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| IED
General Program Overview |
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The
International Environment and Development (IED) program is a unique
'experiential' learning experience that combines a 13-week seminar
in Washington, D.C. with an intensive 3-week field
practicum in South Africa or
Brazil, and a 2-day per week internship
in DC. The seminar and overseas practicum are conducted jointly
for an intensive 8-credit course, while the internship and associated
internship classroom component is worth an additional 4 credits.
An additional 4 credits can be earned through the election of an
optional research project (see syllabus below). Every semester,
the course brings together a unique group of upper level (juniors
and seniors) undergraduate students from all over the U.S. as well
as from overseas with a diverse set of interests and background.
The
seminar (8 credits) is an intensive 3-day per week combination
of guest speakers, off-sight visits (e.g., to the World Bank, IMF,
think tanks, government agencies, Congress, environmental NGOs,
development agencies, etc.), classroom lectures, and discussions.
This international policy focused component in DC is brought down
to the local and national level through our travels overseas toward
the end of each semester. Highlights of some of our former
DC-based speakers include:
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Former President of Costa
Rica, Miguel Angel Rodriguez
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World Bank Managing Director,
Mamphela Ramphele
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Former President of the Inter-American
Development Bank, Enrique Iglesias*
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Chairman of the UN Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change, Dr. Robert Watson
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Senator James Jeffords
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Congressman Donald Payne
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President of the World Wildlife
Fund, Kathryn Fuller
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Director of the World Bank
Global HIV/AIDS Program, Debrework Zewdie
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President of the Ocean Conservancy,
Vice Admiral Roger Rufe
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President of Resources for
the Future, Dr. Paul Portney
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Former U.S. Secretary of
the Treasury, Lawrence Summers*
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President of the World Bank,
James Wolfensohn*
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Former Director General of
the World Trade Organization, Michael Moore*
* denotes sessions open to audiences beyond our class
The
internship component (4 credits) allows students an opportunity
to secure work experience directly in the field that we study in
the class and often times in the very organizations that we study
in the class. There is a separate set of classes and workshops
to help students secure an internship in the first place, and students
will have access to the Washington Semester Program's
internship database (for accepted students only), among other
resources. |
IED
students at the World Wildlife Fund |
The
International Environment and Development program has fueled
me with practical knowledge that has influenced the way that
I think about international trade and corporate responsibility.
I am grateful for the numerous opportunities which have been
placed at my fingertips throughout the Washington Semester,
and I am certain these experiences will be with me for the rest
of my life.
Ramsay Millie
University of Southern California |
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Depending on their interests,
students find a wide variety of places to intern, including positions
with: |
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development oriented NGOs
and multi-lateral organizations such as the
World Bank, Africare,
the Inter-American Development
Bank,
Oxfam America, and Jubilee
USA
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environmental NGOs such as
the World Wildlife Fund,
World Resources Institute,
the World Conservation
Union, the Nature Conservancy,
etc.
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federal agencies such as
the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, U.S. Agency for International
Development, U.S. Commerce
Department, USTR, etc.
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think tanks such as the Woodrow
Wilson International Center for Scholars, Carnegie
Endowment for International Peace,
Brookings Institute, the
Institute for Policy Studies, etc.
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congressional representatives
or congressional committees on capitol hill and much more
The
research project component (4 credits) gives students
the opportunity to dig deeply into an issue of their choosing, conduct
research using the people and institutions in Washington, DC and
while overseas, and develop their paper with guidance from their
professor. Click here for more on the
research project.
To
find out more, you can also check out the
official IED web page. If you want to see sample syllabi,
sample overseas itineraries, etc., see the section for prospective
students below.
Prospective
Students
If you are an undergraduate
student looking for a one semester experience that combines the
international policy world with local level community development
issues and international environmental conservation initiatives
overseas, then read on below. You can also check out the
official IED web page with some additional details on our overseas
components in South Africa and Brazil (and Sri
Lanka for Summer 2006).
For
sample syllabi, sample overseas itineraries, professor's bio, etc.,
click on the links below.
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children
in rural Amazonas |
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IED
students with former president of Costa Rica Miguel Angel Rodriguez |
In
the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, IED students
debate climate change legislation. |
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IED
students at the Woodrow Wilson Center |
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IED
students with our speaker at the IMF |
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