Stacy Davis-Stanford

 American Institutions: POLS 1100- American Government 

I began this class with the hope of learning more about what happens in government after Election Day. Politics always felt out of reach for me; I could follow election campaigns, but once campaigning turned to governing, I always seemed to get lost.  This class taught me the basics of the inner-workings of the three branches of government in a way that was easy to understand and applicable to me and my life.  I also learned where to look online to find information about senators and congress-people, as well as laws, PAC’s, interest groups and more.  I feel like I have been given the tools I need to continue my independent research and to make informed decisions at the polls.

I plan to use my newfound web resources to continue to educate myself on the issues and to communicate with my representatives.   I will continue acting on my patriotic duty and serving as a poll-worker on Election Day, but more importantly, I will educate others about candidates and issues that are important to me.  I also hope to be able to remain open-minded in future political discussions, like I tried to be in this class.  I believe that the tactful way our class handled sensitive issues will serve as a good example for other heated discussions in future courses.

My view of government has not really changed, so much as broadened.  I gained insight into the process of a bill becoming a law and learned about committees and rules and procedures, which has led to me feeling more patience with current lawmakers. I learned about the origins of the constitution and about early disagreements among our forefathers, which has led to more understanding of the deep-seeded ideological divides in this country.  I learned about the 3 judicial interpretations of the Constitution, which led to greater understanding of court rulings and opinions.  The thing that impacted me the most strongly this semester was realizing that the cultural and political differences that exist in this country today have existed, in some form, since the beginning.  It always feels like the current government is the worst, the most argumentative, the most stubborn, and the most divided; when in reality, the forefathers disagreed as much as our congress today! I think that realization gave me a bit more compassion for today’s lawmakers.

 I enjoyed this course very much, and I am excited to continue to study political science independently.