Students are expected to participate in a preparatory class prior to leaving for Washington.  This will require several sessions in the semester prior to departure, a paper, and presenting in a poster session the semester following their term in DC.  Upon completion of all parts of the preparatory class, students will receive 2 university credits, pass/fail.   Students must also register for the Research Seminar (4 credits).  This is the core course of the program, in which students are expected to conduct independent research on a topic of their interest and produce a substantial research paper of 20-30 pages.  Students will use their internship experience in developing their research paper.   Students are also required to take a 1 credit Washington Experience Course, which features speakers and response papers.  Students will receive 2 credits for their internships. Students will then have a choice to take 1 or 2 electives, which will bring them to a total of 12-15 credits.  Examples of such electives might be a course on regulatory aspects of the policy-making process or a course on the art and architecture of Washington, DC.