Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Reporting Live from the Romney Primary Night Party




I have provided election night commentary for news stations in the past, but this was the first time I was "on location" at a campaign's victory party.

I have to say it was exciting to be live at the Romney Florida Primary Victory Party...and even more so when I was able to chat with some of my students who are working on the campaign.

Monday, January 16, 2012

Mark Schreiner's piece on WUSF radio about RTWH class

http://www.wusf.usf.edu/news/2012/01/15/usfsp_students_take_the_road_to_the_white_house


"USFSP Students Take the Road to the White House"

Posted Sun, Jan 15, 2012 at 08:01 pm

By Mark Schreiner (Send E-Mail)

ST. PETERSBURG (2012-01-16) -

Students in a USF Saint Petersburg political science class are learning first-hand how presidential campaigns are run.

Professor Judithanne Scourfield McLauchlan taught the Road to the White House course in 2004 and 2008, sending students to New Hampshire for the first-in-the-nation Presidential primaries. This year, because of the early Florida primary and the GOP National Convention in Tampa, she decided to keep students close to home to show them the importance of the Sunshine State in the nomination process.

Students are learning how much dedication and hard work goes into a campaign by volunteering to work either for a candidate or for one of the two major political parties.

“Each of the students chooses his or her own placement, I don’t assign the placement,” McLauchlan said.

"Actually getting out there in the field and working with staffers and being at candidate events, that's really the opportunity to kind of see on the front lines, what it's like and what goes into the campaign and what the strategy is, really from the inside, as far as what the message is and what the targeting is and how they’re approaching their campaign strategy."

Junior Jaryd Vartanian is volunteering for the Ron Paul campaign. He likes the fact that the course encourages young people to get personally involved in politics, particularly those who say they don’t want to vote because they feel their opinion doesn’t matter.

"It’s really sad, but I think it’s really important to get involved because if you feel that way, the only way to change it is get involved and change it."

And that direct involvement, says McLauchlan, is the greatest teaching tool she can offer.

“On the assignment, I have one of my favorite quotations from Confucius—‘I hear and I forget, I see and I remember, I do and I understand.’”

Students are expected to intern at least forty hours on the campaign

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Learning Citizenship by Doing: Evaluating the Effects of a Required Political Campaign Internship in American Government | National Service-Learning Clearinghouse

Learning Citizenship by Doing: Evaluating the Effects of a Required Political Campaign Internship in American Government | National Service-Learning Clearinghouse

In response to questions I have received regarding the purpose/effects of requiring a campaign internship within a Political Science course, I am posting a link to an article I published regarding the effects of a required campaign internship in my American Government class: "Learning Citizenship by Doing: Evaluating the Effects of a Required Political Campaign Internship in American Government."

Students' Internship Placements are Finalized

Of the 23 students in the Road to the White House 2012 class, there are 11 Democrats, 11 Republicans, and 1 Libertarian.

The 7 campaign placements are as follows:

Democratic (11 students)

Barack Obama (8)
Democratic Party Caucus (3)

Republican (11 students)

Ron Paul (3)
Rick Perry (1)
Mitt Romney (6)
Rick Santorum (1)

Libertarian (1 student)

Gary Johnson (1)

Monday, January 9, 2012

Course Syllabus now posted!

See our course website for a link to the Road to the White House 2012 Syllabus:

www.usfsp.edu/whitehouse

Saturday, January 7, 2012

Presidential Campaign Internship Job Fair: Thursday, January 12th

I am organizing a Presidential Campaign Internship Job Fair on

Thursday, January 12th
from 11:00 am to 12:25 pm
on the USF St. Petersburg campus

While this is primarily to assist my students in securing their presidential campaign internships, you are welcome to come if you are interested in getting involved on the campaign trail here in Tampa Bay. Please email me if you would like more information: jsm2@usfsp.edu

Confirmed participants at the time of this posting include the campaigns of President Barack Obama, Governor Mitt Romney, Speaker Newt Gingrich, Governor Rick Perry, Governor Jon Huntsman, Senator Rick Santorum,Congressman Ron Paul, Governor Gary Johnson, the Florida Democratic Party Caucus organizers, and the Pinellas County Republican Party.