Supplementing the professional internship experience, you will participate in an internship course, which focuses on the key skills you need to land an internship and become a successful employee in today's workplace. You will use these same skills to secure your first job out of college and beyond.

Led by an experienced American University instructor, this course enables you to have a successful experience at your internship, as it provides a forum for exploring common challenges and opportunities in the workplace, including goal setting, job responsibilities, communication with co-workers, and diversity in the workplace.

Gap year students will be assigned one of the following seminars:

2025-26 Seminar Offerings:

• U.S. Presidency
  Do executive orders undermine democracy? Should the president be limited to two terms? May the president pardon himself? In this course, we will take an in-depth look at the presidency from three complementary perspectives. First, we will undertake a broad, historical overview of the institution and the men who have served as president. Second, we will examine classic political science texts to track the evolution of our understanding of the job. Third, we will conduct an in-depth analysis of key issues facing the modern chief executive, and then discuss how recent presidents have handled them. 
• International Peace + Security
  The course will introduce students to the major concepts and issues currently shaping the fields of international peace, conflict and security studies. In this course, students will analyze a variety of contemporary conflict issues and challenges to peace to gain a better understanding of the threats that states and communities face in the 21st century. Over the duration of the semester students will explore key challenges to peace and the main strategies for responding to conflicts and learn how to recognize and critique the assumptions upon which these strategies rest. The topics include classic security concerns ranging from causes of violent conflicts to terrorism, but also a broad range of extended challenges to human security including topics related to environmental, health, gender, and resource security.
• Criminal Legal System: Mass Incarceration and Racial Disparity
  This course will explore the roots of mass incarceration and racial disparity in the Criminal Legal System. The course will critically analyze policing that precedes incarceration, and recent calls for defunding the police. Students will learn the intersections of public law and how it impacts the way society is policed and has led to a massive increase of those incarcerated particularly of underrepresented racial and social identities. Students will discover the foundations of rioting historically and recently that challenge the underpinnings of how our society has its laws enforced.
• Globalization in Crisis
  This course explores business, legal and institutional policy issues arising in the interdependent global economy. The class discussions focus on current events and academic and policy research on international actors including multinational firms, civic groups, states, and international organizations. The weekly topics include growing inequality, the COVID pandemic, the infodemic, vaccine nationalism, climate change, economic and sustainable development, taxing and regulating big tech and big pharma, financial crises, trade protectionism, a rising China, clean and affordable water as a human right, and corruption. In the class sessions, we will concentrate on globalization’s complex problems and analyze the policy solutions.
• U.S. Public Policy
  This course focuses on practical politics in Washington, DC. It applies public policy models and theories to current debates over the environment, immigration, economic policy, and more. Students learn primarily through assigned readings, documentaries, and meetings with policy experts.
• Political Communication
  This course focuses on the intersection of politics, media, and strategic messaging. The course will analyze recent domestic and international events, exploring how communication influences political behavior and policy outcomes. Students will investigate how political messages are crafted, delivered, and received by different audiences. Topics include campaign communication, media framing, crisis communication, digital strategy, speechwriting, and public opinion. This course will be of interest to students in public affairs, political strategy, and media relations.
• Re-ordering of US Foreign Policy

  This seminar examines the transformation of U.S. foreign policy under the revival of “America First” as a guiding doctrine. Moving away from post-Cold War emphases on alliances, multilateralism, and “international liberal order” maintenance, the Trump administration’s National Security Strategy prioritizes the Western Hemisphere, border security, migration control, economic competition, and transactional diplomacy. It deemphasizes ideological rivalry, downgrades alliances, and shifts attention from global powers such as China and Russia, while foregrounding sovereignty, bilateral leverage, and domestic resilience. The course explores whether “America First” represents a temporary disruption or a structural shift, and analyzes its implications for Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and global governance, with students assessing its impact on diplomacy, security priorities, economic statecraft, and crisis management.

Students can enroll in an AU elective course in addition to their Gap coursework. Your academic advisor will review course selections during the registration process to ensure that electives do not conflict with your Gap course or internship schedule.

** Please note that enrolling in an optional AU elective will impact student tuition. See the Tuition and Costs page for more details. **

Gap year students may choose to enroll in either for-credit courses or non-credit equivalents. Students who take courses for-credit will earn college credit for their completed coursework. However, earning credit may impact their status when starting a four-year degree program, as some universities may classify them as transfer students rather than incoming freshmen. Students are strongly encouraged to contact their intended university to confirm how earning credit could affect their enrollment status.

Credit Options:

Seminar: 4 credits or non-credit
Internship: 3 credits or non-credit
Elective (optional): 3 credits or non-credit