On-Campus Event, for real this time

I went to the brown bag luncheon about foreign policies in the 2008 campaign. I felt that this was an appropriate event considering the goal of Paideia to “force” us to become more socially/politically/internationally aware of our world. I know it wouldn't really be a stretch for most people, but I'm not quite as politically involved or aware as I should be. Regarding that, this was a pretty interesting event for me. I wish they could have talked a little more about each candidate’s views on foreign policy, just because I'm not very familiar with them. However, I'm sure I was one of the only ones in attendance who needed a review session.

An aspect of the program that I found borderline irritating was the seeming preference of the speakers for Obama. Although it’s something that I’ve come to expect from Southwestern, and I’m aware that everyone has their own political interests, I think that events such as this one should remain completely objective. While I am by no means a die-hard Republican, nor am I anti-Obama, I would still like to listen to a lecture about the potential presidents with both sides equally presented. This wasn’t, however, and overwhelming issue and I believe that overall I benefited from the experience.

One thing I was particularly interested in was the emphasis the speakers put on Pakistan and the danger it poses. Their argument was that, since Pakistan has developed nuclear bombs their potential threat to us and other countries has drastically increased. I really hadn't considered this as an issue and I'm glad they brought it up.

A question was asked about the opinions/preferences of foreign countries as far as our next leader and how the speakers thought the election of either of the candidates would affect that opinion. Again, I am not as politically knowledgeable as I should be, but this question really got me thinking about America’s role in the world, which led to my thinking about my own role in the world, which is a thought I believe Paideia is supposed to stimulate, often. Though I came to no mind-blowing conclusion, I did decide that one of my roles in the world is to be an informed citizen; one with opinions about what’s happening around me, as well as a desire to do what I can to affect those things about which I have opinions. (That has to be a run-on sentence)

In general, my knowledge about the political situation has really improved since I started Paideia, which is definitely something that needed to happen. Between our discussions and reading Newsweek I feel much more informed about the goings-on of the world and the US. However, I still have much more room to improve, and I think that the various aspects of Paideia, as well as the ways in which I can expand on those aspects, will help achieve that goal.