Welcome to the Foreign Policy Program!

This season will be a thrilling time to be in Washington, D.C., and the city will be positively electric as the inauguration of a new president is held.

We have a terrific semester planned and I’d like to take a moment to tell you about it. As a student on the Washington Semester in U.S. Foreign Policy, you will engage experts and policymakers in exploring the key issues facing the United States in the years ahead: coping with soaring dependence on foreign sources of energy, managing environmental degradation, balancing the benefits and risks posed by economic globalization, and confronting international terrorism.

You’ll also meet with members of Congress, such as Senators Richard Lugar and Russ Feingold, high-ranking National Security Council and White House staff, State Department officials, foreign ambassadors, and distinguished members of the news media. These aren’t mere photo ops; you’ll have the chance to discuss the complex and urgent foreign policy issues that impact your life and your future.

The Washington Semester Program does not give you a front-row seat to debates on the future of the U.S. role in world affairs—it makes you a party to the discussion. This is not the time to sit on the sidelines.

All the best,

John Calabrese
Assistant Professor of International Relations

and

Christian Maisch
Assistant Professor of International Relations