Electives
Electives in the Washington Program provide a rigorous academic experience, but also apply concepts to the real-world setting in Washington D.C. Classes are taught by experts in their field who often tap their own professional networks as guest speakers.
Legislative Politics
An understanding of the US Congress is critical for any student seeking to comprehend American government and politics. This course will examine the origins, history and development of Congress as an institution. It will investigate what drives legislative decision-making, and the evolving roles played by committees, party leadership and outside forces in the process. The course will look at procedural issues and the material impact they have on policy-making. It is impossible to understand US legislative politics without discussing the issue of polarization in the United States and the way it has changed politics and the institutions of governance. We will include a discussion of the role played by the President in the legislative process. Finally, we will look at some of the internal matters members deal with, from staff, budgets, constituent communications and ethics rules, to external issues such as campaigns, fundraising and interest group pressure.
*This course is offered as an Arts & Letters elective. After the within-track registration period it is open to students from either track.
US Foreign Policy
The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the key themes and major debates in the study of American foreign policy. The course provides an overview of the historical evolution of America’s relations with the world, and examines the key actors involved in the formulation of US foreign policy. Throughout, the course will focus on the ways in which America’s interests, and its ideals, have shaped its global engagement.
*This course is currently a fall-only course.
The Art of Democracy: Museums & Monuments in Washington D.C.
Washington, D.C., is not only the seat of U.S. politics but also an extraordinary city for art, and this course will explore the relationship between the two. Through site visits to selected artworks, exhibitions, and monuments, we will examine the interplay of art and democracy, considering how artists have represented and challenged concepts such as citizenship, the nation, and social equality. Our objects of focus will range from presidential portraits and official memorials to contemporary video and installation art, and will touch on topics from westward expansion in the 19th century to recent social and political movements such as Black Lives Matter. The course will consider key questions: What makes a work of art, a monument, or an exhibition effective? How do artworks and monuments shape our understanding of history, and how do they influence our perspective on the present? Which stories and whose stories have been included in narratives of the nation? How do artists and works of art represent and put pressure on concepts of race, class, gender, religion, sexuality, and ethnicity? What is the role of a national museum or a national monument? And what role should a government play in relation to the arts? We will make regular class and independent visits to a range of museums, including the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the National Portrait Gallery, the National Gallery of Art, the Hirshhorn Museum, the National Museum of the American Indian, and the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
*This course is offered as an Arts & Letters elective. After the within-track registration period it is open to students from either track.
The Practice of U.S. Foreign Policy
Learn from the experts. This course is team-taught by three senior foreign policy practitioners, each serving as a Visiting Professor of the Practice at the Keough School. Drawing on their experiences shaping and implementing U.S. and international policies, they will offer firsthand insights across three thematic areas: democracy promotion, peacebuilding and conflict prevention, and climate change mitigation. Students will be challenged to think critically about the roles of diverse policy actors and institutions in driving—or impeding—change. They will also hone practical skills by analyzing current policies and crafting targeted recommendations for future U.S. foreign policy. Each module includes writing a policy memo, engaging with policy experts, and refining presentation skills.
*This course is offered as a Global Affairs elective. After the within-track registration period it is open to students from either track. It is a spring-only course.