The Washington Journalism Semester at American University offers a full immersion in the world of Washington press and politics. The curriculum focuses on print, broadcast and new media and routinely attracts some of the most prominent speakers in the field. Our roster includes such media stars as Bob Schieffer, host of CBS' Face the Nation, renowned author and journalist Bob Woodward, legendary White House columnist Helen Thomas, former White House press secretary Dee Dee Myers, Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee, and CNN's senior White House correspondent for Ed Henry, a Washington Journalism Semester alum. We also draw top names from on-line media outlets, including Politico.com and Slate.com. Students meet with the young stars of ESPN and are often tapped to be part of the live audiences for broadcasts of C-Span and CNN.
Students sit in the Supreme Court of the United States with the Justices and witness oral arguments. They tour the press quarters of the Pentagon, the CIA and the White House. And they set sail on the Chesapeake Bay for a spectacular day of outdoor education studying environmental journalism. Students also visit the newsrooms of such venerable institutions as The Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, the National Geographic and the Discovery Channel. They also create a newspaper of their own, script and shoot a class film, and run their own blog.
(See: http://tenleytimes.wordpress.com/)
Participants in the Washington Journalism Semester spend two days a week in professional internships. In years past, students have worked in an exciting range of jobs that include stints with Chris Matthews of MSNBC's Hardball, NBC's Meet The Press, CBS' Face The Nation, USA Today, the National Geographic and Newsweek. Our students have also interned in the press offices of senators, congressmen, the State Department and the White House.
Skills and contacts acquired during your 14-week stay will provide a solid backbone for future success in the field of communications. We hear over and over from happily-employed former WJS alums, "This semester changed my life." The Washington Semester Program does truly provide the kind of access and training that is available nowhere else. As you will soon discover, Washington is the soul of the media universe, and you will be at the center of it!
As Washington gears up for the 2010 mid-term elections, we are already hearing from major publications, television networks and congressional offices hungering for interns. This could be you! Now is the time to sign up and allow us to connect you to an experience that will not only change your life, but will also propel you on the track for a successful media career.
Please feel free to contact us with any questions regarding the program, credit transfers, tuition or internships. And if finances are a concern in these challenging times, please be assured that partial scholarships are available.
Now is the most exciting time imaginable to be in Washington -- at the dawn of a new presidency and in the midst of a media technology explosion. Come, and let the Washington Journalism Semester be your gateway to the action.
