Introduction to American Politics trip
In July 2016, 15 University of Southampton students travelled to America to begin a 2 week Summer School on an “Introduction to American Politics” at George Washington University. These students were all from a variety of courses; some History, Politics, Law, as well as English, Aeronautical Engineering and Audiology!
The Summer School was organised that we would have two hours of class every morning, and then site visits in the afternoon that would correspond with the topic discussed in the morning. The topics we covered were widespread and really helped us grasp an understanding of not only their political system, but also the stark difference in their culture. We had debates upon how religion heavily influences the American political system, the differences between privatised and public healthcare in the UK and US right through to discussions about Black Lives Matter movement and immigration over the Mexico border. Examining the differences between the way they pass legislation in the US compared to the UK was important as I learnt that non governmental organisations have a major influence on policy. It made me realise the limitations of the UK system and areas where we could definitely take inspiration from the Americans.
In the afternoon we would go on various site visits. One of the favourites from the group was the visit to the US Capitol, Offices of Senate and the Library of Congress. A few of us managed to meet Bernie Sanders, one of the Democratic presidential candidates in the November election, which was an incredible experience. We also watched the Senate vote and managed to see Elizabeth Warren, John McCain and other prominent political figures casting their ballots. We also visited the Smithsonian Museums – National Art, National History, Holocaust, Air and Space and many more.
We visited a lot of the memorials around Washington too, dedicated to Presidents, in memory of the fallen and other prominent political figures like Martin Luther King. The World War Two Memorial, Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument were absolutely beautiful. A few of us took the opportunity to go and watch the sun rise over the Washington Monument, and the sun set on the Lincoln Memorial which was a memory I will truly treasure. All of the museums and site visits were incredible thought provoking; many of us were touched with the symbolism behind the Vietnam War memorial which was designed to look like a ‘scar’ on the landscape, and displayed your reflection whilst you were reading the thousands of names of the soldiers; Maya Lin, the architect, wanted to bring the past and present together through this memorial.
We were also provided the incredible opportunity of visiting not just landmarks and general tourist attractions in Washington DC. We visited La Clinica del Pueblo – a free health service established for the Latino community. In addition, we visited a Food Bank and saw the fantastic work they were doing in not just providing food to those in need, but teaching people how to grow food in urban environments and cooking classes etc.
During our time in Washington DC we had plenty of spare time to go and explore for ourselves; as a Law student my first stop was the Supreme Court. It had unfortunately finished session the week before we arrived, so I did not get to witness any judgements. But I did get to see that they had removed a chair due to Justice Scalia’s death.
"I am extremely happy I chose to go on the trip and take up on the amazing opportunity that the University provided for me. I learnt so much not only about American politics, but also their culture and it was a trip I’ll remember for a very long time! I would definitely recommend anyone to apply for the trip next year, you wouldn’t regret it!"
Jess Aria Nown, LLB student
