that not only as a Strategic Communications major, but as a United States citizen, taking POLS22 will benefit me. Me and everyone else who goes to this or any university is extremely fortunate to receive a higher education. College is not cheap and because of all the money spent I would expect to receive the best education possible, and political science is one of the best ways to do that. It is one of the few courses in any field that can help anyone. I want to go into advertising, our Constitution gives us freedom of the press. Someone in the forestry field should know about what the government does to protect the wildlife preserves in our country. Someone in a medical field needs to know how all of the new health care laws will effect their businesses. Someone who wants to go into the business field needs to know about how the government can regulate business. However, even though political science knowledge is beneficial towards almost any major, I find that it is more important as a citizen to know about our government and how it is run.
ReplyDeleteThis next presidential election will be the first time I am able to vote for our president, and honestly with the knowledge I have now about our government I don't think I would be able to make an educated decision about who I believe can be the leader of our country. In high school I learned only about how our government was made, why the laws were created and who created them, but I know very little about the laws today and how the government affects me. I believe that a course like POLS220 will help me and everyone else understand our government and be able to make more educated decisions about how to vote and be more involved citizens.
As an accounting major, POLS 220 wasn't required for me, but I thought it would be a great class to take. Government and business go hand in hand from the different types of laws to the structure of the economy. Politics, legal and regulatory systems comprise the backbone of what shapes accounting systems and rules. Some knowledge in political science will help me understand the relationship between these systems and how they drive accounting rules and regulations. To be an accountant you need a good grasp on law, both federal & state. For instance, you would need to know how much of your clients money goes into federal and state taxes. As an accountant it is important to have an understanding of social and political changes that will impact your practice and help guide your clients as they make financial decisions. Personally I think that everyone should be required to take POLS 220 or another government related class. Everyone should know how the government works, manages & their basic rights.
ReplyDeleteThere are positive and negative aspects of being required to take POLS220. Being a Television Journalism Major, having basic knowledge of how local, state, and the federal government functions is essential. The First Amendment is what gives me the ability to do my job (freedom of the press) and that is known to about every aspiring and current journalist out there. But do we all know about what freedoms we have on the state and local level? As a few TVJ majors stated before me, all of the journalism majors are required to take a Media Ethics and Law class, but we only cover these ideas – what local and state government bodies ‘allow’ us to do - from the journalist perspective. I think it’s important to know the full extent of the functions of state and local government because it affects us beyond the point of our selected field. How will we know what’s good or bad for our city or state, if we don’t know the affects of voting a certain official into office? On a negative note, there are some other classes that I would like to take instead of POLS220. I am a political science minor, but my focus is on international relations. So I would prefer to take classes with more relation to IR. However, if you really think about it, I wouldn’t really be able to understand the relationship between other countries if I do not first understand what role we play on the international front.
ReplyDeleteKassandra Taylor
I champion the idea of other departments requiring their students to take POLS 220. Many people that are not political science majors do not know the actual function and operation of government in their lives. I think that is the responsibility of every American citizen to understand the basic structure that our founding fathers created, which in turn, has made us the greatest country in the world. More specifically, the importance of powers that the federal government and state and local government share. When people think of government they think of the President, Congress, and the Supreme Court. Yet, where you find citizens and government interacting most is at the state and local level. Things such as voting laws, division of congressional districts, driving on roads to and from work, going to DMV and getting a license, attending the public education system, whether or not a stop light will be put in front of your house are in some form all at the hand of your state government. By enrolling in POLS 220, students will attain a better knowledge of how to properly interact with the institution of government on a smaller scale. This will help them down the road after graduation when they look for places to live and must adapt to new state laws. Regardless of whether or not your major requires you to take POLS 220, every student should take some form of a government or political science class through their department. Personally, I think that POLS 220 is not just a political science class but a life lesson that will follow you through your adult lives.
ReplyDeleteAs a Public Relations major I do not believe POLS220 is a class that related to my major. I want to be an event planner and learning about state and local government does not help me become an event planner. However I am happy to take this course and learn about these things. I believe this course should be taken regardless of ones major because you learn about things you will need to know in the real world. Not enough people have knowledge about the simple aspects of local and state government. Not enough people are aware of the basic structure and how it works. Too many people aren't taking an active role in learning about these things. I think I am one of the few majors that doesn’t relate to POLS but that doesn’t mean I don’t think we should be required to learn about it. I think taking a POLS class will persuade more people to go out and vote. Too many people my age don't go out and vote because they aren't educated about the world we live in. People care more about the Kardashians than what’s going on in the United States. I am in the Reed School of Journalism, and I think this course would benefit everyone who takes it regardless of what your major is.
