Political science majors have held a variety of internships, including with the federal government, the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees, local government, political campaigns, and community organizations.
While there is no guarantee of an internship, the department works closely with students to find such opportunities and usually can provide academic credit for the internship. To learn more about internship opportunities, you can also contact the Center for Career and Professional Development.
Political science majors also volunteer for a number of community service projects including work for Habitat for Humanity and programs to help feed the homeless.
United Nations Internship
When Deyla Curtis spent the summer interning at the U.N. in Geneva, she got to see firsthand how that international body worked. It was an exciting capstone to her four years immersed in politics and humanitarian issues with Whittier College's Model U.N. chapter.
Arranged by Professor Mike McBride, students intern at the U.N., attending committee meetings and working on documents that impact people around the world.
Nixon Fellowship
The Nixon Fellowship Program is designed to prepare exceptional students for informed citizenship and service through internships, scholarship, and research opportunities that examine the various aspects of the 37th president’s impact, or topics that echo his domestic or foreign policy.
Here's just a sample of what the past two Nixon fellows have researched.
Amy Trinh '20: How Nixon and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) made federal design a national priority
The NEA has both given Americans opportunities to develop their creative capacities and affirm America’s identity. In the 1960s, the NEA’s funding was under threat of expiration until Nixon advocated to Congress to extend the legislation.
By way of the NEA, the Federal Design Improvement Program was established under Nixon’s leadership, leading to the rebranding of 45 agencies within the government. Through her research at the Nixon Presidential Library and Archives, it became apparent how much of a critical role the federal government had in encouraging better design.
Caleb Britton '19: How social welfare policies changed during Nixon’s tenure.
Caleb was surprised to find that during Nixon’s presidency, welfare programs like Medicaid and federal aid to dependent families with children actually expanded, despite the fact that Republicans are traditionally considered to be against expanding the government’s role in people’s lives.
He spent a semester digging through memos, legislation, and more in order to better understand what key players influenced changes to the federal welfare policies of the era. The nearby Richard M. Nixon Presidential Library and Museum was an invaluable resource for his research.
At the end of the day, there’s proof of a more bipartisan coalition in Washington D.C. during Nixon’s era than there appears to be today, Britton said. Studying that time frame shows that during any administration “there’s still a possibility of providing social programs to communities in need,” he added.
