Katherine Irajpanah
One of Angela Becerra Vidergar's former “Rhetoric of the Radio” students was inspired by her research project (which used original, archival research at Hoover) to pursue her interest in broadcast beyond her PWR class and landed an exciting summer internship with Voice of America. Katherine writes, “Through the Research-Based Argument essay, the Rhetoric of Radio PWR class gave me the opportunity to engage in an original archival research project, in which I worked with Hoover’s Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Collection to investigate the impact of radio on international conflict. The RBA assignment ignited my interest in the United States’ international broadcasting efforts and opened the door to a summer internship with the Voice of America, where I will assist in writing news stories and receive a behind-the-scenes look at this lead broadcasting institution. I hope to synthesize my experiences with the RBA and internship into an extended piece on the relationship between radio and foreign policy.”
Habib Olapade
Habib Olapade, one of Kathleen Tarr's former students from her PWR 2, "The Great and Powerful Oz: The Rhetoric of Spokespersons," has published his research-based argument essay in the Texas Undergraduate Law Review: "Let Justice Be Done Though the Heavens Fall -- Why Ballot Regulations and Political Money Are Two Sides of the Same First Amendment Coin." Dr. Tarr notes that Habib represents the potential residual qualities of PWR instruction: “Even among students who don’t publish versions of their RBAs, much of the learning continues after the course itself has concluded.” Although Dr. Tarr acknowledges that Habib was a driven student even before her class, she’s pleased that the course “supported his sense of opportunity and his investment in sharing knowledge and insights with others.”
