Swing Semester 2008 is the nation’s first political immersion program. We provide a bridge from interest to action for college students, recent graduates, and other young people who care about their country and want to be a part of American history even as they study it.

Swing Semester encourages young people to work full-time on progressive efforts in swing states this fall. We educate them on their options and help them secure paid employment. The Swing Semester 2008 program supports and enriches that real-world working experience. Our participants live with host families, form community with one another, and engage in critical thinking to better understand their country and themselves.

Like the Peace Corps or Teach for America, Swing Semester 2008 provides a vehicle that enables participants to make a tangible difference in the world. Like a semester abroad, Swing Semester 2008 combines real-world experience with an emphasis on education, placement with a host family, and even the ability to earn academic credit.

During their semester away, a typical Swing Semester participant will be:

1) Doing paid or volunteer work with a progressive organization in a swing state. In the past, positions have included door-to-door and campus canvassing operations run by groups such as ACORN (501c3), Sierra Club (501c4), and Working America (501c4).

2) Living and making friends with a swing state host family.

3) Taking part in Swing Semester community events, which will include regular reading groups for students and swing state voters.

4) Designing and organizing an educational project for their swing state community, such as an author event, film screening, or creating a series of relevant blog posts with a experienced blogger.

5) Drawing from the Swing Semester syllabus to pursue a broader education about our current political climate.

A Real-World Civic Education paired with Leading Political Theory

Throughout our programs this fall, students will engage with the Swing Semester syllabus.  Our syllabus has been developed in consultation with notable professors and contemporary thought leaders in the political world.  It includes books, articles, blog posts, and videos that illuminate the current progressive political landscape.

A summary of the eight syllabus topics will be available online shortly.

Academic Credit and Internships

Swing Semester 2008 supports students by facilitating their efforts to attain academic credit (3-9 credits) for their semester of civic engagement.

Depending on the arrangement made with their home academic institution, students will be able to earn academic credit for doing things such as reading and discussing these texts; keeping a reflective journal; conducting research on a special topic; and organizing special events or projects.

Students are supported locally by two City Captains and at a national level by our academic relations coordinator, who tracks student progress on individual academic arrangements.

By the end of our ten-week and seven-week programs, a Swing Semester student will have:

• A concrete, hands-on sense of our political system nationally and locally
• Direct exposure to the complexity and diversity of Americans, as well as on-the-ground experience in communicating with people of many views
• Developed leadership skills, in a context that rewards personal initiative
• The personal, transformative experience of a host stay in a diverse and intergenerational community
• Event organizing experience
• A significantly expanded network of committed peers and mentors
• A broadened understanding of the current political landscape and the significant cultural shifts that are happening underneath
• A heightened sense of self-efficacy
• An experience of contribution to something larger than themselves