ReplyDeleteBeing a history major I am not required to take this class and i believe that should be the case for history majors as a whole because of the way the graduation requirements are broken down. Beyond the lower level classes history majors have to chose two out of three specializations those being United States, European, and Non-Western history. If a history major had done European and Non-Western a class on local U.S. politics would likely not be supplementary for their education. This person is likely not looking to work as part of the U.S. government and is less likely to have the need to work with the government baring some rarer exceptions such as Native American history which is considered non western and they may get something from the class learning how to deal with local bureaucracy. For history majors who have selected U.S. history as one of their specializations it is very likely that they would get something from this class because even if they don't intend to work directly inside the government its likely they will have to work with it unless they intend to go to a indirect career but because of that exception it would still be hard to require Pols 220 to even just this segment of history majors. A fair solution may be to just advise certain history majors to take the class base on their career interest because many public and academic historians could use this type of information with many being employed by local governments.
ReplyDeleteRegardless of one's major, I believe it would be in everyone's best interest if POLS 220 was a required course. I'm probably a bit biased, as I am a poli sci major, but I sincerely believe everyone should understand at least the basics of how their state and local governments work so that they can be more informed citizens and have an educated voice in society. The course can be a beneficial addition to many majors, as stated by many other students in the comments, like journalism, accounting, communications, and others that require working with people and having knowledge of current events, but even students who are in very different fields of study (like biology, nursing, and other sciences) can benefit greatly from this course because it provides knowledge applicable to issues that affect everyday life.
ReplyDeleteI think that being educated in what a class like political science offers should be required for all majors. Even if the people being required to take this course have no plans on having anything to do with the subject, it is very important for everyone to have at least some idea how government works and affects us all. As far as this course potentially taking away a chance a student would have had to take another class, that is a difficult situation. If a theater student wanted to be able to take a higher level class in their field but would be forced to take too many hours because of this required course, then I feel like that would be unfair to that student. Perhaps there could be some way to test out of this course, like there is with some math classes. As long as students graduate with the basic knowledge of what this course offers, it shouldn’t matter if they actually completed an entire semesters worth of class.
ReplyDeleteI believe that learning political science material can be very beneficial for any major. However I think the requirements should be less for some majors than others. If one were to use it more, if one desires a specific field where they will run into political work, it is very important. As a strategic communications major, it really depends on what field one wishes to go into. I do not desire to do any thing related to political science as it does not interest me. However, there is a lot of public relations work in political science. I wish it could be that those people could continue learning about political science, and that others, like myself, stop after political science 102. It has simply never interested me as much as others, and I don't follow it as well. To me, the disappointing thing about many majors and education is that we are expected to learn many different material, rather than dig deeper into what we actually want to do. Not everybody has the same interests and level of learning, but with classes like these it is a wide range of people, which can be messy. I feel frustrated when I have to spend so much time to understand a certain subject that I know I will go out of my way not to work in that field later in life, therefore I should only need to know the basics. I would much rather put all that time and effort in to major-related courses where I feel like I'm learning about material I will use throughout my career.
ReplyDeleteI am looking at this assignment through one of my majors, Advertising. the school of media requires to graduate that you take this POLS220 and you must earn a C or higher in it as well. At first I could not understand why they would have us take a class like this, it really does not seem to be part of our major, so why do they require it? I believe that they require it for the simple reason as it might end up helping all of us if we go into the advertising or PR fields. The school of media has made a new major, strategic communications, which is combining both PR and Advertising and making the students know both field equally. For this most advertisers and PR people will need to understand the local and state levels of government for their jobs. Advertisers might want to do a new innovative campaign and they need a local government official or board to approve them permits for it, they need to understand how these officials work and how to go about getting their campaign approved to it works the way they envisioned it. For PR professionals, one of the major fields they can go in is working for government officals, and in most cases you need to start with lower level officials and work your way up, to properly serve their clients they need to understand how the government works and how their clients fit into the government. This is why I think the school of media has decided that we as advertiser and PR professionals should know about local and state government and how it works.
