Final Blog Post Entry

After the work I've done this semester I have learned a lot more about the "people's branch" of government than I had ever known before. Learning how to think critically about the functionality of Congress as well as getting to participate in a simulation where I was able to actively participate in the fundamental processes of the branch itself were extremely beneficial towards my complete understanding of Congress and the U.S. government as a whole. It's very easy to only learn and retain the things about Congress that you're taught in high school: Congress is the law-making branch, and it's bicameral. But Congress in its function, Congress in practice, is so much more than that.

I have learned that there is a lot more to being a representative in Congress than just law-making. I've truly come to understand the responsibilities of a Congressman/woman, the concept of the "Two Congresses", and how important interacting and knowing the constituency is for a representative. I also found David Mayhew's "Electoral Connection" thesis along with Richard Fenno's "Theory of Congressional Committees..." thesis to be extremely thought-provoking. The midterm exam, which allowed for exploration of thought on these two theories, was an opportunity for me to piece together the way these two theses worked together, comparatively and contrastingly, and helped me to learn how to begin to analyze the future of Congress and how its productivity could be improved. While it seemed like a simple partisan solution to me at first, I was able to open up my thought process to a lot more factors (as mentioned above, constituency, Two Congress theory, etc.) that have contributed to my critical thought about the productivity of Congress.

Studying the Senate in particular, during the simulation, was a mind-opening experience as well. I already knew a fair amount about my home senators, Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, Democrats of NY, I had never really paid too much attention to Senators of other states and constituencies. Having to role play as Lindsey Graham, Republican Senator of South Carolina, I was exposed to many ideologies that do not align with my own personal beliefs. However, being forced to think critically about themes such as the economics of small businesses, education, and healthcare allowed for an analyses of human difference and variation among constituencies that I had never had to think about before.

At the close of the semester, I am confident that I can think critically about Congress in ways that more confidently analyze its functionality and productivity.