One component of the course is a series of guest lectures by Washingtonians and university scholars who provide unique perspectives on the politics, economics, architecture, art, history, neighborhoods, and life of Washington, D.C. Guest speakers who have visited the course since its inception include:
- Kathleen Akerly
Artistic Director, Longacre Lea Productions - Sylvia Ba
Local Author - Lucy Barber
Deputy Executive Director, National Historical Publications and Records Commission, National Archives and Records Administration - Bruce DePuyt
Host, "NewsTalk," News Channel 8 - John J. Dillon
Lieutenant, United States Park Police, National Parks Service - James C. Dinegar
President and CEO, Greater Washington Board of Trade - Louise Diver
Long-Time Washingtonian - Linda Donaldson
National Catholic School of Social Service, Catholic University - Hazel Edwards
School of Architecture and Planning, Catholic University - John Feeley
Author, Images of America: Brookland - John H. Franklin
Director of Partnerships and International Programs, Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture - Christine Glunz
Deputy Chief of Staff, Council on Environmental Quality, Executive Office of the President - Judith Gradwohl
Associate Director, Office of Public Programs, Smithsonian National Museum of American History - Nellie Gray
President and Founder, March for Life - Bill Gray and Michael Najarian
Vietnam Veterans' Memorial Fund - Tara Hamilton
Public Affairs Manager, Washington Metropolitan Airports Authority - Candy S. Hill
Senior Vice President for Social Policy and Government Affairs, Catholic Charities USA - Maurice Jackson
Associate Professor of History and African-American Studies and Affiliated Professor of Performing Arts, Georgetown University - John Kelly
The Washington Post - Christa Lopiccolo
Executive Director of Life Issues, Archdiocese of Washington - Bill Largess
Artistic Director, Washington Stage Guild - Jack Mann
Long-Time Washingtonian - Ann Millin
Historian, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum - Gene Morrill
Washington Theatre Alliance/ Helen Hayes Award Adjudicator - Jennifer Nelson
D.C. Director, African Continuum Theater Company - Michael Neufeld
Curator, Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum - Ann Norton
Executive Director, Washington Stage Guild - Mark Plotkin
Political Commentator and Analyst, WTOP Radio - Enrique Pumar
Department of Sociology, Catholic University - Scott Roecker
National Security Council - Kurt Runge
Advocacy Specialist, So Others Might Eat (S.O.M.E.) - Molly and Paul Ruppert
The Warehouse Theater - John Stipicevic
Director of Floor Operations, Office of the Majority Whip, United States House of Representatives - Thomas Striegel
Vice President, Davis Buckley Architects and Planners - Jessica Towhey
2ee Communications - Tommy Wells
District of Columbia City Councilmember, Ward Six - Dennis Wholey
Television Host, This Is America - Cathy Wood
Vice President of Finance, Catholic University - Julia Young
Department of History, Catholic University