ReplyDeleteHello all, to start off, yes I believe that every department, whether it is journalism or even exercise related, should take a course on state and local government. People these days just don't put an emphasis on really learning about their government. Learning the ways in which our government processes, and how power is distributed through state and local politics is imperative to know. Being a Television Journalism major, this course is required and for good measures, government essentially effects everything we do, we are citizens of this country, we should know our role in it. Plus I wouldn't want to cross any boundaries and get out of line.
ReplyDeleteBeing a Journalism major, and a Junior, I think thats POLS 220 should be a requirement for pretty much every major. As I'm growing older, I'm starting to realize all the things I'm going to need to know in life. And knowing how state and local governments work is definitely something everyone should learn to know, especially if they plan on living in America their whole life. Same reason why I think my requirement to take ECON and accounting is important. It is teaching us stuff we are going to have to know when we graduate and go out into the real world on our own. While people may think they should be taking other classes towards their major, coming into the University, when you look at all the requirements you need, after a few years you'll realize you'll learn everything you have to for your major, while learning stuff that you are going to have to know. Coming in Freshman year, I would say it is ridiculous to be required to take this course, but now I'm glad I have too.
ReplyDeleteI am a Social Work major and think this class is very beneficial. As a Social Worker you need to be aware of your governments policy and any changes in your local government so you can better help your client and give factual information. I think all majors should have to take this class so they are aware of what is going on in the government and how it works. I am glad that it is a requirement for my major.
ReplyDeleteI agree that you should be require to take this course if you are a social work major along with other majors, but I don't think everyone should force to take it. For instance if a biology major takes it, he or she might not benefit fully from this class. I think it should be a requirement with a lot more different alternatives.
DeleteI believe that is is necessary for students of all majors to be enrolled in a class such as political science. No matter what field some one wishes to study, it should be required that a student take a political science class. Everyone should have at least some knowledge of how the government works because it affects each and every one of us. This only allows a person to understand the changes that occur at both levels, as well as give them an opportunity to make an educated vote for change. Being in a field such as journalism, constant news stories come from a political view. Any person in this field should understand the issues being covered so that they have an idea of what exactly they are putting out to the public. This class simply sets you up for the real world. Whether POLS220 relates to your major or not, as a citizen everyone should have a little bit of an understanding of the government.
ReplyDeleteAs a Political Science major I do believe that POLS 220 should be required for all students in this major. The class deals with local politics, which can have just as big, if not a larger, impact on the daily lives of citizens. If one wants to understand politics and how it works in America, then they should know how government works at all levels. In fact, understanding state and local politics can be more important than national or international politics because it has a direct effect on the people and their neighborhoods. I also believe that Journalism majors should take this course, along with several other political science courses, because every journalist should be an expert on politics. In order to be a successful journalist, one must also understand how state and local government functions. This can help a journalist when they have to write articles on actions made by local governments. Another major that should have the POLS 220 requirement is Sociology because they are studying society and people in general. This course will give them the basics of how small governments deal with their citizens and how it has an impact on society.
ReplyDeleteAs a Secondary Education Major with a focus on Social Studies, I am required to take political science classes. It’s obvious that I have to take this class so I will be able to teach Government in middle or high school. However when I become a teacher I will prefer to teach History. Although I want to teach History, most of the subject involves government. In order to thoroughly understand History, I will need to understand exactly how our government works and how it has affected our history. I think this class is also important for all students. In my opinion not enough people are educated about the government, therefore when they try to participate they do not understand what is going on. I believe that everyone needs to have a basic understanding of the government so everyone can be involved.
ReplyDeleteAs a strategic communication major, I totally agree that is should be required for students to take POLS 220. All majors throughout the Reed College of Media are going to encounter some form of political discussion or government entity in their careers, let alone their lives. When moving to a new state for work or school, it is important to have a basic understand of how the state and local government operate. Political policy can directly influence what journalists report, and how strategic communication specialists use public relations and advertising to communicate with the public. Without being present in political discussion, it can be difficult to keep up with colleagues who are already one step ahead of their competition. Because it is so important for strategic communicators to be well informed, it only makes sense for our department to require several classes like POLS 220. I also believe that it would be beneficial for students in the Reed College of Media to be required to take several sociology and anthropology courses. These classes would better allow students to understand how society as a whole operates, a true requirement to be a strategic communicator in the long run. Ultimately, I believe it is important for students to be well rounded and have a greater understanding of how the world works when they earn a degree.
