Special Opportunity for Students:

The National Council Fellowships:
Washington, DC Summer Internship Program

June 2 – August 8, 2014

The National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations’ Washington, DC Summer Internship Program offers undergraduate and graduate students a ten-week professional, academic, and career opportunity internship in the nation’s capital. The program features a demanding mix of professional involvement, intellectual challenge, career exploration, and cultural encounters designed to provide interns with a rich and varied experience during their time in Washington.

• Professional workplace experience: Interns are placed with one of over a dozen Near East and Arab world-related organizations in Washington, D.C., where they are expected to work 35-40 hours/week under the direct supervision of their host organizations.
• Academic seminars: Interns take part in twice-weekly seminar sessions designed to provide them with greater depth of knowledge about the Arab world, to underscore the cultural, economic, and political diversity of Arab states, and to explore the intricacies of Arab-U.S. relations. There will be a particular emphasis, though not exclusively, on Arabia and the Gulf.
• Site visits: Interns receive a behind-the-scenes look at many of the central institutions of federal government, national security policymaking, international diplomacy, and international business.

About the Program

The National Council’s Summer Internship Program offers professional work experiences combined with twice weekly evening seminars that bring academic experts and experienced foreign policy practitioners to meet with the interns in candid off-the-record discussions and freewheeling question and answer sessions. Our goals are: (1) to provide a realistic Washington, D.C. work experience that will pave the way to career development; (2) to provide interns with first-hand experience behind-the-scenes of the foreign policy analysis and advocacy process in Washington, D.C.; (3) to provide a strong academic component dealing with U.S. political, economic, and cultural relations with Arabia and the Gulf region; (4) to help participants begin the process of career networking by introducing them to working professionals in government, business, journalism, and NGOs; and, (5) to highlight the wide range of career opportunities awaiting those who aspire to work in the field of U.S.-Arab relations as well as to provide counseling on the graduate school and fellowship application processes.

As complements to the program, interns will also be exposed to D.C. in a less formal manner via films, cultural events, embassy and museum visits, off-the-record conversations with former diplomats, group dinners, and suggestions for exploring the sights and sounds of Washington, D.C. This allows students not only to experience living and working in the city but also encourages them to appreciate the cultural diversity of the urban environment and the exciting cultural, educational, and recreational opportunities available in the nation’s capital.

Sponsorship

The program is administered by National Council professionals and staff, together with more than two dozen of America’s foremost scholars and leading foreign affairs practitioners. The programs, activities, and functions represented by the organizations and corporations that provide the professional work experience component of the program are varied. Included among placements in recent years have been educational development and exchange organizations, bimonthly and quarterly publications, humanitarian relief groups, broadcasting networks, area studies centers, international transportation companies, foreign trade associations, peace and justice advocacy groups, and a variety of non-governmental organizations.

Cost and Fellowship Stipend

A $125 non-refundable program fee must be submitted with the application. This fee helps to defray the costs of administering the summer internship program and the accompanying seminar presentations. Internship program participants, upon successful fulfillment of the program’s academic and internship requirements, will receive a $1,000 fellowship stipend.

How to Apply

Interested undergraduate and graduate students, or recent graduates, are asked to submit the following materials prior to the application deadline in order to be considered for acceptance into the Summer Internship Program:

1. A letter of interest addressed to the National Council that describes why you are interested in the program and how it fits into your academic and career goals, your background, experience and interest in the Middle East/Arab world, and any other information you think is important for the selection committee to know. The letter should also indicate the type of internship that would most interest you and why. Please limit the letter of interest to two pages.
2. An essay (no more than 2-pages in length, double spaced, with appropriate citations) on the topic:
   U.S.-Arab Relations: Assessing the failures and successes of the Obama Administration’s policies toward the Arab world;
3. A résumé or curriculum vitae;
4. Official transcripts of all university-level work;
5. Two letters of recommendation, at least one of them from a faculty member who knows your academic work well;
6. A signed Internship Program Application [link below and available at ncusar.org]; and
7. $125 non-refundable program fee.

Special consideration will be given to applicants who have participated in the National Council’s Model Arab League program, but this is not a requirement for selection as an intern. Supplementary materials such as newspaper articles or writing samples that are not required or requested will not be considered during the review of applications.

INTERNSHIP PROGRAM APPLICATION:
http://ncusar.org/programs/14-NCUSAR-Summer-Intern-Program-Application.pdf

The priority deadline is February 10th. Complete applications received by this date will be reviewed by NCUSAR and host organizations sooner than the general pool of candidates. The final deadline is February 28th. All materials must be postmarked by Friday, February 28, 2014.

Transcripts and letters of recommendation may be submitted separately or with other application materials.

Application materials may be submitted digitally but hard copies of all documents with original signatures (pages 6 and 7) should be submitted by mail. Please do not submit any additional supplementary materials such as newspaper or magazine articles, certificates, or writing samples; these will not be considered during your internship application evaluation.

Program Accomplishments

Nearly 335 students have participated in this program to date. Some have joined the U.S. Foreign Service. Several work as staff to Members of Congress or congressional committees dealing with matters of foreign policy. Many have proceeded to graduate school to obtain their masters degrees or doctorates in international relations with an emphasis on the Arab countries, the Middle East, and the Islamic world. Some have been employed by the National Council and other non-governmental organizations. Still others have become professional foreign affairs journalists. These are just a few of the opportunities that program alumni have encountered.

Program Leaders

Chairman: Dr. John Duke Anthony, Founding President and CEO, National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations; Adjunct Professor, Georgetown University Center for Contemporary Arab Studies; and consultant to the U.S. Departments of State and Defense (since 1973 and 1974, respectively)

Coordinator: Ms. Megan Geissler, Director of Student Programs, National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations

Housing

Estimated cost for ten-weeks of student housing in Washington, D.C. is $2,000 – $2,500, not including meals and incidentals. Detailed information will be provided to assist interns in locating reasonably priced student housing at area universities, summer sublets, or other student housing facilities.