The McCourtney Institute for Democracy offers several ways for students to engage with us to learn about why democracy matters and what you can do to strengthen it.
If you would like to learn more about any of these opportunities or have other ideas for how you can get involved with our work, please email us at democracyinst@psu.edu.
You can also follow us on Instagram @psumccourtneyinst to keep up on everything that’s happening in the Institute.
Nevins Fellows
The Nevins Fellows program is our signature undergraduate offering and gives students the opportunity to complete paid internships with democracy-focused organizations across the United States.
Students complete a one-credit course during the spring semester to prepare for the internship, then spend the months of June and July working on-site or remotely with their chosen organization. Internships take place in cities across the country, including Austin, Denver, and Washington, D.C.
Fellows also have the opportunity to take over our Instagram account to show our followers a “day in the life” during their internship.
Democracy Lessons on YouTube
We bring a lot of amazing speakers to campus, but we know that not everyone has time to attend or watch long lectures. So, we’ve taken the main points from those events and our podcast and turned them into a series of short lessons on democracy.
Topics covered include how Donald Trump changed the media, how democracies fall, and what you can do to strengthen democracy.
Democracy Works Podcast
Each episode of the Democracy Works podcast explores a different aspect of what it means to live in a democracy. Topics covered include political polarization, media literacy/misinformation, voting rights, civics education, and more.
Subscribe to the show on Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Please reach out to us if you have suggestions for topics we should cover on the show or people we should invite to join us as guests.
Speakers and Events
The McCourtney Institute brings a range of speakers to campus each year to educate the Penn State community about issues in democracy.
Previous speakers include March for Our Lives co-founder David Hogg (pictured right), former Trump administration official Cassidy Hutchinson, and V Spehar, creator of Under the Desk News on TikTok.
All of our events are free and open to students. Please visit our events page or follow us on Instagram to learn more about what’s coming up.