Students

The program provides both students and faculty with an exceptional in-depth perspective on Washington, D.C. and the politics and polices effecting National Security Issues of the day. Combining lectures, site visits, tours, and special events, it is one of the best ways to see the behind-the-scenes national security issues and learn how the nation’s leaders are responding to the ever-changing threats.

 

With growing threats from terrorist groups, transnational networks, and rogue states, the United States and allied countries must contend with a complicated set of direct national security challenges. These threats have emerged in, and are affected by, an environment of growing globalization, technological innovation, and shifting geopolitical and economic power. Such challenges have strained existing legal, political, and operational norms in the United States and raised concerns about the shifting balance between security, privacy, and civil liberties. These issues have presented policymakers, courts, and the public with stark questions about what measures can and should be taken to protect the nation.

 

Abroad, the new challenges stemming from terrorism and asymmetric threats, dramatic demographic shifts, and the rise of new centers of power have stressed existing alliances, forged new marriages of convenience, and required reassessments of global power dynamics. In this context, the United States finds itself addressing national security threats across the globe as the sole superpower, with diminishing reach and leverage. The program format includes a presentation by major speakers in the morning and faculty-led small-group discussions and site visits to organizations and embassies in the afternoon, along with a bus tour of Washington, D.C. and special events, including a reception at the National Press Club.

 

Site Visits

Site visits often include embassies, executive branch offices, Congressional offices, international organizations, and nonprofit think tanks and trade associations. Some recent site visits have included:

 

• Federal Bureau of Investigation Headquarters
• Iraqi Consulate
• National Counter Terrorism Center
• International Spy Museum
• Pentagon
• State Department
• Capitol Hill
• Holocaust Museum

For more information please review the resources below. If you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact us at seminars@twc.edu [1].

 

• 2011 Top Secret Schedule [2]
• Frequently Asked Questions [3]

Important Dates

• May 19-24, 2013
• Check-in: May 19, 2013
• Program ends: May 24, 2013
• Check-out: May 25, 2013

Housing

The Washington Center has you covered. Students will stay in our furnished Residential and Academic Facility at NoMa in Washington, D.C. during the seminar.

 

Cost

$1,895

For those interested in bringing a group, please contact Patricia.Guidetti@twc.edu [4].

 

Application Deadline

April 22, 2013

How to ApplyBegin an online application [5].

Photos

 

View the Top Secret Academic Seminar 2010 photo set [14]