The internship involves working on a full or part-time basis in the office of public officials at the national, state, local levels for Political Science Internships and in international fields for International Relations Internships. These internships may involve work for government officials, political party organizations, political campaigns, interest groups, international political or humanitarian organizations or other similar activities.

The purpose of the internship experience is to provide students with opportunities to apply what is learned in the classroom to real-world political situations. In addition, internships are valuable in that they provide experiences which can assist in making career choices. In some cases the internship can provide a bridge to future employment.

ELIGIBILITY

CREDIT
In order to receive credit, the following conditions must be met:

PLACEMENT
It is the student's responsibility to locate a meaningful internship opportunity. The internship should relate to a student's interests and to government, politics or public policy. Thus, a student planning on a legal career should seek an internship in a law firm, the state's attorney's office or a similar organization. A student interested in national politics may, on the other hand, seek first-hand experience in local, state or national politics--either by working on a campaign, in a state legislator's office or for a federal agency. An International Relations student might choose an internship with the State Department, an international development agency or a relief organization.

Beginning the search early is strongly advised. This is especially the case with internships requiring a background investigation. The deadline for Department of State internships, for example, is normally six months prior to the desired beginning date. In seeking the internship, it is recommended that students apply to several offices and interview in at least two.

Internships during regular school terms will be limited to 3 per semester. These slots will be filled on a first-come, first- served basis. To secure a spot for the next semester, a student must have attended the May workshop and turn his/her completed internship application to the Politics/IR Secretary with all information complete and signatures present. Internship applications for the current semester may be submitted as long as slots have not been filled, however, no petitions will be accepted after the semester "Add" deadline.

FACULTY

SUPERVISION
In order to receive credit for the internship, students must be supervised by one of the department's faculty. After internship arrangements have been made, the student should complete an internship application (available at the registrar's office). The application must include location, timing and duration of the internship. It is especially important to provide the name of the person who will supervise the student at the internship site. The student should then meet with the dept. chair to approve the internship and with the assigned faculty supervisor. (Both signatures are required on the internship application. ) With those approvals/signatures, the student is then ready to register for the course through the regular registration process. The student should be sure he fully understands the faculty supervisor's requirements for reporting his progress during the internship process. The supervising faculty member will write a letter to the internship director, explaining that the internship will involve credit and that his/her evaluation of the student's work is an essential part of the grading process. Shortly after the student has begun the internship, he or she should ascertain whether or not the internship director has received a faculty letter and request for evaluation. It is the faculty member's responsibility to write; it is the student's responsibility to assure that this correspondence has been received and is responded to.

A student is expected to keep in touch with his faculty supervisor during the internship, by phone or e-mail.

ASSESSMENT

A student's internship grade will be based on:

• the quality of the 20 journals submitted
  
  
• the quality of the internship assessment paper
  
  
• the on-site internship supervisor's evaluation.

It is the student's responsibility to submit journals and assessment paper on time and to ensure that the site supervisor submits the internship evaluation form or letter. This should be done before the internship is finished.

Under normal circumstances, the grading of internships will be completed within one month of the internship's termination. Under no circumstances will grading be delayed more than eight weeks.

JOURNAL AND ASSESSMENT PAPER

JOURNAL
The journal is a record of your work and your observations and perceptions about the job. It is not merely a description of your activities, but a reflection of what you are learning on the job. Neither is it a diary of personal feelings. Rather, the journal is an academic record in which you employ reflection upon your participant-observer experiences. Much of what you learn will only make sense upon reflection, and reflection can only take place if you remember the details of your experience. What a daily journal is not: It is not a log of your day. "I came to work at 9 a.m., had coffee at 10:30, lunch at noon, clipped newspapers all morning, answered phones all afternoon and went home at 5 p.m."

Daily Journal Suggestions:

• Describe the nature and functions of your internship organization. What is the philosophical orientation?
  
  
• Describe your work and the work of others in your office. Include samples of your writing or other relevant literature.
  
  
• Draw an organizational chart, both formal and informal (after you have been on site for awhile).
  
  
• Explain how communication is carried on within the organization.
  
  
• What things seem to get top priority? Lower priority? Why? What are the things that seem to drive the organization?
  
  
• How were people recruited into their positions? What is their background and training?

ASSESSMENT PAPER
The internship assessment paper, by contrast, is a summary analysis and evaluation of the overall work-study experience. The aim of the paper is to critically analyze your experience and to assess the areas of greatest learning to you. High quality journal writing should make the task much easier. This paper should be typewritten and should be roughly 8-10 pages in length.

Assessment Paper Suggestions:

• Assess the goals and overall effectiveness of the organization.
  
  
• What are the styles of leadership used in the organization? How do these affect working relationships? Do people seem happy in their work?
  
  
• What conclusions can you draw from your experience that relate to the academic discipline of political science.
  
  
• Did you come away with a new perspective on your field?
  
  
• Discuss the relationship of your academic preparation (Wheaton courses) to your specific work situation.
  
  
• What conflicts or problems did you encounter? How did you deal with them or solve them?
  
  
• What impact has your work had on the agency/organization and on the people that it serves?
  
  
• What would you do differently if you had this internship to do again?
  
  
• How has the experience affected your future plans?
  
  
• How did your Christianity relate to the internship experience?

Next: Guidelines for Independent Studies