Washington Program: Program Description
Claremont students spend either the fall or spring semester in Washington, D.C., where they work a full-time internship, take three academic classes, and meet with prominent people in and around politics. The Washington Program, therefore, integrates work and study in a four-credit program.: Government 30: Internship in Politics. This course is an intensive internship in which students work five days a week. This full-time presence distinguishes Claremont interns from most other interns and allows them to be treated as regular junior staff and integrated quickly into office routines as trusted employees who can meet deadlines. Government 125: Readings in American National Politics. This course gives students an understanding of how Washington, particularly the executive branch leadership, deliberates about, and makes decisions with respect to key policy issues confronting the United States in the post-Cold War world. Government 126: Public Policy Analysis. This course explors aspects of the modern federal system of administrative government, especially with respect to Congress and considers the implications for American politics and public policy. Government 127: Research on the Political Process. This course is a tutorial designed to produce a major research paper. Frequent meetings and communications between the insutructor and each student cover everything from possible paper topics to the final draft. Since paper topics almost always relate to the student's internship, on-the-job supervisors or colleagues may also become involved in the research project. The calendar in Washington generally corresponds to the Claremont Colleges academic calendar. Course work takes place in the evening and classes are held at the CMC facility. Interns sometimes get time off from their office work to attend special lectures, hearings and other activities. The amount of time devoted to such experiences is determined by each office and no office is required to provide it.
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