Spend Spring Break Studying Government
& Politics in Washington, DC
Artemus Ward
Dept. of Political Science
Northern Illinois University
aeward@niu.edu
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Students and faculty will
travel to the nation’s capital
for an intensive five-day,
four-night, hands-on seminar
in government and politics.
We will tour and meet
officials at the White House,
Congress, Supreme Court,
and elsewhere as well as
network with DC-area
alumni.
The travel portion will take
place during spring break
(Sunday through Thursday)
with one mandatory meeting
before we leave and one after
we return.
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On our first night in town we do a nighttime walking tour of sights on
the National Mall including the WWII Memorial, Washington
Monument, Lincoln Memorial, Reflecting Pool, and Vietnam Veterans
Memorial.
There will be free time during the day to see such sites as the
Smithsonian Museums (which are free) and the Tidal Basin where the
Jefferson Memorial, FDR Memorial, and MLK Memorial are located.
And who knows: the famous cherry blossoms may be in bloom!
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We will tour the White House which includes the East
Room, Dining Room, Red Room, Blue Room, Map
Room, and “Dish” Room where the historic White
House china is on display. There are many famous art
object on display such as the JFK portrait (above).
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We will spend one day touring the Capitol and meeting
with members of congress and NIU graduates who are
now congressional staffers.
We will see the offices of members of congress and
their staffs as well as the Rotunda, the Crypt, Old
House Chamber (Statuary Hall), Old Senate Chamber,
and Old Supreme Court Chamber—among other
sites—in the Capitol building as well as the current
House and Senate chambers.
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We will get a behind-the-scenes look at the
Supreme Court that includes a lecture in the
courtroom, lunch in the Supreme Court cafeteria
with a journalist who covers the Court, the public
information office, and the press room where the
reporters work.
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We will tour a lobbying firm, meet with
NIU alumni who are registered lobbyists,
and learn how lobbyists interact with
clients and government officials.
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We will meet with dozens of NIU alumni who live and work in
the DC area for the annual NIU DC alumni reception.
The reception is usually held in an historic location such as the
former home of President James Monroe or the U.S. Senate and
includes hors d’oeuvres and beverages and provides ample
time to network with other attendees.
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Students are responsible for making
their own travel arrangements for
getting to DC and back.
Options include carpooling with other
students, the bus, the train, and of
course flying.
There are three area airports. The
closest is Washington National
(DCA), followed by Dulles (IAD), and
Baltimore-Washington (BWI).
Participants are responsible for
making their own travel
arrangements to and from Dulles and
Baltimore-Washington. However,
Washington-National is on the Metro
line.
Students are welcome to book the
same flight that the instructors take
from O’Hare (ORD) to Washington
National (DCA) and travel with them
on the Metro to and from the hotel.
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While many sights are within walking distance
of one another, the program fee includes a
Metro Card that will allow you to get to and
from program events while in DC.
The Metro is the largely underground subway
system that stops at major attractions and
locations in the DC area and connects to
Washington National Airport (DCA).
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Students will share rooms (two students per room)
with two queen beds at the Capital Hilton located at
1001 16th St., NW.
The hotel is in the heart of DC and within walking
distance to trendy Dupont Circle, the White House,
and other sites.
The hotel has a fitness center and restaurant and is
close to Metro stops, restaurants, and attractions.
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The program fee will include the opening night
dinner at the historic Old Ebbitt Grill located next
to the White House, the alumni reception, lunches
at the Supreme Court cafeteria and Longworth
House Office Building, and a final night dinner at
Mr. Smith’s in historic Georgetown.
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Program Fee: $849 includes DC scheduled visits and
activities, pre-paid Metro Card for program-related
activities in DC, four nights lodging in DC (double
occupancy), dinners at the Old Ebbitt Grill and Mr.
Smith’s, lunches at the Supreme Court and Longworth
House Office Building, and the alumni reception.
Students are responsible for their own transportation
to and from DC.
A non-refundable deposit of $250 is due by December
12, 2014 and the balance is due by January 30, 2015.
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You may take the course for one (1) credit or no credit.
If you choose the credit option there will be a handful
of required readings and a reflection paper that will be
due a week after we return from the trip.
The registration form is available on the political
science department website: http://polisci.niu.edu
Enrollment is limited, so register now through the political
science department 415 Zulauf Hall, phone: 815-753-1011.
The office is open M-F, 8am-4:30pm.
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These three fellowships will subsidize the production
of a high-level research paper and cover the costs for
participating in the Political Science March Break D.C.
Trip.
You are eligible to apply if you are a Political Science
major with a 3.2 GPA in the major and cumulatively.
Deadline December 1, 2014.
More information is available on the political science
department website.
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For further program details and a registration form
visit the Department of Political Science website:
http://polisci.niu.edu
You can also contact Professor Art Ward
(aeward@niu.edu) or Professor Matt Streb
(mstreb@niu.edu) who will be leading the program.