Thursday, January 24, 2013

Ch 10 - Congress - Class 8

  1. Review: Congress
    • What do we need to review?
  2. Mini-Test: Congress
    • How well are you doing this semester? 
  3. Case Study: January 23, 2013 - Senate Foreign Relations Committee
    • "I intern for Senator Boozman of Arkansas (R). However, he is not on the foreign relations committee. I was actually present for the Senate Benghazi hearing as well earlier this morning. The Senate hearing was held in a much larger room, but it was completely packed. I came in late, so I sat in the back. Kinda crazy to see Hillary and McCain freak out. Very tense. As for the House hearing, there was a huge line of staffers waiting outside the room to get in. Most of them had to view the hearing in an overflow room next door. The House room was much smaller; only about 5 rows of chairs (behind Hillary) so I was able to see her and the congressmen very clearly. It was interesting to see that many of the congressmen left right after Madame Secretary answered their question, particularly the ones who grilled her. The Congressman from South Carolina who accused her of letting the "consulate become a death trap" kind of stormed off after she shut him down. Overall, it was very exciting to see everything up close. I ran into Hillary afterwards who said hello to me. Also ran into Senator McCain wandering the halls of the capital. And also walked next to Senator Kerry earlier in the day. He will be confirmed for Sec of State tomorrow. Very crazy and eventful day! Glad I got to witness it all... I would encourage any student to intern on the Hill if he/she had the chance. Even if you don't go to school in DC, there are other opportunities during the summer and I know the UC system has a program called UCDC (students intern in DC for a quarter). One of my friends from UCSC is in the program now. Also, the Page Program in the House and Senate is great for high school juniors looking to interact with the members directly. When I was watching the Senate hearing today I also noticed students in the Close-Up program were present as well." - Alexa Zapletal '09

Monday, January 21, 2013

Ch 10 - Congress - Class 7

    2. What are key differences between the Senate and the House?
    3. What are common criticisms of Congress?
  1. Research: Committees & Campaign Contributions
    • What did your classmates share on their blogs? 
  2. Contrast: Senate & House of Representatives 
  3. Analyze: Criticisms of Congress
    • What were common criticisms highlighted in the web module?
    • What are other common criticisms?
  4. Application: Inaugural Address & Media Coverage