Lugar Program

The Lugar Program at Denison

THE RICHARD G. LUGAR PROGRAM IN POLITICS AND PUBLIC SERVICE is named after Senator Richard G. Lugar of Indiana, class of 1954, Rhodes scholar and Denison trustee.

posc02

Denison's Richard G. Lugar Program in Politics and Public Service is open to students of all academic majors and partisan perspectives who are interested in American politics and public policy or in foreign policy and international affairs

The program is open to students of all academic majors and partisan perspectives who are interested in government and public policy. The program has two tracks:

  • Track one focuses on the workings of American national government and offers a congressional internship as well as coursework.
  • Track two focuses on United States foreign policy and international affairs and offers course work in foreign policy, comparative politics and international politics, as well as an internship with the Washington Semester Program.

Students must earn at least a C in every Lugar Program course, including those meeting the foreign language requirement for track two.

The Lugar Program welcomes former members of Congress to Denison almost every academic year. Typically, we host two former members per visit, a Democrat and a Republican. While here, they appear in classes and meet with students, faculty and others in the Denison and Granville communities. A theme common to these visits is the importance of public service.


The Lugar Program concentration

Track One

Students in track one of the Lugar program must fulfill the following requirements:

  • One of the following courses:
    • Foreign Policy Formulation (POSC 358)
    • The Conduct of American Foreign Policy (POSC 359)
  • The Politics of Congress (POSC 319)
  • Two of the following courses:
    • American Political Behavior and Institutions (POSC 202)
    • American Public Policy (POSC 315)
    • The American Presidency (POSC 320)
    • Selecting the President (POSC 321)
    • Politics of Russia (POSC 322)
    • The Supreme Court and the Political Process (POSC 350)
    • or other approved American Politics courses
  • A congressional internship

Most congressional internships take place during the sophomore or junior year. Most Lugar students in Track One opt for three-week internships beginning in mid-May. However, several students have elected to enroll in American University's Washington Semester Program (American Politics) and intern in a congressional office for an entire fall or spring term.

Track Two

Students in Track Two of the Lugar Program must fulfill the following requirements:

  • Four core courses selected from the following list:
    • Politics of Russia (POSC 322)
    • Politics of Eastern Europe (POSC 323)
    • Politics of Sub-Saharan Africa (POSC 324)
    • Ethnic Conflict/Ethnic Peace (POSC 325)
    • Middle East in World Affairs (POSC 327)
    • Politics of the Global Environment (POSC 328)
    • Transitions to Democracy (POSC 330)
    • International Organizations (POSC 344)
    • International Political Economy (POSC 355)
    • Foreign Policy Formulation (POSC 358)
    • Conduct of American Foreign Policy (POSC 359)
    • or other approved International Relations/Comparative courses
  • Four semesters of a foreign language
  • An internship with the Washington Semester Program (or comparable program at a university in the Washington area)

The Washington Semester Program has a number of programs suitable for students in track two including:

  • The Foreign Policy Semester
  • Peace and Conflict Resolution
  • International Business and Trade
  • International Environment and Development

Students enrolled in track two may fulfill part of their language requirement during the summer at the Graduate School of International Policy Studies in the Monterrey Institute in California or a similar program.

What do our students do after Denison?

At least five Lugar students who followed track one have found employment as congressional staffers upon graduating from Denison.

Many of our students have gone on to law school, and some have completed graduate studies in political science and other disciplines.

Track two represents a new response to the challenges and opportunities of the post 9/11 world. Track two helps prepare students interested in obtaining a master's certificate at the Graduate School of International Studies (GSIS) of the Monterrey Institute in California or at a similar institution. Students in the Monterrey program undertake further language study, complete an internship and develop a specialization in such areas as security, weapons of mass destruction, international trade and the international environment. This combination of foreign-language expertise and specialized coursework leads to employment in governmental agencies, international organizations and in the private sector.

Track two is designed to facilitate graduate study for students who are interested in careers in homeland security, international business, global environment, and other international sectors but who presently do not want to earn a Ph.D., law degree, MBA or MPA.

For more information about the program, contact:

Andrew Z. Katz, Director
The Lugar Program
Blair Knapp Hall, Room 305-A
Denison University
Granville, Ohio 43023

Phone:  (740) 587-6502
Fax:  (740) 587-6601
E-mail:   katz@denison.edu