Adam Nisbet

Statement of Purpose

In 2004, as one of the youngest delegates elected to the DNC in Boston,

I blogged for the Atlanta Journal Constitution and this event piqued my interest in

the intersection of technology communications for the advancement of the

democratic conversation. My academic interests encompass online networks,

democratization and political engagement within the disciplines of technology,

communications, and political science. My decision to enter Georgetown as a

graduate student was formed by a desire to enter international discourse on

public policy while also broadening my understanding of American politics. I

wanted to learn more about how cultures and how societies communicated,

specifically, in terms of public affairs. How are opinions formed and how do they

eventually grow to become politically effective and powerful? I want to focus my

analysis on public policy through different disciplines, reviewing all possible

implications effects, and viewpoints. My goal is to establish a body of research

that is fundamentally interesting and valuable in demonstrating new trends in

American elections, in contrast to the practices of traditional media, exposing

progress and possible short falls.

Communications Culture & Technology will help me in expanding my

territory through the realms of social network analysis, researching the process of

democratization in America, and the use of technology in presenting and

analyzing these fields. In my classes, I have been given the tools to analyze the

current state of democratization in America and the ways that different groups

are brought into democratic participation and ways to increase participation

through the use of online networks. I also plan to research the modes in which

the polity becomes knowledgeable of essential workings of the government

policies.

My research will focus on the networks that bind our different associations

in relation to democratic goals and ideals. I plan to develop research that is

presentable for a conference or for an ongoing thesis. I would also like to have

the option of doing a nontraditional thesis project that might involve a multimedia

presentation.

At this early stage in my career I would like to expand my awareness of

different occupations within the field of communications and how they relate to

the fields I am already familiar with setting forth a career path that will combine

my past experience with the skills I have developed in CCT. I would like to focus

on developing a skill set that thrives in interdisciplinarity. While in CCT I also

plan to expand my knowledge and awareness of other cultures and sociological

perspectives, specifically in the areas of government ideology and identity, arts

and media representation, and traditions of other cultures.