First Impressions

The course I am taking through the Washington Center is Religion in Global Politics, taught by Dr. Kuchinsky. So far both the class and the professor have been great. We have three books and some of the readings are difficult, but so far the class discussion has really helped to clarify anything confusing.  Throughout the summer semester we will be covering religion in theory and global politics, global relevance and reach, Religion in conflict and peace, and in human rights. This class will address the interaction and difference between the influence of religion in government, and the influence of a government in religion. 

              As a political science major, I have taken local, state, national, and international politics, as well as a class about world economy. I think learning the role of religion in various governments will allow me to better to understand the diverse governmental systems that we studied in these classes. I hope that this study of world religions will allow me to be more informed about the diverse people who live and work in Washington.  This information could also be a very helpful thing to know if I ever decide to practice international or human rights law.

               My internship while in Washington DC is with the Division of Enforcement within the Federal Trade Commission. I work at the FTC building on New Jersey Ave. It is not the FTC headquarters but it houses about 40% of the Commissions’ employees. The Division of Enforcement is made up investigators and attorneys. The investigators provide information on suspected fraudulent companies so that the attorneys can bring cases in civil court. There are more attorneys than investigators, so most of the work for the three summer interns is assisting the investigators in their research.

              The actual workplace is very friendly and relatively relaxed. Even the high level attorneys and the assistant directors were so welcoming and excited to meet us on our first day. There are many cases coming through the office (each lawyer has at least 3 or 4), which provides an opportunity to work with many of the lawyers on a variety of cases. The relationship between the staff in this division does not seem very hierarchical.  Although there are higher and lower ranking positions, it never seems that anyone is unwilling to help.  Ron Lewis, our supervisor, and the other employees always give us substantial assignments that have a true purpose and are important to the cases. The other two interns and I get along very well and work together in order to balance the workload.

              It seems like my time here in the program is flying by. I already feel much more comfortable in my internship; with the people and the work. I think a large part of feeling at home here is that I had such good luck in housing. My roommates are all great and we get along; the transition went much more smoothly than I imagined. So far, my experience here has been busy, but in a good way that makes me feel as if I am experiencing and learning as much as possible. The weekly programming has so far has provided useful information, and a chance to catch up with the other Washington Center interns. The settling in period made me a little anxious at first but even after just two weeks I truly feel as if the transition went smoothly and rather quickly. I can tell that this will be a busy summer.