Details
D.C. Summer Institutes
DCSI enables outstanding W&M faculty to spend two weeks at the end of May living, teaching, visiting and meeting with topical experts in Washington, D.C. It offers you the chance to teach a curriculum built around a topic that you propose. Interested students apply to a specific Institute and interview with the W&M Washington Center team. Those selected gain tremendous insight into the field of study through your classes and their related internships.
Find more specific information regarding planning a D.C. Summer Institute.
DCSI gives you the added benefit of having the Washington Center team available as a resource throughout the spring leading up to and during your summer D.C. The Washington Center team works closely with you to:
- Find speakers for classes
- Make contacts with organizations/institutions with which you wish to work
- Work with local alumni from your department
How it Works
DCSI professors design and teach a 3-credit course that uses D.C.'s unique educational opportunities and aligns with their overall Institute theme. This course should be a seminar, built around theme-appropriate speakers and site visits. This class meets from 9:00am - 5:00pm, Monday-Friday, for two weeks at the end of May (immediately following commencement on campus).
Students then spend the next 10 weeks working in full-time internships. Institute professors are not responsible for finding internship opportunities, working with supervisors, or teaching the academic course tied to students' internships - the W&M Washington Center handles those tasks.
