Joseph Griffith, Spent Summer Interning at Claremont Institute in California, Ashland University

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ASHLAND, OH (09/06/2012)(readMedia)-- Medina resident Joseph Griffith, who is a political science major at Ashland University, traveled to Claremont, Calif., this summer to intern with the Claremont Institute.

Griffith heard about the internship from two Ashland University students who had previously interned with Claremont Institute. Along with these two students, Dr. Peter Schramm, the executive director of the Ashbrook Center, was one of the co-founders of the institute and he wrote a letter of recommendation which turned out to be invaluable for Griffith.

"Dr. Schramm advised me to ask to work for the Claremont Review of Books, a division of the institute," Griffith said. "To my knowledge, in the history of the organization, no other college student has ever interned for the Review of Books. The Claremont Review of Books, a thoughtful publication on political philosophy and statesmanship, is, to my knowledge, the only conservative-leaning review of books in the country."

According to Griffith, "I chose the Claremont Institute internship over the other options I had because I was excited to learn the ins-and-outs of publishing a quarterly journal. Working in InDesign, laying out the text on the pages, proofreading essays, fact-checking the information, contacting publishing houses, and designing advertisements were all part of my daily routine."

Griffith also enjoys seeing the new edition of the publication in the Ashbrook Center because of the knowledge that he was part of putting it together.

"The most fascinating part of the internship was the research project that the fellows had me do. While not working on the new publication of the Review of Books, I read the political writings of Sayyid Qutb, an Egyptian philosopher and educator, who was extremely influential in promoting Islamic jihad. In short, many scholars today know him as 'the intellectual father of modern terrorism.' To my understanding, very few Westerners really understand the mindset of this strain of Islamic fundamentalism, so delving deeply into his words felt like exploring new territory. After reading his works, I wrote a 12 page essay and a 1,000 word opinion piece, which the Institute may use in the future," said Griffith.

Griffith, who is an Ashbrook Scholar at Ashland University, is the son of Frank and Jane Griffith.

Ashland University, ranked in the top 200 colleges and universities in U.S. News and World Report's National Universities category for 2012, is a mid-sized, private university conveniently located a short distance from Akron, Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio. Ashland University (www.ashland.edu) values the individual student and offers a unique educational experience that combines the challenge of strong, applied academic programs with a faculty and staff who build nurturing relationships with their students.

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