Not many of the students who swarm Washington, DC get to spend half an hour chatting with Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, or field suggestions on their coursework from U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham. Or, for that matter, get to take a ride on the Capitol Hill tram. But for two dozen hard-working Stanford seniors, those were just a few of the highlights from their 2016 Honors College trip to the nation’s capital.

Just before the start of fall quarter classes, a small group of students visited Washington under the guidance of Stanford faculty to learn first-hand how U.S. policy is built. Two of the research centers at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies offer yearlong honors programs. Each selects 12 undergraduates every school year to work directly with senior faculty on a research topic of their choosing; each kicks off that year with an immersive experience in the DC policy world.

For nearly two weeks each fall, students in the Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC) Honors College undertake a rigorous schedule of visits to government departments, NGOs, think tanks, landmarks and Capitol Hill. Meanwhile, the Fisher Family Undergraduate Honors Program at the Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law (CDDRL) focuses on the civil society work of organizations like the World Bank, the National Endowment for Democracy, and units within the Supreme Court and the National Security Council that focus on promoting democracy, human rights and the rule of law.

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