American Institutions
POLS 1100--U.S. National Government and Politics
Fall 2012 Semester
I have always had a interest in what's going on in politics. I am a Libertarian and glad we all have the right to vote. I love this country and would like to know more about politics and how the U.S. is run as well as in the world. This course will be able to show me and inform me of this.
We were asked to do a couple assignments that are posted below. The first assignment was to figure out either the Median and Mean. The second assignment the essay I wrote on the Electoral College.
Q.L.W Reflection
Because of dealing with the Mean (Average) and the Median (Middle Value) in the 3 math classes I have taken already I am familiar with these terms. As far as what does this have to do with politics, no clue. Until I worked on the assignment that was given this is a good way of looking at the percentages of any given statistics. What one state is doing right in regards to employment, property worth and incomes can be beneficial to other states. Looking at this from another way what one state is doing wrong could warn the other states what not to do; Because isn't that why we study history? So we aren't doomed to repeat it.
Politicians can always use Mean and Median in statistics found in their opposition to either make the look good or to make the opposition look bad. Example President Obama can show the percentage of unemployment in Massachusetts during his time as Governor there. While Romney can show how Massachusetts was able to spends the state’s budget.
Before I took this class I always would like to participate in political discussions with family and friends. Now, I am able to at least carry on in a political discussion. I may not always be right but at least I am more confident. When dealing with the American Political system I grew up in a very patriotic family and knew the importance of knowing where I stand on certain issues. One of those issues is the Electoral College.
The Electoral College is what my persuasive essay was on. This assignment was the most influential to me because I didn't know much about the Electoral College and every election I was really confused. While researching this essay I came to the realization that this needs to be done away with.
What I took most out of this class was the history and the culture of this great nation. I was able to learn how many Senators and how many seats there are in the house. I also was able to see the love and the vision our founding fathers had when they wrote the Declaration of Independence and set up the Government. I believe this was inspired by god.
During this course I had to read lots of discussion material about different topics that were discussed this year. I thought it was tough at first to listen to other opinions about certain topics. In the end I was able to have a different aspect of political issues discussed. I am able to understand more where people are coming from.
