Jacob Andrew Iwinski E-Portfolio

My primary audience is other students my age. I wanted to emphasize the photography elements on my website as college students my age are going to be my primarily who highers me for gigs. This is the reason I stylized my website in a modern format and maintained a constant stream of jokes throughout the site.

My secondary audience would be potential employers. They are why I kept the “Work” section serious as that will be where they focus.

Overall I think the website shows off both my skills as a writer and as a photographer while maintaining a lighthearted style that stays true to who I am.

Civic discourse can only happen when there is mutual respect between the participating members. The course design of CAS 137 and 138 has been structured from the ground up to promote civic life and discussion, using methods that include, but are not limited to, the Question of the Day.

CAS 137 and 138 are small classes too with no more than 30 students in a room at any given time. The people on either side of you will be there in class every single day because attendance is mandatory, at least it is if you are concerned about your grade. The Question of the Day is most similar to an icebreaker activity. These activities try to foster connections between a random group of people. By mandating the Question of the Day it reinforces and builds connections between RCL students. I have been in several small classes in my time at Penn State, but I feel closer with my RCL classmates than any other set of classmates so far.

The communal relationship that is fostered in RCL isn’t just for the benefit of freshman becoming friends. There is a civic purpose. I think this is best described in Tymothy Snyder’s On Tyranny; lesson twelve says: “Make eye contact and small talk.” He goes on to elaborate “This is not just polite. It is part of being a citizen and a responsible member of society. it is also a way to stay in touch with your surrounding, break down social barriers, and understand whom you should and should not trust.” Snyder understands that one of a society strongest defenses against tyranny is a social framework between its members. If people trust each other more than the government, then it will be harder to turn people against each other.

In my ECON class, people aren’t friendly with each other in class. Before the Professor’s lecture, everyone is on their phones. Talking with random strangers has become foreign to the detriment of our society. Social media and phone use are the driving method of interpersonal communication. RCL 137 and 138 do not have the same atmosphere as my ECON class.

RCL 137 and 138 forces social interaction on its students via the Question of the Day. This social interaction builds the interpersonal connections necessary for effective deliberation, communication, and persuasion.

AKA: What RCL is all about.