Catawba College students will watch the inauguration ceremonies and speech of the 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama, from the comfort of the Cannon Student Center on campus. The College's Department of History and Politics has arranged for a widescreen television in the Leonard Lounge area of the Student Center with viewing scheduled to begin at noon on Tuesday, January 20th.

Members of two of Dr. Michael Bitzer's political science classes, one on the Presidency and the other on Public Policy, will be front and center among the viewers. They will be quizzed on President Obama's Inaugural Address and asked to grade the President on his presentation and message.

Questions which Dr. Bitzer's students will ponder include:

• How did the President "open" the speech?
• What were the main points of the President's address (i.e., what issues does he want to pursue)?
• What might be the "the only thing we have to fear is ... fear itself" line from the address?
• Comment on the President's verbal behaviors (inflection, tempo, word choice, emphasis, appropriateness, etc.):
• Did the way the speech was delivered match the message?
• What grade would you give the President on the following? Explain each of your grades.
   Presentation: _________, Message: _______, Overall Grade: _________

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