ELC students take a virtual trip to the Freedom Forum

One of the advantages of being in Washington, D.C. is the number of museums that are free of charge. The ELC has taken advantage of our proximity to these museums by taking students on field trips. Because of the pandemic, field trips since March 2020 have taken on a virtual look, and this week, the ELC took a virtual trip to the Freedom Forum, an institution dedicated to “raising awareness of First Amendment freedoms through education, advocacy and action, sharing the stories of Americans who have exercised their rights to ignite change.” 

On Tuesday, ELC students had the opportunity to learn from guest lecturer Gene Policinski and ask questions about the First Amendment to The U.S. Constitution. Policinski is the Chief Operating Officer of the Freedom Forum Institute and of the Institute’s First Amendment Center.

The freedom of speech, the most well known freedom of the five freedoms protected by the First Amendment, was a hot topic in this Q&A session via Zoom.

On Thursday, Jessi Hollis McCarthy, also of the Freedom Forum, led a session titled “Believe It Or Not”. Students and faculty had an opportunity to test their media literacy skills. Can you spot fake news when you see it?

Author Andrew Screen is a professor in the Georgetown English Language Center.