Barbara Lee Family Foundation Intern Fellowship Program Spring 2006
Filed under Academics
Posted by Web Team, October 03, 2005
View all posts for October 2005
Barbara Lee, an alumna of Simmons College, heads the Barbara Lee Family Foundation, whose mission is to move women into the political sphere. This year the Foundation has provided money to Simmons for increasing awareness of politics as a vocation for women. The program seeks to give young women exposure to and education in the nuts and bolts of Massachusetts political leadership through practical experience and therefore, increase the amount of young women who enter the pipeline of political leadership. The grant will make possible a number of paid internships, open to students across the college, from all majors. Selected students, who will register for an eight credit internship through the Department of Political Science and International Relations, will receive a stipend of $1500 and a placement either with a legislator or with a politically active organization (non-profit, lobby, outreach organization, etc.). Professor Leanne Doherty is the coordinator of the program.
Criteria for application:
- Seniors preferred, juniors considered.
- Minimum 3.0 GPA
- Resume
- Simmons Transcript
- Letter of Recommendation from a faculty member
- Writing sample (2-3 pages)
DEADLINE FOR APPLICATION IS NOVEMBER 21st
Please note: Students who are participating in the Fellows program should take POLS 212: Politics Unplugged (M/TH; 3-4:30) which is offered in the fall semester. If accepted into the Internship Program and the student did not take the course, they must meet with Prof. Doherty to plan alternative course work for Spring 2006. The goals of this course are to prepare students for direct involvement in the political process; whether it be with legislators (state representatives, federal representatives, governor's office, etc.) or non-government organizations involved in policy formation (non-profits, interest groups, lobbying groups, etc.). This will be done through an overview of the Massachusetts political system in the first three weeks of the class, as well as speakers and site visits throughout the semester. Students will also be required to role play oral presentations to legislators and heads of NGOs, where time is of the essence. A focus on technology will be requ! ired as students will have to use the internet as a research tool for tracking bills and laws. The class will focus on developing writing skills, including memo writing, public policy briefing papers, grant writing, and one major policy analysis or advocacy paper, depending on the type of internship in which the student wishes to participate.
Questions? Contact Leanne Doherty at leanne.doherty@simmons.edu or at x2581.
