Students in the W&M in Washington Program earn 12 credits -- they take two academically rigorous classes focused around a central theme for the semester, for four credits each -- plus an additional four credits for an accompanying internship and research project.  The courses apply to concentration requirements, are posted on student’s transcripts, and are calculated into GPAs.  Classes are held in the William and Mary Washington Office.

Current Theme (Fall 2008):

Post-Conflict State Building, taught by Professor Paula Pickering

This semester’s theme focuses on the intensive efforts of U.S. governmental and non-governmental organizations to rebuild states that have suffered violence.  D.C.-based organizations are engaged in the reconstruction of post-conflict societies, economies, and political institutions across the globe, including in Afghanistan, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Sudan, and Iraq. We will analyze the approaches that U.S. organizations have taken toward intervention and reconstruction with an eye toward identifying what works and what does not.  In doing so we will consider how reconstruction efforts address the sources of conflict; collaboration among local, regional, and international actors; the sequencing of aspects of reconstruction; and the foundations for sustainable peace.

Washington Program Internship: The Practice of Post-Conflict Reconstruction
(Govt 499: 4 credit hours)

This internship is designed for students both to obtain practical work experience with organizations involved in rebuilding post-conflict states and to write about how this practical work compares to scholarly studies of nation-building.  Because post-conflict reconstruction is such a multidimensional process, with organizations focused on a range of activities from promoting reconciliation, economic development, the rule of law, civil society, and good governance, to name a few, students with a wide variety of interests will have internship options open to them.

Seminar on Lessons Learned from Rebuilding States
(Govt 491: 4 credit hours)

This course considers the lessons learned--or not learned--from post-conflict state building efforts across the globe.  It features guest speakers from the D.C.-based policy making and practitioner communities who are actively engaged in state-building projects in areas such as Afghanistan, Iraq, East Timor, Sudan, and Kosovo.  Readings will highlight new books that practitioners and scholars have authored on some of the most recent cases of post-conflict reconstruction.  

Sources of and Remedies for Conflict in Eurasia
(Govt 390 - 4 credit hours)

This course examines sources of communal violence in Eurasia and evaluates efforts to repair these states.  We will consider the role that culture plays in contributing to violence and political instability in areas of the Balkans, the Caucasus, and Central Asia, as well as the role that politicians play in manipulating culture there.  How can we explain the violence and the peace that have occurred in different places and at different times in Eurasia?  Readings will evaluate how international efforts to reconstruct these deeply divided states address the sources of conflict and influence the prospects for reconciliation, economic development, democratization, and regional stability.   

See details on former and upcoming semester themes here

The semester classes are held in the W&M Washington Office facilities, pictured below:

W&M Washington Office Reception area	W&M Washington Office Conference Room