ANNOUNCING WASHINGTON MINIMESTER XXXVIII (2010)

The Villanova University Political Science Department is proud to announce the thirty-eigth annual Washington Minimester Program. The program is conducted in Washington, D.C. each May between the end of Spring final exams and the start of Summer Session I.
In 2010, it will be held between Sunday May 16 and Friday June 4.

You can earn three credits toward your degree by spending three weeks meeting policy-makers as you travel around Washington and learn how the American political system works. The program consists of roughly 35 seminars with people whose daily decisions make the Federal government run: members of Congress and their staffs, political party committee members, executive branch officials, reporters, lobbyists, and pollsters. Over the last few years, Minimester participants have met, among others: Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Barnanke; Senators Rick Santorum and Robert Casey; Congressmen Curt Weldon and Joe Sestak; RNC Chair Ed Gillespie and DNC Chair Howard Dean; New York Times columnist David Brooks and PBS commentator Mark Shields. We regularly meet with speakers at such places as the Departments of Education, Defense and State.

The focus of the program is on understanding the interplay of policymaking and politics in the Federal government. Course requirements include attendance at all seminars, maintaining an interpretive journal, and writing a final essay analysis of politics and policy at the Federal level. The course is listed in the Villanova catalogue as PSC 2500.

Life in Washington

Students reside in new dormitories at Catholic University of America (CUA), except for those who choose to arrange alternate housing in the D.C. area. Catholic University is located in central Washington, D.C. about ten minutes from downtown. A red line metro stop on campus provides convenient access to all of the seminar locations. The campus setting is very similar to Villanova.

Beyond the seminars, the total Washington experience is an educational one for participants. There’s a lot to do and see on your own, from lunches on Capitol Hill, to Georgetown at night, to hours spent exploring one of Washington’s many monuments and historic museums. The city will be our classroom.

Getting Around

Each participant is responsible for his or her own transportation to and from Washington. The D.C. transit system (METRO and bus) is the ideal way to travel between events, although students are permitted to bring and use their own cars. Parking fees at CUA run roughly $35 per week.

Costs

The cost of the program is the same as Villanova’s summer school tuition for full-time students, which in 2009 was $1,905, plus a $15 general fee. Room costs in 2009 were $900 per student for the full three-week program. Food costs vary according to individual preferences and appetites and are not included. Cafeterias are available at CUA, and discovering Washington’s numerous restaurants is part of the fun.

Registration

REGISTRATION IS ON FRIDAY FEBRUARY 5 AT 1:30 PM IN THE POLITICAL SCIENCE OFFICE (SAC 202).  A non-refundable $200 deposit made out to “Villanova University” is required to register. Only personal checks and money orders will be accepted. The deposit will be applied to program costs, which will be billed by the Bursar’s Office in April 2008.

For More Information . . .

Students interested in government and politics will have a special interest in the program, but it is open to all undergraduates from any discipline. For more information, contact Dr. Matthew Kerbel, Program Director, at matthew.kerbel@villanova.edu.