Washington D.C. is a wonderful location for many kinds of learning beyond the classroom. In addition to the major institutions of national government, the city is an international capital that is home to over 150 foreign embassies. This seminar allows students work experience three days a week in a Washington internship and provides over fifty class sessions with leading Washington figures – legislators, administration officials, judges, lobbyists, American and foreign diplomats, and members of the American and international press.
Previous speakers have included Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, Senators Richard Lugar (R-IN) and Russ Feingold (D-WI), former House Speaker Tom Foley (D-WA), Vice President Dan Quayle, the News Hour’s Judy Woodruff, and Bob Woodward of the Washington Post. Students in the past have met with journalists and diplomats from Sweden, Russian, Germany, Nicaragua, China, Japan, South Africa, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Mexico, and Cuba.
Students are encouraged to participate in the Washington D.C. program as sophomores, juniors, or seniors. There are no prerequisites, but a course in political science will be advantageous. Should the program be oversubscribed, applicants will be preferred on the basis of their academic background and expressed interest in the program. Seniors will complete their comprehensive exercise before attending the program.
18 Credits
Students will intern on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday and attend seminars on Wednesday and Friday.
POSC 288 (Seminar) Washington: A Global Conversation, Part I (6 credits)
Students will participate in a seminar involving meetings with leading Washington figures in areas of global policy making and regular discussions of related readings.
Instructor: Professor Marfleet
POSC 289 (Seminar) Washington: A Global Conversation, Part II (6 credits)
Students will engage with leading scholars and practitioners in the field of political communication and attend regular discussions of related readings.
Instructor: Professor Allen
POSC 293-07: Internship (6 Credits, S/CR/NC)
All students will intern in the office of a legislator, executive agency, interest group, or media outlet, keeping a journal of experiences and writing a summary paper.
Barbara Allen and Gregory Marfleet, Professors of Political Science
In 2005, Barbara Allen and Gregory Marfleet received the APSA Rowman and Littlefield Innovative Teaching Award for their courses on political communication and political psychology. They have continued to work together in team-taught courses on Global Society. Individually Greg is known for his research on leadership in foreign policy and Barbara has published the political thought of Alexis de Tocqueville and other democratic theorists. Together they have published several articles on political communication.
Students will be housed in an apartment building with WiFi that is a fifteen-minute subway ride from Capitol Hill. Students may use the Library of Congress for research.
Program dates roughly correspond to the Carleton academic term. Specific dates will be communicated to program participants.
All Carleton-sponsored 10-week off-campus study programs charge the Carleton comprehensive fee, which includes instruction, room and board, group excursions, public transportation, medical and evacuation insurance, travel assistance, and most cultural events.
Students are responsible for books and supplies, passports and visas (when required), transportation to and from the program sites, and personal expenses and travel during the seminar. Students will receive a program-specific Additional Cost Estimate at the time of acceptance.
Student financial aid is applicable as on campus. See the Off-Campus Studies website for further information on billing, financial aid, and scholarships.