If you could study with some of the world’s top thinkers on some of the world’s most important topics – war and grand strategy, economic policy, or political thought and philosophy – which would you choose?

Each year, the Hertog Foundation brings together top college students to the nation’s capital to explore the theory and practice of politics in an intensive seminar setting with outstanding faculty. Political Studies Fellows take courses in a wide variety of subjects, from political philosophy to contemporary public affairs, from economics to foreign policy. In the afternoons and evenings, they have the opportunity to hear from leaders in American government and politics.

All fellows receive residential accommodations and a $2,500 stipend to offset travel and living expenses.

Courses for the 2024 Political Studies Program will be announced soon.

Image Credit: Wikipedia Commons.

Watch this video to learn more

Weeks I & II

Weeks III & IV

Liberty & Order

Reflect on what is required today to sustain (or revive) our free and liberal society. 

Weeks V & VI

Grand Strategy

Study the permanent strategic lessons offered by Thucydides and the American strategic tradition.

WHO SHOULD APPLY?

Any college or university undergraduate, or very recent graduate (2023 or 2024) not already pursuing an advanced degree, may apply to the Political Studies Program.

Admission is extremely competitive, and every year we decline admission to many highly qualified applicants simply due to lack of space. A typical competitive applicant will have:

  • An undergraduate GPA > 3.5
  • A statement of purpose that tells us how the applicant’s interests and ambitions relate to the preferred program. The statement of purpose is very important and deserves careful attention.
  • An academic writing sample that demonstrates the applicant’s powers of analysis and independent thought, and not only their ability to do scholarly research or comment on a text.

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

  1. CV OR RÉSUMÉ

  2. PERSONAL STATEMENT

    Describe, in 1,000 words or less, the political questions you find most interesting, your future ambitions, and how these relate to your preferred program(s).

  3. A COLLEGE TRANSCRIPT

    Unofficial

  4. AN ACADEMIC WRITING SAMPLE

    10 pages maximum; double-spaced. Please send academic writing that best showcases your ability to invent and sustain a persuasive argument, no matter the subject-matter.

  5. ACADEMIC LETTER & REFERENCE

    Provide the name and contact information of a professor, mentor, or supervisor. (Letter not required for nominated applicants.)

Other Courses You Might Be Interested In

America’s Forgotten War & Confronting China Today

Study the Korean War and the lessons it offers for U.S.-China competition.

Richard A. Florsheim, Sleeping City, 1965, color lithograph, Smithsonian American Art Museum

Utopia & Dystopia

Explore visions of utopian & dystopian societies in three short novels.

The Limits of Politics

Explore the boundaries of politics from the perspective of the household and the divine.

The Words That Made Us

Revisit key constitutional questions through the lens of history and law.

Ronald Reagan: The Peacemaker

Examine how Ronald Reagan confronted the Soviet Union and won the Cold War.