01:355:397 Internship

Internship Course Director (and Director of BTW Minor): Trisha Egbert

Internship Application Google Form

Course Description for Writing Internship (355:397 Fall semester & 355:398 Spring semester)

Primarily geared toward students in the Business and Technical Writing minor, the Writing Internship enables students to acquire practical experience in a variety of professional settings that draw on the skills in reading and writing that Business and Technical Writing and other English courses develop. It also enables students to test the practical range of some of the ideas presented in their coursework and to experience first-hand some of the career possibilities available to strong writers. Pre-requisite: College Writing (355:101)

Who Enrolls in the Internship:

• BTW Minor students.
• Students working toward a Technical or Professional Writing Certificate.
• Students seeking elective credit toward graduation.
• Students majoring in English should consult with Leandra Cain or Natalie Prescott about the possibility of applying internship credit toward the completion of their major requirements.

Steps to Setting up an Internship and Enrolling in the Internship Course:

1. Locating a potential internship position is ultimately the responsibility of the student.
2. All internships must be approved by the Internship Course Director, using the Google Form liked above. Approval will depend both on the general suitability of the career field in question or the specific tasks and projects that the placement will entail. All internships must require some work with writing or with the close observation of or assistance with writing in the workplace.
3. Once the Internship Course Director approves the student's work placement, they will be provided with a special permission number for registration.  
4. Once registered, students must fill out the Internship Contract with their supervisor so that they will have no misunderstandings about mutual expectations. Supervisors may contact the Internship Director by phone or e-mail to verify internship placement. Timesheets will be discussed at the initial meeting with the Internship Director. 

Requirements:

There are two components to the internship course: the work component and the academic component.

1) The Work Component

Hours worked:
In order to achieve a passing grade, all interns should work 120 or more hours throughout the term of the internship. The intern should keep track of hours worked using the Internship Time Sheet and have the supervisor certify the sheet with his or her signature.

Supervisor's duties:
The organizational supervisor (i.e., the person to whom you report at your internship and who is responsible for assigning you tasks) will help you fill out the Internship Contract and will certify your Internship Time Sheet on a monthly basis. The supervisor may also asked to submit a Midterm Evaluation and a Final Evaluation in order to assess the quality of your work.

Your work duties:
Your most important duties are to follow your supervisor's instructions, to practice good work habits, and to keep good track of your hours while working (using the Internship Time Sheets, which you must submit to the Internship Course Director, signed by your supervisor). 

It is your responsibility to report problems with your work assignment to the Internship Course Director as soon as possible. It is especially imperative that you inform the Internship Course Director if you are not being given any writing-related assignments.

2) The Academic Component

All students will:

• • meet the Internship Course Director at scheduled times throughout the semester
  • turn in a final portfolio of any relevant workplace writing that they have either observed or worked upon (these documents will be kept confidential to protect company information)
  • turn in both rough and final drafts of their final paper to the Internship Course Director as scheduled.

The final paper (8-12 pages) must:

• • describe the intern's responsibilities
  • reflect upon and evaluate the intern's experiences
  • situate the internship in the larger context of writing in the workplace.
  • include 4-5 scholarly sources 

Grading:

The course grade is determined by the quality of the final paper; the work component must be fulfilled in order to pass.  Effective Fall 2015, this course is graded PA/NC.