Students get to see politics up close

One Communications seminar this summer used the political conventions as its classrooms. Six graduate and four undergraduate students participated in Communications 827 this summer and attended both the Republican Convention in Philadelphia and the Democratic Convention in Los Angeles. "It was a fantastic opportunity. Not only did we get to do reporting at the Republican Convention, but first-hand observation," said Kate Kenski, a fourth-year doctoral student in the Annenberg School. The students hit the convention floor each night, worked on an Annenberg study and posted commentary on http://www.philly.com about the Republican convention. The course was taught by Annenberg Dean Kathleen Hall Jamieson, with advisory and technical assistance from senior researcher David Eisenhower and former Congresswoman Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky. The Institute for Public Service provided funding for the class. The information gained will contribute to the Annenberg 2000 survey, the largest study of the American electorate ever conducted. The course was divided into five weeks, the first of which offered a general overview of political conventions. During this section of the course, guest lecturer Norman Orenstein of the American Enterprise Institute presented the issues of the upcoming conventions and anticipated strategies. After their introduction, the students were actually on the floor for all four nights of both the Republican and Democratic conventions. "This kind of in-the-hall experience does not happen very often, but when it does, it is unbelievable," Eisenhower said. "Live experience really magnifies the conclusions that you draw, makes them more vivid." Upon their return to Philadelphia, after taking notes, collecting information and documenting particular themes, the students convened to discuss their general impressions of the conventions and then recessed to write progress reports. Some of the topics for these reports included gender roles in political conventions, references to religious themes in convention speeches and vice-presidential selection. Eisenhower praised the quality of these reports and said they will most likely be put on the Web within the next several weeks. Students also acted as a research team and assisted Jamieson in posting commentary on philly.com after the GOP convention, assessing themes of speeches, exploring specific references and replying to queries. Eisenhower explained that they were very fortunate as a class to be able to interact with so many prominent officials in the fields of politics and journalism. "There is really no way to map out a syllabus for a course like this. We respond to opportunities as they arise," Eisenhower said. The students were even given the opportunity to meet and have their photograph taken with President Clinton. Members of the class, students and faculty alike, expressed a positive response to the dynamic of the group. College junior Dana Hork said, "I learned as much from the grad students as I did from the professors." "This was an extraordinary experience, not only for students, but for the teachers as well," Eisenhower said. According to Eisenhower, the department will plan a sequel to this course in the 2004 convention year, as well as modified versions in the intervening years.

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