Vicki Bentley-Condit, Anthropology, 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--the internship, internship seminar, and policymaking are offered every year. The classes are taught throughout the semester, more intensely before and after the internship period.

Students are placed in internships that match their individual interests and experience. The internship is 10 weeks in length, Monday-Thursday, approximately 32 hours per 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.

Prerequisites: second-year status and good academic standing.

Anthropology 295: Human: What Is and What Is Not? 4 credits

Most of us take for granted that we know what it means to be "human." Surprisingly, the question posed above is more complicated than one might think, and may actaully have several answers depending upon who is asked. In this course, we will examine different interpretations--evolutionary, historical, biological, cross-cultural, legal--of how humanness is or should be determined. In exploring "what is human," we will examine such controversial issues as stem cell research, the Great Ape Project, and bestiality. We will utilize numerous D.C. resources, including the National Zoo, the Holocaust Museum, and the National Art Gallery. We will talk to individuals on the front line of this issue. We will read about feral children and "Tarzan of The Apes." By the end of the semester, we may (or may not) be able to determine where and how we draw the line between human and nonhuman. Prerequisites: none. BENTLEY-CONDIT.

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 policy-making will be discussed and analyzed using current policy issues of interest to the students in 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. This course is required for participation in the Grinnell-in-Washington, D.C. program. Prerequisites: none. FERRARA.

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. This course is required for participation in the Grinnell-in-Washington, D.C. program. Prerequisites: none. BENTLEY-CONDIT.

Social Studies 295: Internship Seminar 4 credits

This course provides a group context in which the student interns can jointly reflect upon the intense experience of becoming engaged in the life of their organization and thus gain perspective on it. We will share questions and insights from internship journals and a portfolio of internship projects, read and discuss selected readings on how organizations operate, and write a reflective paper (at the end of the semester) using informal ethnographic case studies of those organizations. This course is required for participation in the Grinnell-in-Washington, D.C. program. Prerequisites: none. BENTLEY-CONDIT.