Victoria Brown, History, Program Director

The Grinnell-in-Washington, D.C., program is offered in the first semester of each academic year. Part of the curriculum changes from year to year, reflecting the interests and expertise of the Grinnell faculty member leading the program that fall. Other courses—policymaking, internships, and the internship seminar—are offered every year. The classes are taught throughout the semester, more intensely before and after the internship.

Students are placed in internships that match their individual interests and experience. The internship is 10 weeks in length, Monday–Thursday, approximately 32 hours each week. During the internship, classes are held only on Fridays.

Students are housed in apartments in D.C., attend class just off Dupont Circle, and take multiple field trips in Washington, D.C.

Prerequisite: second-year status and good academic standing.


Political Science 295: Contextual Policymaking 4 credits

This course will introduce the political and organizational nature of policymaking using an applied interdisciplinary approach, taking advantage of the resources available in Washington, D.C. Various approaches to public policymaking will be discussed and analyzed using current policy issues of interest to the students on the program. The course will provide students with analytic tools to use in their internship and to use as a foundation for understanding the politics of policymaking. Prerequisite: none. FERRARA.

Social Studies 295A: Immigration Policy in Post 9-11 America 4 credits

This course is an exploration of current immigration policy and policy debates related to labor economics, homeland security, and asylum/refugee status. Students will combine reading and writing assignments with regular interaction with government officials and nongovernmental activists who are engaged with preserving or changing current immigration policies. Prerequisite: none. History 228 recommended. BROWN.

Social Studies 295B: Organizational Life and Decision-Making in D.C. 4 credits

This course includes readings and discussions on how organizations operate and how decisions are made in Washington, D.C., as well as reflections on students’ experiences as interns in Washington-based organizations. Students will analyze readings, share questions and insights from internship journals, develop portfolios of internship projects, and write a reflective paper (at the end of the semester) on their internship host organizations using informal ethnographic case study techniques. Prerequisite: none. BROWN.

Social Studies 300: Internship 4 credits

Each student will intern four days a week (approximately 32 hours per week) for 10 weeks. Grinnell College has contracted with a local nonprofit that specializes in internship placement. The organization discusses the student’s interests and based on that information secures an internship. These placements can be chosen from governmental agencies, nonprofit organizations, or private, for-profit corporations. Prerequisite: none. BROWN.