ReplyDeleteAs a student in the Political Science Department I see great value in the POLS 220 State and Local Government course. In my opinion it should required by all political science students. No matter what your track may be, pre-law, American politics, or national security, state and local government can play a role. In whatever field of employment you seek post-graduation you will most likely have to deal with the state and local government in your area. This course can prepare you to understand an area of the government that you might not be that knowledgeable about. The state and local government also play a much bigger role in our lives than I believe most people understand. This course will definitely help to educate you.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I am an advertising major and I admit that, at first, I did not believe that political science should be required for my major. I did not believe it provided me with knowledge that I needed for my major. However, I do believe that it provides you with knowledge that is needed for life as a citizen and an employee. Poilitcal science provides people with the ability to have constructive thought and the ability to communicate strongly with others. More specifically political science at the state and local level allows people to understand how the government works around them, which is important for when we all have our own homes and pay our own taxes one day. You have to understand that type of stuff in order to live more comfortably. If POLS 220 wasn't required, however, and I had to pick a class to replace it, I would choose one of the visual journalism courses or a public relations course because they tie in really well with advertising. Now, if someone wants to explain to me why I have to take 2 biology courses as an advertising major, that would be great. Sorry, now I'm just venting haha.
ReplyDelete- Robert Davis
As a public relations major POLS220 and POLS102 are both required courses. I do think it is imperative that every student has general knowledge in political science. Learning about the government can only be beneficial to everyone considering it does affect all of us. Especially POLS220, state and local government, not only informs us about what is going on locally but helps gain an understanding of why. Essentially all citizens going into any workforce should know the basics of how the government is run and hopefully taking this course will do that.
ReplyDeleteInteresting point, I do believe everyone should defiantly have a general knowledge about what is going on in their state. But I think it might not be required too much if it doesn't effect you personally and once it does there should be some personal action for you to understand why.
DeleteI do believe all departments should require students to take POLS 220. Although some students disagree and find taking the course irrelevant to their degree, I believe we all should have some knowledge about the state and local governments. Politics are everywhere, and to not know anything about the topic is just ignorant and, in my opinion, disrespectful. I stand behind the College of Media's requirements to take this course. I'm majoring in TV Journalism and while working in that field, it is extremely crucial to have at least some sort of background knowledge about politics. Most people who are informed about politics get an abundance of their information from national news sources and are rarely told how national policies affect them directly in the local spectrum.Therefore, this course provides students with a better understanding about what's really happening. This course is more beneficial over another course because it provides you with knowledge that is going to be used daily in "the real world".
ReplyDeleteAs a Journalism student I believe that I should not be required to take POLS 220. I understand that political science, especially in the state and local government is important and journalist needs to fully be aware what is going on around them. But I think if it is not the journalistic side that a student wishes to cover, then it’s not as important. For instance, if a journalism student wishes to cover business for a beat, then he/she should be require to take more business orientate classes. If you choose to be a journalism major it is require of you to obtain a minor as well, and I believe if your minor stresses you to take political science then and only then should you be require to attend the course.
ReplyDeleteAs a social work major, POLS 220 was required for my field, and I believe that it should be required for most majors to take. Because social work is highly involved with creating programs and providing services to help people meet fundamental life needs, having knowledge on how to get these services through our governments both local and statewide is very beneficial knowledge to have. There are also many other aspects and majors, where obtained knowledge of political science could prove useful. Overall, I think that knowing the way our governments and politics work is extremely helpful and I do believe that it is important to require this course for people continuing their education and careers in government work.
ReplyDeleteThat is an interesting point and I completely agree. I think that social work goes hand in hand with state and local government. One law can change the way someone in that field and most field do business.
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ReplyDeleteI am a Journalism with advertising major and I feel that this class would definitely be beneficial to anyone in my field because of the amount of diverse stories that one would follow and in many cases to understand something clearly or to clarify a discrepancy you have to understand how the policies of our government function. Along with being helpful in my career path, this class teaches beneficial information for any american citizen. It shows how certain institutions function and to use the system you have to be familiar with how it works. I feel like most people who get upset over abject ways that they government runs but that is simply because they do not understand how tedious it can be. At the same time though a society that is more politically active can only better how the government functions its self. Also in the case of advertising there are some select laws and regulations that are put into place that must be understood so that one does not make a crucial mistake allowing something to go out that has legal repercussions. On the scale of local and state government, some would never consider running for local office but if they did in this case they would know how to go about it.
