The Archer Center

Academics

Course Descriptions

Policy Making Process
Professor Jenifer Sarver
Mondays, 5:45-8:45pm

This course is designed to give you an overview of how policy is made at the federal level. Through various historical and academic readings you will become familiar with the process as it is designed. However, through in-class discussions, on-the-job experiences and by meeting Washington powerbrokers who help craft policy, you will see how the process works in actuality. The course will be interactive, with a strong focus on in-class discussion and guest speakers who will peak your curiosity, challenge your views and give you an insiders’ perspective on Washington. For this course we will pick one policy area on which to focus: trade. Trade policy has implications domestically and internationally, and has been an issue in American politics throughout the century. But with globalization and heightened rhetoric, trade has become a front burner issue in American politics, providing a timely, thought provoking issue to study, discuss and analyze.

Advocacy in Applied Settings
Dr. John Daly
Weekends in September, October and December

This course is an introduction to the issues individuals face when placed in the role of being advocates for an issue, idea, or even for themselves. The goal of the course is for class participants to grasp concepts they will see and experience during their internship in Washington D.C. We intentionally schedule half of this class for the beginning of the semester. You will not only learn about advocacy, but hopefully many of your questions and concerns about the internship process will be answered during the course. Readings are Machiavelli’s The Prince, and Hardball by Chris Matthews.

Beyond Congress and the White House
Dr. Joel Swerdlow
Wednesdays 5:45-8:45pm

This course will help you better understand power in our nation’s capital, especially what lies beyond Congress and the White House. We will study Washington, D.C. in a way that is only possible right here, using the National Mall and nearby locations such as Arlington Cemetery and the National Archives as a textbook. Each week, we will visit different places as we examine complex issues such as the use of DDT to combat malaria, the relationship between democracy and war, and the future of the Internet. This class will be conducted like a graduate seminar, emphasizing discussion and other forms of participation.  To the degree possible, our work will relate to your internships and to headline-making events such as the 2006 Congressional elections. Core readings are by James Madison and Walt Whitman.

Archer Center Washington Internship
Dr. Joel Swerdlow
Daily, minimum of 32 hours per week

Students secure full time internships in Washington, D.C. organizations ranging from the Supreme Court to the United Nations Information Centre. Participation in the internship for at least 32 hours per week is required throughout the duration of the semester in Washington. Students will be evaluated regularly via supervisor surveys, and will be required to submit a final report on their experience. Additionally, students will be encouraged to bring their internship experiences into their other classes for discussion and contribution.

Professor Biographies

John A. Daly (Ph.D. Purdue) focuses on practical ways of bolstering the communication skills of individuals. He has examined topics such as shyness, personality difference in communication, communication difficulties people experience in their personal and professional relationships, and issues involved in assessing communication competency.  The Archer Center is pleased to welcome Dr. Daly back for his 12th semester teaching with the program.  Dr. Daly’s course specifically designed for Archer Fellows focuses on the practical application of political communication and persuasion in the workplace and Washington, D.C. environment.

Joel Swerdlow (Ph.D. Cornell), who currently teaches at Johns Hopkins University, is an author, journalist, and researcher. He was a senior writer and assistant editor for ten years at National Geographic Magazine, and the lead writer for its 1998-1999 Millennium series. His work – for popular, academic and scientific publications – has been translated into more than three-dozen languages and is included in two collections, Best of the Washington Post and From the Field: Writing From National Geographic Magazine.  He has written for Rolling Stone and the Harvard Business Review and is a National Magazine Award Finalist. His nine books include a novel, and To Heal a Nation: The Story of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, which became an NBC movie.  Swerdlow covered the Watergate conspiracy trial and the White House for National Public Radio.

Jenifer Sarver was named Director of Speechwriting for the U.S. Secretary of Commerce, Carlos M. Gutierrez, in the fall of 2006. In that capacity she oversees a team of writers to develop and communicate key messages as related to issues of global trade and commerce pertinent to the Department’s initiatives and mandate. Before receiving her political appointment she served as the Director of The Archer Center. Previously she served as the chief speechwriter for U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison. Raised in Texas, Jenifer came to Washington in September 2001, to pursue a career on Capitol Hill. Prior to coming to D.C., Jenifer worked in high-technology public relations as a communications and media relations consultant. Jenifer is a proud graduate of The University of Texas at Austin with bachelors’ degrees in Journalism and Speech Communication, and received her Master’s in Public Administration from American University in May 2006.