This was one of the most interesting classes I have taken in my college career. As an English major, I usually find myself studying informative but antiquated literature that rarely directly relates to the current age. This class, however, was incredibly up-to-date, and I felt it truly expanded my worldview. I now feel much more politically informed than before.
I felt that the textbook we had for the class was very interesting to read, and it ended up being worth every penny of its steep 
price. It was interesting having different writers for each chapter so that no two readings were alike. I found Chapter 23 on the Al Jazeera effect particularly interesting.
I also appreciated the use of digital media in the class. The videos that we were both shown and required to watch were very informative, and the comedic clips we viewed on occasion were refreshing within the context of all my classes. The use of Twitter alongside our blogs was mentioned in the syllabus, and I wish we had learned to utilize it a bit more. I know absolutely nothing about the site and feel that, with a bit of guidance, it could have been used to further my experiences in the class.
As mentioned, I thoroughly enjoyed the primary textbook. I also felt that The Selling of the President managed to be both informative and entertaining, and I liked how class discussion drew parallels between the 1960 and 2008 elections. Republic.com 2.0 had some of the most intriguing concepts we studied in the course, but it seemed like we could have read the introduction and maybe a few other specific chapters and still have gotten its message. I felt the text as a whole was the weakest part of the course, that a strong message was lost amongst its very dry and very redundant pages, and that we could have covered its information within one thorough reading.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this class and am truly happy that it has made me more politically aware, as I had hoped it would.
