Experiential Education
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Experiential Education Requirement
As a student in the College of Arts and Sciences, you must complete an Experiential Education requirement for graduation. The Political Science Department offers a spectrum of experiential education opportunities for its majors, including co-op, internships, service learning, study abroad, community research, Model United Nations, and Model Arab League. All of these activities are meant to enrich academic study within your major while giving you the chance to apply the knowledge and skills you are gaining in "real-world" situations.
Although the experiential education requirement can be satisfied with a minimum of course work, we encourage you to learn about all available activities in this area and to participate beyond the minimum level when this would be consistent with your interests and career objectives. By doing so, you can build an outstanding resume. Many of our strongest graduates who have gone on to excellent professional positions and top law schools and graduate programs have enhanced their records by means of experiential education activities. These same activities have also helped them to know more about their own abilities and career preferences.
Experiential Education in Political Science entails three key elements: preparation through discussions and activities that orient you to your experiential assignment; the actual experience of working in a relevant job or simulation; and reflection on the experience. These elements are met by completing each of the parts below and must be undertaken according to the sequence indicated here:
- Completion of 1 of the following:
- At least 1 semester of co-op (preceded by the 1-credit co-op workshop)
- At least 1 semester of study abroad
- POL U940 Internship
- POL U910 Model United Nations
- POL U915 Model Arab League
- POL U905 Moot Court
- POL U943 Community-Based Research
- Any other POL course designated by the dept. for the ExEd requirement
- POL U701 Senior Capstone
Beyond the use of this web site, students should also consult with the Political Science Department's Experiential Education Advisor, Professor Richard O'Bryant, for information on the enrollment process concerning these different courses and activities and for any inquiries about possible substitutions or waivers in regard to this requirement.
Co-op
Northeastern University is world-famous for its co-op program. Although engaging in co-op is optional, we strongly encourage all Political Science students to learn about how this program works and what it can offer to them. Within the fields of law, government, and politics, co-op features many kinds of employment possibilities in the public and private sectors. Co-op is a program that allows students to alternate between periods of academic study and full-time employment related to their field of study. You may choose to complete as many as three six-month co-ops under the university's five-year undergraduate curriculum. Some students prefer to participate in co-op for only one or two six-month periods. Co-op positions are available locally, in New York City, Washington, D.C., and other cities, and abroad.
All Political Science majors (other than transfers) will learn about co-op procedures and options within the "Introduction to College" course during the fall semester of freshman year. Northeastern's Co-op Division divides incoming freshmen into two groups. One of these groups will have the opportunity for their first co-op during the spring semester of the sophomore year, the other group will begin co-op during the second summer semester after the sophomore year.
The Co-op Division maintains an extensive advising system to guide students participating in the program. Two coordinators are assigned to Political Science, Mr. William Wray and Mr. Lester Lee. Both coordinators keep regular weekly office hours in Holmes Hall adjacent to the department's location on the third floor of Meserve Hall, and they are eager to answer questions about the program and to help students find suitable co-op positions. It is important that you meet with a co-op coordinator early in the term preceding the beginning of co-op so that you can discuss resume writing, interviewing techniques, and the co-op job search process.
For more information about co-op, please visit the web site www.cascoop.neu.edu.
Study Abroad
Many Political Science students participate in the Study Abroad program as a way to deepen their study of international and comparative politics, develop foreign-language skills, or simply experience the thrill of living in another cultural environment. More than 40 Study Abroad programs are sponsored by Northeastern's Office of International Study Programs, located in 1 Meserve Hall. Popular destinations for Political Science students have included Ireland's Institute of Public Administration, the Hansard Society at the London School of Economics, and the Institute for European Affairs in Belgium, all programs that combine academic study with hands-on internship experience.
To be eligible for Study Abroad, you must be at least in your middler year. For more information about requirements, as well as information about current country openings, you should visit the Office of International Study Programs. You may contact the staff for an appointment at 617-373-5162 and at sap@casdn.neu.edu. The office also maintains a web site at http://www.casdn.neu.edu/sap.
Internships
A popular form of experiential education in Political Science, internships are usually part-time employment opportunities. You register for an internship as part of your regular course load for a semester. Recent Political Science internship sites include the Massachusetts State House, Boston City Hall, Office of the Plymouth District Attorney, O'Neil and Associates political consulting group, Office of Senator Kennedy, Boston YMCA, Massachusetts Attorney General, Kerry for President Campaign, Massachusetts Republican Party, and Boston Municipal Court.
