Concentrations:
Resources:
Internships
Why Intern?
Internships enable you to earn course credit and gain valuable work experience at the same time. An internship can help you transfer the skills and knowledge you have acquired in the classroom to a company, agency, school, or other place of possible employment, and add to that base of skills the kind of experience that can lead to career opportunities. The purpose of an internship is to allow you the chance to apply the reading, writing, analysis, and research skills developed in the English program to the workplace while receiving supervision for performing job-related tasks. The practical experience and networking skills you can gain through an internship will prove invaluable as you seek employment following your college career.
You should have an overall GPA 3.0 and have completed at least 5 upper-division English classes.
Outline of Course Content
With the approval of the Coordinator of Undergraduate Studies and under the supervision of an English Department faculty member, a student may arrange to do an internship in English Studies at a cooperating agency, business, school, or other suitable place of possible employment.
The course is taught on an as-requested, individual basis. The student finds an internship and a supervisor at the place of employment and arranges for a faculty member to supervise the credit portion of the course. The student then submits an internship form and a proposal for the internship to the Coordinator of Undergraduate Studies by no later than 10 days prior to the semester before the internship is to take place. The Coordinator of Undergraduate Studies, the supervising faculty member, and the on-site supervisor must all approve the proposal before the internship can be undertaken. No internships will be approved without a form on file.
Guidelines for the Internship Proposal
The 500-word proposal the student submits must include the following information:
- The faculty and on-site supervisor(s)
- Full contact information for the supervisor(s)
- A description of the office or organization for which the student will work
- The student's reasoning for selecting this office or organization
- A description of duties and tasks the student expects to undertake
- Anticipated problems in performing these duties or completing these tasks
- Work schedule
- The means of and schedule for informing the supervising faculty member of the student's progress
More Things to Expect
Student interns work as part- or full-time employees for the 15-week semester, performing duties regularly expected of employees in similar positions. They should work around 10 hours per week on the internship. They may receive pay for their work or they may work on a volunteer basis.
Students apply for these internships in the same way that they would apply for permanent jobs and should be prepared to be screened in the same way as permanent employees (for example, drug screens, background checks). They are required to inform the supervising faculty member of their progress throughout the semester.
Supervising faculty members should receive a weekly e-log from the intern describing tasks accomplished or skills learned. They will also evaluate the student intern's performance at the end of the semester. They could also require student interns to assess their own performance in other forms of writing.
On-site supervisors are asked to sign an internship agreement and an equal-opportunity form, provided by the English Department, before the internship begins.
Students are expected to work for an entire semester at the place of their internship, to perform the duties assigned to them, and to adhere to their work schedules. Students who need special accommodations in class should make an individual appointment with the instructor as soon as possible.
Grading and Evaluation Procedures
Requirements for the course: Part- or full-time internship, internship proposal, evaluation of internship.
Students receive 3 hours of credit for the internship. Grades are assigned on a "satisfactory/unsatisfactory" basis. The course grade will be based on an oral and written evaluations from the on-site supervisor and on the writing the student does to assess the internship. The supervising faculty member evaluates this material and assigns the "satisfactory/unsatisfactory" grade.
How to Identify Internship Opportunities
Some of the most interesting and beneficial internships are found by students themselves. You can contact companies, agencies, schools, or other possible places of employment working in areas that interest you and ask if they offer and internship opportunities. Make sure that these internships develop skills related to your English major (i.e. involve writing or writing related tasks, editing, proofreading, creative thinking, etc.). You may also obtain an internship by contacting previous employers, local or out-of-state companies or agencies, and have the internship approved by the English Department.
ENGL 5910: Practicum in Technical Writing and Professional Communication
This course is designed for students who are interested in developing the techniques and strategies used by technical editors and writers, and is open to both graduate and advanced undergraduate students. It will offer students a chance to develop the skills required to edit or write documents and to experience some of the inherent difficulties and pleasures that come from working closely with subject-matter specialists.
Students will work under contract for faculty members from across the campus, administrators, or anyone needing assistance in writing or editing. Students will be closely supervised by a Professor. Weekly class meetings will be held to discussed problems and to incorporate theory about the composing process and the theoretical principles of document design into the practical experience. To ensure that the practicum offers maximum educational benefits, both the clients and the students will be carefully screened.
Prerequisite: Permission of Coordinator of Technical and Professional Communication