Internship Duties
Office work varies widely, from copying and faxing, to giving tours of the Capitol,
to answering constituent mail. In addition to routine office work, interns might also
take notes for the Congressional office at a committee meeting, attend meetings and
hearings or provide public policy research. The job can range from preparing information
for news conferences to representing an office at a reception to writing public blogs. The beauty of this program is that you become a member of your office family.
Placements
The South Carolina Congressional Delegation, with seven representatives and two senators, host many of our students each semester.
- Aspen Institute
- Center for American Progress
- Children's Defense Fund
- CNN’s The Situation Room
- Department of Education
- Department of Justice
- Heritage Foundation
- House Committee on Financial Services
- House Subcommittee for Africa and Global Health
- Institute of Peace
- National Endowment for the Arts
- National Organization for Women
- Office of the U.S. Trade Representative
- Smithsonian
- The State Department
Curriculum
All students enroll in three courses for a total of 15 Honors credits. Each course is designed specifically for the Washington Semester Program and stresses experiential, hands-on learning. Students are responsible for checking with their academic and Honors advisors to ensure the applicability of these courses to specific degree programs.
Washington D.C. is second only to New York as a theatre market in the United States. For this course, students attend professional theatre productions in D.C. and meet working theatre professionals to learn what happens “behind the scenes.” Students respond to the productions with short reviews and seminar discussions.
Students attend seminars designed to deepen their knowledge of politics and current events. Students also use the resources available to them in Washington to execute a research project of their design.
Students work full-time — usually 40 hours per week. Students also are expected to participate in a range of activities designed to help them experience D.C. Activities may include a Nationals baseball game, a live taping of a CNN program, performing arts events, museum visits and meetings with important political and media leaders. Students are asked to reflect on these experiences through a series of seminars and blog entries.