Internships in Political Science

COURSE OUTLINE

The primary purpose of the internship program is to give students the opportunity to experience the workings of politics and government first-hand. For this reason it is expected that much of the student' learning in the program will come from his or her unique position as a member of the staff in a public service or agency office and from the mountain of daily information they will absorb from public documents and office briefing reports. As a supplement to this learning and as a way to make the student, as a participant intern, more aware of their roles in the overall political process, he or she must fulfill the following requirements.

10 Points
1. Completion of a weekly log or journal which should include:
a) a description of work performed.
b) a list of insights and behavioral patterns discerned about the judicial system and government that day;
c) and reminders about duties which should be performed during the next day or week.
d) total number of hours worked.

10 points
2. Completion of a portfolio containing all work --e.g., legal research or reports drafted, specific assignments carried out, extensive projects, agency publications, et. (Both log and portfolio will be submitted to the Internship Director along with the final term paper).

30 points
3. Completion of a paper of 10-20 typewritten pages related to the area of speciality where the student is placed. The paper is expected to be library researched and deal with current problems experienced by the agency. In addition to popular internet of information, students are also expected to refer to scholarly books and journals.

10 points
4. Class Presentation and Class Attendance

40 points
5. Evaluation of Intern by Agency Supervisor based on *
a) Attendance
b) Activities completed
c) Professional Responsibility and Growth
d) Quality of work completed

*Hours
Students are expected to spend at least 3 hours at the internship site for every credit they are taking. For example, a student signing up for 3 credits should plan on spending 9-10 hours at the agency per week.