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Cutting-Edge
Workshops
Within
the course structure of seminars, a number of modules are
devoted to different subjects. A few are listed below:
Washington and Work: This
multidisciplinary course is the keystone of the Washington
Internship Program. It runs throughout the year and meets
one evening a week (with some weekend activities) at a time
that doesn't interfere with internships. The seminar covers
elements of work and self-presentation along with problem
solving, consensus-building, networking, and making connections.
Assigned readings are carefully selected to illuminate office
politics and interactions on the job. Guest speakers in a
wide range of fields review their own careers and share information
about how they achieved success. Cultural events and field
trips to museums, concerts, news bureaus, arts festivals,
press conferences, lectures, congressional hearings, and athletic
events are featured.
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English
Workshop: These seminars are designed to strengthen
the language skills of writers with a firm foundation
in English along with students who need to refine their
modes of written and oral expression. Participants are
divided according to linguistic ability. |
Networking:
Professionals come to the Washington Internship Program and
share lessons they learned throughout illustrious careers.
These lecture series are delivered by CEO's, lawyers, business
leaders, politicians, engineers, IT specialists, journalists,
and artists. Special sessions on the ethos of Washington are
also included.
Urban Profiles: Very
often, a city is shaped by its dominant industry. For example,
Hollywood (the entertainment industry) influences Los Angeles
the way finance shapes New York. In Washington, D.C., politics
set the tone for all other endeavors, so a currency of favors
is the medium of exchange. Understanding this approach to
cooperation and employing it responsibly will help students
to make the most of their internships while in America and
after returning home.
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Credit: Most students can transfer credit for courses
and internships back to their schools or just run the
work through the Washington Internship Program, which
sends out transcripts and job descriptions. Grades are
based on attendance, class participation, papers, and
internship evaluations. Readings include Erving Goffman's
The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life and Studs
Terkle's Working. Slide presentations and documentary
films on the history, art, and architecture of Washington
enrich the student's study of this fascinating city as
do special visits to monuments, buildings, and institutions. |
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Seminars meet in the evening at a time that does not interfere
with internships. In the summer, courses are held in the Intercultural
Center at Georgetown University and throughout the city, which
serves in many respects as our text. Georgetown University
features a beautiful, ivy-draped campus with superb facilities
including first-rate libraries, classrooms with state-of-the-art
equipment, athletic complexes, student unions, bookstores,
and religious houses of worship, to name a few of Georgetown's
treasures.
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