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ReplyDeleteIt does not matter what the major of an individual is, that person is a constituent and government affects their life. It is important to know what is happening in the political World, especially in your surrounding area. In order to have the best, most qualified candidates as representatives, there needs to be a well-educated electorate.
ReplyDeletePolitics is the homework of the real World. No one wants to deal with the busy work and read up on the policies of candidates, yet page after page of fantasy football information is absorbed (myself included). There is a lot more to know than the black and white views such as immigration, marriage equality, gun rights, etc. The lack of knowledge leads to voters deciding based strictly on party affiliation, even if the other candidate may be more qualified.
I saw mention that high school fails to teach us much about politics. This was true for me as well. I had just one Civics class that taught the trivial facts, such as 100 senators, 435 representatives, seat terms, etc. and not much more. We weren't taught what we could do to be more involved.
Voter turnout may also benefit from the requirement of this course. Being made to learn at least a little bit about state and local government could influence more students to participate in elections. The right to vote should not be wasted because someone is too lazy or doesn't care enough. The election of Barack Obama is a great example of turnout from certain demographics changing an election.
If this question was asked last year I probably would have responded that I did not think this course was necessary for my major (Public Relations), however, last year I was required to take another political science class and actually walked away from that class with a ton of information that I could definitely see myself needing in the future. I never knew much about politics before because my parents are not incredibly involved in politics and I barely watch the news. I was almost embarrassed that many of the topics we discussed in class I had just been learning for the first time. Unlike some other comments, it seems some students have learned this information over and over again, but in my case, this was my first time learning some of these big name court cases and the structure of politics. Whether we are actively involved in politics or not, the state and local government plays a huge role in our lives and if we do not understand the way in which it works, it is almost pointless. My political science class did not come easy for me. I worked very hard and studied for long periods of times, but by the end all my hard work seemed to make me enjoy the class more. When I found out I was required to take another Political science class I did not groan this time. I am taking this class as an opportunity to learn more about government and politics for my own self—not so much for my major. I do not think I see working directly with politics in my future career, but it is all good information to have in my back pocket. Also, some aspects of political science are beneficial for public relations. For example, already in class we have started debating certain topics. That is highly what communications is about. If you cannot speak publicly in front of a class about a topic than you should maybe reconsider public relations. Having this skill be practiced in another class can help whether you realize it or not
ReplyDelete- Casey Rock
My major is Social Work and while at first I will have to admit that I was not thrilled to have to take politics classes in general, I have come to realize the significant role that they play. Social workers in particular need to be aware of the “goings on” in state and local government for many reasons (the major one being that the government is where the majority of our funding comes from). In addition to this, I plan to go on to get my Masters in Social Work as well as a law degree. With both of these politics and understanding not only how government works on a broad scale but also how it works on a smaller (more local) level is important. This can include everything from understanding where funding comes from, to lobbying governmental officials to support one cause or another, or to writing a bill to help get funding. I do not believe that I have missed out on opportunities because I was required to take POLS 220 (this may be because I see how essential it can be to my future job). I am not sure that I agree that everyone should be required to take the class as many individuals may see it as “unnecessary” to their degree (not that it would be true one way or another but I could see where a music major or someone in the more art related fields for example may not feel that they need the class). There are many classes that I feel would be beneficial to my major (many of which are optional to fill electives and such). These include but are not limited to Criminal Justice courses (such as Juvenile delinquency and other classes relating to crime) and Sociology courses (as these often deal with the dynamics between individuals such as the sociology of rural communities). While each Social Work student may not end up working with criminals, there is a good chance that at some point in time they will have to work with these individuals and a greater understanding would be beneficial. Again, not all social workers will work in a rural setting but some may and an understanding of the dynamics and unique circumstances surrounding that demographic would be beneficial.
ReplyDeleteAs a Political Science major I am required to take POLS 220. I also believe that every department should require their students to take POLS 220. Every citizen should be acquainted with the political system of their nation, and the distribution of power on a state and local level. I'm sure a lot of people are familiar with the U.S. political system and distribution of power on a national level. However, it’s important that we are all familiar with the political system in our local governments. It is the laws and regulations in our significant states that will affect us the most. Therefore, it is important that we are aware of how our local governments are run, and that we participate as much as possible.
