The Issues
- The First Amendment and Journalism
- Local News Reporting
- National News Coverage
- Wire Services: The Old and The New
- Covering Politics on the Hill
- How the Press Corps Tracks Policy and Political Power Brokers
- How Think Tankers and Public Policy Wonks Interact with the Press
- Broadcast media: Radio and Television News
- News writing for Print Media
- The Legal Beat: Investigative Reporting and the Courts
- Foreign Correspondents and State Bureaus
- How Special interest Groups Use the Press and How the Press Uses Them
- The Evolving Face of Journalism: From Back-Alley Beat Reporting to Cyberspace
- Ethics in Journalism
Sample Schedule
Each week your schedule will be different. Following is an example of what a week in the American Politics Program might look like:
Monday 9:00 am
Class discussion on the First Amendment in preparation of speaker
Monday noon
Travel with class to Freedom Forum to hear expert speaker on free press and speech rights
Monday 3:30 pm
Personal trip to National Archives to see original Constitution and Bill of Rights
Tuesday 10:30 am
Congressional Press Secretary speaks to class at Tenley Campus
Tuesday 3:00 pm
Class discussion and debate regarding the rights and responsibilities of a free press
Wednesday 8:30 am
Class trip to C-SPAN to meet with Political News Producer
Wednesday 1:00 pm
Personal excursion to Newseum to see exhibit on Presidential Coverage
Wednesday 5:30 pm
Elective class, "Editorial Policies and Methods"*
Thursday
Internship at Dateline NBC
Friday
Internship at Dateline NBC
* You may choose an elective class from any AU course offering that fits into your schedule or you may elect to conduct a research project.
Speakers
Recent speakers include:
- U.S. Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL)
- U.S. Senator David Vitter (R-LA)
- U.S. Representative Tom Davis (R-VA)
- U.S. Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-CT)
- John Podesta, former Chief of Staff for President Bill Clinton
Internships
- ABC News – "This Week with George Stephanopoulos"
- American Association of Political Consultants
- American Psychological Society – Communications Internship
- Brookings Institution – Office of Communications
- Close Up on C-Span
- CNN
- Corporation for Public Broadcasting
- Cox Broadcasting – Washington Bureau
- Embassy of France Press and Communications Office
- Environment Communications (public relations)
- Foreign Policy Magazine
- Fox 5 News
- Hispanic Radio Network and Self-Reliance Foundation
- Langhart Communications (media training/consulting)
- National Geographic Television and Film
- NBC Washington
- Newsday
- Sports America, Inc.
- Voice of America
- XM Satellite Radio, Inc.