The internship course, POL U 940, carries four credits. At minimum, an undergraduate internship must involve 225 hours of work over the entire course of a semester. Internship students must also write a paper about their internship experience, which can be either a record of regular journal entries or a research/reflection paper related to the focus of their sponsoring organization. Grading for the internship course is based on this final paper and a written evaluation received from the intern's work place supervisor.
The department's Experiential Education Advisor, Professor Richard O'Bryant, coordinates all internship placements. An extensive sampling of internship openings is also available for searching elsewhere on this web site. Registration for the internship course requires advance permission of the ExEd Advisor, and no internships will be permitted to begin later than the second full week of classes in a semester.
Model United Nations/Model Arab League
The Model United Nations and Model Arab League are special group activities supervised by a Political Science faculty member in which students participate in a simulation exercise having to do with the operation of international organizations. Participants learn about the structures and functions of the U.N. and Arab League while preparing for an international gathering in which they represent a particular nation-state and its interests.
Model U.N. (POL U910) and Model Arab League (POL U915) are offered as four-credit courses. Registration is by permission of the instructor. Students should consult course announcements to determine upcoming offerings of these two courses and to identify the current instructor.
In addition, it is possible to participate in these simulations as an extra-curricular, non-credit activity. While you would not complete the same course assignments, you can still become involved in model events. A student group – the Model U.N. Association – facilitates student involvement. Contact the current president, Oscar Camargo at camargo.o@neu.edu for more information.
Moot Court
Moot Court (POL U905) is a four-credit course that offers students the opportunity to participate in a simulation in which they research existing legal controversies, prepare legal briefs, and present cases before a mock judicial panel. By conducting legal research, writing briefs, drafting opinions, and making oral arguments, students gain insight into court-based decision making in the real world as well as the role of lawyers and judges within this process. Interested students should monitor course announcements to learn about upcoming offerings of Moot Court, or they may contact the instructor, Professor Michael Tolley. Registration for the course is by permission only.
Community-Based Research
In this four-credit course, POL U943, students are given supervision in planning and carrying out an applied social research project that is defined in partnership with a local civic group, nonprofit agency, or public department. Students collaborate in writing a final report that is presented to the community partner at the end of the course, which is then published and distributed widely to stakeholder groups. The opportunity to work closely with a faculty member as part of a team engaged in original research is one of the unique benefits of participation in CBRI. Although not often taught in standard academic courses, effective collaboration is a crucial workplace skill. At the same time, students will develop valuable professional competencies in research design and a variety of forms of quantitative and qualitative analysis.
This seminar is conducted by Professor David Rochefort. Enrollment is limited to six students, with permission of the instructor required for entry into the course. Students interested in participating in CBRI should familiarize themselves with the philosophy and activities of the program as presented on the course's web site at www.cbri.neu.edu. They should also contact Professor Rochefort to discuss their particular interests and skills in relation to future research projects.
Other Designated POL Courses
From time to time, the department will offer other courses that include significant experiential education elements, such as "service learning," group research projects, volunteer activity, and so on. When so designated, these courses will count toward satisfaction of the first part of the Political Science Experiential Education requirement. If you have taken a course of this kind in another department which has a substantial public affairs or political dimension, you may also petition the department's Experiential Education Advisor to determine if the course satisfies this first part of the requirement.
Senior Capstone
The Senior Capstone is the culminating course for Political Science majors. Required for students in the Class of 2008 and beyond, in this course you will revisit and integrate concepts and skills developed throughout the political science curriculum, including both experiential and classroom-based components. In the Capstone you will engage in various individual and group-based research projects as you also reflect on experiential activities. The Capstone is typically completed in the final semester at Northeastern.
Resources to Support Experiential Education
Students should be aware that a special center has been created within the College of Arts and Sciences to support their involvement in experiential education. In addition to acting as a comprehensive resource center on experiential education across the college's many departments, the Center for Experiential Education & Academic Advising (CEA) sponsors several funding programs for which students are encouraged to apply. CEA-Way Scholarships provide awards of up to $1,000 for special experiential projects ranging from research studies to creative performances. CEA Co-op Grants provide support for exceptional co-op jobs that are otherwise unpaid or low-paying. The Faculty Undergraduate Research Institute gives stipends to students who work as research assistants for faculty members. For more information about these and other funding opportunities offered by CEA, please visit the center's web site at www.casdn.neu.edu/cea.
