Summer Internships

The Unruh Institute of Politics launched the Summer Political Internship Program to enable students to take advantage of intern placements when they are not busy with the demanding schedule of the regular academic semester.  The program provides a bridge between the academic study of policy, government, and politics and the practical fields in which those studies can be applied.  Interns gain insight into the political process and learn how to be effective leaders. Internships are available in political and governmental offices throughout California, Washington, D.C. and the country.

The Diana Chudacoff Levin Internship Award

The Diana Chudacoff Levin Internship Award provides support to outstanding students who would like to explore the real world of politics through an internship experience. Students who demonstrate a serious interest in the political process and whose aspirations include future civic engagement are most likely to be successful in the highly competitive selection process. Interns may take positions in political and governmental offices in the Los Angeles area, Sacramento, Washington D.C., and other locations in the United States.
 
Those selected will enroll in POSC 395: Directed Governmental and Political Leadership Internship, and must fulfill the course requirements. Award winners will receive a generous stipend and 2 units of tuition credit to be applied to POSC 395. After the summer internship, interns will submit a written report related to their experience, highlighting what they learned about politics.

The program is open to undergraduate students of all majors currently pursuing degrees at USC with a GPA of 3.0 or higher. Applicants must not be graduating before the end of the 2009 Summer Semester. Interns must work with an organization directly related to the political process. Internships must be unpaid and students must work a minimum of 25 hours per week.

While it is not required to have an internship confirmed when submitting an application for the Levin Awards, students must have applied to a number of possible internships and have a strong area of interest or specific placement in mind.

As this is a competitive award, in addition to exemplary academic work, candidates should have a demonstrated interest in politics, government or public service, as shown through means such as:

• attending and/or organizing political events (esp. on-campus)
• prior political volunteerism
• political internships
• politically-related student activities
• attendance and/or participation in Unruh Institute events
  

In addition to the application form, students applying for the 2009 Levin Awards will be asked to provide an unofficial transcript, a complete resume, a writing sample (e.g., a class term paper), a 250-500-word essay explaining why you’d like to participate in this program, and two letters of recommendation.

Finalists for the Diana Chudacoff Levin Internship Awards will be invited to have an interview with the selection committee. 

Applications due Friday, March 27th, 2009

Click here to download the application: 2009_Levin_Application.pdf