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The Study Tour
The study tour
of Washington, D.C., that concludes the Institute is a logical follow-on
to this module, though the tour is designed to directly complement and
reinforce the academic residency portion of the program as a whole. For
example, the tour starts in Baltimore, where you will examine social policy,
religion, and volunteerism at the Viva House, a Catholic Worker community
that serves a poor and largely at-risk population. You will have the opportunity
to explore Baltimore's Inner Harbor and surrounding neighborhoods which
together present a fascinating jumble of history and culture, from the
U.S.S. Constellation to the National Aquarium to Federal Hill and Fort
McHenry to extensive retail facilities.
In Washington
proper, you will take full advantage of the capital city's academic, professional,
and cultural venues. A day will be spent getting a sense of the city through
an extensive trolley tour. This is a useful geographic orientation, but
more importantly also provides an opportunity to discuss the social and
political issues at stake in the memorialization of political leaders
and wars at sites such as the Washington, Lincoln, Jefferson, F.D. Roosevelt,
Korean War, and Vietnam War memorials and Arlington National Cemetery.
Early in the
week, you will visit the State Department for a morning briefing and evaluation.
That day is devoted to further discussion of foreign policy. Later in
the tour, you will get a firsthand sense of the interest group element
of American politics. You will also traverse the length of Pennsylvania
Avenue, taking a tour of the U.S. Capitol. You will revisit the balance
of presidential and Congressional power and tour the Supreme Court.
In the activities
leading up to the end of the study tour, the Institute will wind up, in
a sense, where it started: thinking about the sweep of American history
and culture and the values and beliefs that drive it forward. By now,
you will be prepared to delve into the Smithsonian Museum of American
History and the National Gallery of Art -- able to “hear” the
narratives they present, but also to talk back to them. You should be
able to view the original Constitution in the National Archives with a
sense of why it inspires reverence among most Americans -- as well as
a sense of the contradictions and compromises it embodies that have played
out across American history. If so, the Institute will have succeeded
in its goal of providing you with a deeper understanding of U.S. civilization.
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