ReplyDeleteI am a senior Public Relations major. I believe that POLS 220 is a great course to be required before graduation, but I think that being required to take that and another separate course on the federal government is too much. The two could be joined as a single course that covers all of the information in s condensed way freeing up three hours of class. Journalism students have a very touch course load and three free hours would be a welcome time for homework or rest and relaxation. I definitely see the benefits of POLS 220 like several of my classmates, but I do not see how having two political science classes is necessary. Know ing how local government works after leaving university would be very beneficial when deciding where to live and start a family down the road.
ReplyDeleteDerek Collins
As a political science major on the pre law track, if you take a look at the degree works site that the university offers it's pretty clear that I am shackled into a pretty specific set of courses and that is ok because it's what I signed up for, along with the recent cut in credit hours required to graduate makes it difficult to take a large range of classes. With that being said, I think POLS220 is a vital course for anyone sharing my same major. It's vital to take in and learn as much as we can before entering into our field. As for other majors, there are definitely benefits from learning the material, but there should be a similar class offered in a different section for other non POLS majors.
ReplyDeleteAs a public relations major having an extensive understanding of state and local government is very important. There are many laws and regulations that vary state to state about what is allowed to be released into the media. Understanding this can help avoid law suits or submitting anything to the public that could be construed as slander. I believe that any student in the journalism school should be required to take pols 220.
ReplyDeleteAs a Political Science major I think it's vital that someone in this field has an understanding of state and local government. This class starts the ground work of my major and I would hope to one day work for the federal government so this helps with understanding where it all starts. As for other other majors like Social Work I don't think its a vital course needed in their major, but good basic knowledge for people to know regarding state and local government.
ReplyDeleteI am a Strategic Communications major emphasizing in Public Relations. The requirment to take this course is highly justifiable for many reasons. For example, as discussed in class last week we learned the differences between states, and how their governments interact with their citizens. Many issues in Public Relations have to do, or involve many political issues. Most politicians, not surprising, have a team of public relations specialists. Therefore, if you are a member on one of their teams it is important to know how the states interact with their citizens, and even more importantly how their citizens interact with their states. It is important to know their role in the government, such as in the North East it is common to have town hall meetings where local issues are discussed by the community. By knowing this, it makes it possible to know how to reach the constituents. In a town hall meeting you would design speeches that would appeal to a live crowd. In states where it is more common to get your political information in the news, we would prepare media packets that are more suitable for journalists.
ReplyDeleteI think that Pols220 should be a general education requirement, regardless of major. It's important knowledge to have in life, in any career (including no career). The way that state and local governments work and interact with each other and the federal government affect all of our daily lives, whether we want them to or not, and therefore we should all be educated enough to know what exactly is going on, if not participate.
ReplyDeleteMy majors are Accounting and Political Science and I believe that some majors outside Pols should require taking courses such as pols 220 and other mid level pols classes in order to complete the degree. Majors in related subjects such as History, Sociology, Journalism, Communications etc. should be required to complete several pols courses such as 220. When I first came to school here I wanted a well rounded education both quantitatively and qualitatively and that is why I chose Accounting and Political Science. I believe that non related majors such as business and hard science majors do not need to require it, but should at least stress it to their students to sign up for some classes like pols 220 for the following reason. The pre-law track has given me the skills I need in research, writing, and organization that are vital to success that I know these other students in business majors are not getting, at least not in as much detail as they would if they were to take pols classes. As far as majors related to political science like other liberal arts studies, they should be required to take several pols classes to fully develop their skill set. I know a few English majors that need to take several upper level pols classes in order to graduate which I think is good because Political Science classes compliment their writing and research specific major well. As far as actual pols majors, 220 is not required to take in order to graduate ; however, I believe that it should be for certain tracks of Political Science majors because it is very important to study the foundation of the states and federalism.
ReplyDeleteWhile I appreciate the multiple views posted here, I believe that this class should be taken by everyone......voluntarily. Only political-science majors and journalism majors should mandate this course. The reason everybody should take it falls under personal responsibility as an informed united states citizen. From what I have seen in this class so far, I can say that what we are being taught is relevant and in my opinion, interesting. Every person in this class votes, (or at least has the ability to do so) and therefore should be educated on the system which he/she is interacting with. When issues need resolving, we elect leaders who will resolve these issues. Without knowing how governmental processes were completed in the past or how they are in the present, it is much easier to improperly judge what will be most beneficial to vote for. This class provides both a modern and historical context that we as Americans can use to live our lives more responsibly. For this reason, everyone should take this course.
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