Designed specifically for students of Georgetown's Semester in Washington Program, the Law, Legislation and Politics Academic Seminar advances students' knowledge in the legal profession's foundations and current trends. Meeting once a week in the mornings, students learn from assigned readings, lectures, preeminent guest speakers, and discussion groups.

The academic seminar leverages the expansive resources on the Georgetown campus and in Washington, D.C., enabling students to connect with elected officials, policy-makers, and practitioners in the private and public sectors. Guest speakers frequenting the seminar from law firms, the judiciary, federal agencies, and the White House address both the principles of law and pressing debates in the legislative arena. Through on-site visits, Semester in Washington students have the unique opportunity to discuss the possibilities and limitations of law and policy directly with those industry leaders.

Students also engage in scholarly discourse and learn from their peers. Seminar discussions explore the foundations and current trends shaping the industry. Covering a broad range of up-to-the-moment topics, including civil liberties, constitutional law, international law, public interest law, the legislative process, legal clinics, and the foundations of American law and the legal profession, Semester in Washington students gain a better understanding of legal considerations, processes, and players. Rooted in Georgetown's Jesuit tradition, the seminar keeps leadership, ethics, and social justice at the forefront.

As part of the academic seminar, students reflect on their internship experience. The electronic portfolio allows students to critically analyze their internships in a creative and academic manner. Capturing both process and outcome of their respective internships, the e-portfolio presents a lasting depiction of their Semester in Washington experience.

Participation in class discussions, on- and off-campus presentations, the respective class assignments, and the e-internship portfolio, constitute integral parts for students' academic development and success in the Semester in Washington Program academic seminar. While the academic seminar constitutes 60 percent of each student's final grade, the internship constitutes 40 percent for the overall Semester in Washington internship/academic seminar grade.