CARLETON COLLEGE POLITICAL SCIENCE SEMINAR IN WASHINGTON D.C.
PROGRAM DATES
The program will approximately correspond
to spring term. Specific dates will be
announced later.
DIRECTORS
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.
PREREQUISITES
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.
OVERVIEW
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 capitol 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, Senator
Richard Lugar (R-IN), former Senator Russ
Feingold (D-WI), House Speaker Tom Foley
(D-WA), and 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, Russia, Germany,
Nicaragua, China, Japan, South Africa, the
Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Mexico
and Cuba.
COURSE OF STUDY, 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.
TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS
Students are responsible for travel
arrangements to and from Washington.
FACILITIES
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.
EXCURSIONS
In late April, during the transition between
the two five-week seminars, Professors
Marfleet and Allen will lead the program to
New York for visits to the United Nations,
the Council on Foreign Relations, the 9/11
Memorial, and various news outlets. In
Spring 2012
addition to these visits with speakers and
tours the group will attend planned and selforganized cultural activities.
EXPENSES
Students pay the 2011-12 Carleton
comprehensive fee, which covers the costs of
instruction, room, board, local transportation,
social events, and all scheduled excursions.
Students are responsible for the cost of
books, personal expenses, transportation to
and from Washington D.C., and personal
travel during the seminar. Student financial
aid is applicable as on campus. See the
website http://go.carleton.edu/ocs for further
information regarding work contracts, loans,
and other subjects of financial aid.
APPLICATIONS
Application forms are available from the
Office of Off-Campus Studies, Leighton 119
as well as from the Washington D.C. seminar
website. Applications are to be submitted
by Friday, April 15, 2011 (first round) or
Friday, October 7, 2011 (final round) to
Tricia Peterson, Administrative Assistant
for Political Science, Willis 402.
INFORMATION MEETING
Students interested in the program should
plan to attend the information meeting to be
held on February 16, 2011 at 4:30 PM in
CMC 209 (first round), or September 14,
2011 at 4:30 PM in Leighton 305 (final
round).
For more information, see the program’s
website at
https://apps.carleton.edu/curricular/ocs/dc/
Spring 2012
CARLETON COLLEGE
POLITICAL SCIENCE
SEMINAR IN
WASHINGTON D.C.
Directors: Barbara Allen &
Gregory Marfleet
2.4.2011 DRAFT