PSCI 21
Fieldwork in Public Affairs and Private Non-Profits Winter 2022

This is not the current course catalog

Class Details

This course is a participant-observation experience in which students work full-time for a governmental or nongovernmental (including voluntary, activist, and grassroots) organization or for a political campaign. Students may find placements in government and nonprofit organizations in which their work involves significant involvement with public issues. Examples include: town government offices; state or federal administrative offices (e.g., environmental agencies, housing authorities); interest groups that lobby government (e.g., ACLU, NRA); nonprofit organizations such as service providers or think tanks (e.g., Habitat for Humanity, Cato Institute); and grassroots, activist or community development organizations (e.g., Greenpeace or neighborhood associations). The instructors will work with each student to arrange a placement; such arrangements must be made in advance of the Winter Term. Students should first make their own contracts with an institution or agency. The instructors and members of the Political Science Department are available to help students find placements, if necessary. Each student’s fieldwork mentor shall send a confirmation letter to the instructor verifying the placement and describing the nature of the work to be performed. During the session, students are responsible for keeping a journal of their experiences and observations. Additionally, students write final papers summarizing and reflecting upon the experience in light of assigned readings. A group meeting of all students will occur before winter study to prepare and after to discuss the experience. Every year, course instructors arrange for some distinct sections of this course to provide specialized fieldwork opportunities for small groups of students. In 2022, the following sections are being offered: 1. K-12 Curriculum Development, 2. Consulting for the Berkshire County Education Task Force, 3. Aga Khan Museum Remote Internship, 4. Carceral Reentry Research, 5. Spanish Language Community Education Projects, 6.Mindfulness Programming, 7. Social Media Consulting for the Berkshire Black Economic Council, 8.Food Safety and ServSafe Certification, 9. Art with Local Youth, 10. Public Education Re: Refugees, 11.Adult Basic Education & ESL Consulting, 12. Health Coach Pilot Program and Assessment. For more information on any of these options, see the PSCI 21 page of the Center for Learning in Action website: https://learning-in-action.williams.edu/courses-teaching/winter-study/psci-21/
The Class: Format: internship
Grading: pass/fail only
Materials/Lab Fee: cost of books
Attributes: EXPE Experiential Education Courses

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