The California Internship is a modified, local version of--and possible alternative for--CMC's Washington Semester Program. The aim of the California Internship is to have students gain insights into the daily operations of government agencies or organizations concerned with government, politics, or public policy. (Community or government affairs arms of private corporations--such as Disneyland's--may also serve as internship sites.) The internship may also provide a means to "try out" a potential career path and to cultivate contracts and professional networking.
Students are required to enroll concurrently in Government 30 "Internship in California Government, Politics, and Public Policy" and Government 35 "Readings in California Government, Politics and Public Policy" for which students receive 8 units credit. Government 35 counts as credit towards the government major at CMC. Interested students should have a minimum GPA of 8.5. Juniors or first semester seniors are preferred, though second-semester sophomores will be considered. A car is almost always necessary.
In enrolling in Government 30, students are expected to perform approximately 15-20 hours of internship duties per week in a southern California government, political or public policy organization. Students are requested to maintain a journal or diary of their experiences and to obtain a letter of evaluation from their supervisor (s) at the end of the semester. Concurrent enrollment in Government 35 would involve research and completion of a major term paper the topic of which will be determined by consultation with the faculty advisor for Government 30 and 35. (Ideally, the subject of the paper would reflect a topic pertaining to the internship.)
Students may try to arrange their own internships
or they may wish to consider consulting with me regarding the following
organizations and offices with whom I have been in contact:
INTERNSHIPS AVAILABLE:
Southern California Edison Environmental Affairs Division
(Office: Rosemead)*
Disneyland (Government Affairs Division)
(Office: Anaheim)*
Los Angeles Economic Planning (top consulting firm)
(Office: Los Angeles)*
Kaiser Permanente Healthcare
(Office: Pasadena)
California Republican Party
(Office: Burbank)*
California Democratic Party
(Office: West Los Angeles)
Senator Dianne Feinstein
(Office: West Los Angeles)
Senator Barbara Boxer
(Office: Los Angeles; Inland Empire)
Governor Gray Davis
(Office: Los Angeles)
Congressperson David Dreier
(Office: West Covina)
State Assemblyperson Jack Scott
(Office: Pasadena)
State Assemblyperson Adam Schiff
(Office: Pasadena)
Los Angeles District Attorney's Office (Juvenile Division)
(Office: Pomona)
San Bernardino County Office of Juvenile Probation
(Office: Rancho Cucamonga)
House of Ruth (Assisting Families of Domestic Violence)
(Office: Claremont)
Consulate General of Israel
(Office: Los Angeles)
City of Claremont
(*Early application recommended)
Several of the internships listed above are competitive and formal applicaiton and interview by personnel at the internship site may be required. Most sponsoring organizations, however, are usually enthusiastic about the possibility of Claremont Colleges students applying for such positions. Some organizations--such as both state political parties and the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office Juvenile Division--have more than one internship available.