PLS 490

Internship in Political Science or International Relations

 

CONTACTS:

  • Political Science:  Dr. Kevin den Dulk

Phone: (616) 331-2991; Email: dendulkk@gvsu.edu

  • International Relations:  Dr. Polly Diven

Phone: (616) 331-3282; Email: divenp@gvsu.edu

 

WEBSITE:

            www4.gvsu.edu/dendulkk/pls490/internships.htm

 

OBJECTIVE

The Internship Program in Political Science (PLS) or International Relations (IR) at Grand Valley State University is an opportunity for students to learn through practical experience, generally in a political setting outside the classroom. While the internship experience is invaluable as a means of professional networking and career advancement, our program is also designed to help students make connections between their regular classroom work and their possible profession. The Internship Program places students in a variety of national, state, and local executive and legislative offices, government agencies, political campaigns, party and interest group organizations, think tanks, judicial agencies, and law firms. International Relations students may also consider internships in international business or non-government organizations (NGOs).

 

Under the program, students work in return for academic credit. For each credit, the student is expected to work fifty hours (e.g. the student must work a total of 150 hours to receive three credits and 300 hours to receive six credits). A typical schedule during the fall or winter semesters is 10 hours a week for 15 weeks to obtain three credits and 20 hours a week for 15 weeks to obtain six credits (though students may choose 2, 4 or 5 credits as well). Up to six internship credits can be applied toward the credits needed to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in political science or international relations. The official course number for registration is PLS  490.

 

EXPECTATIONS

The success of the program depends upon the intern’s ability and initiative, the willingness of the sponsoring organization’s personnel to work with the intern, and effective communication among the intern, the employer, and the Internship Director. When considering an internship, keep in mind the following elements of the program.

 

Finding a sponsoring organization: The Internship Director, prior to the semester in which the internship is to begin, will meet with the prospective intern to discuss placement opportunities. The meeting will include a discussion of the student’s areas of interest, as well as preparation in past course work and job experiences, in an effort to find an organization suited to the student’s interests and skills. To that end, it is a good idea to bring along a resume to the meeting. Prior to the meeting, students should also consult the Blackboard site for PLS/IR majors and minors, which includes a partial listing of current opportunities. AN IMPORTANT NOTE: While the Internship Director will help prospective interns find a suitable organization, students themselves are ultimately responsible for identifying and contacting a sponsoring organization.

 

Expectations of the sponsoring organization: The sponsoring organization is expected to provide the intern with meaningful tasks – ideally a project or series of projects – and regular supervision in the accomplishment of those tasks. Before the student accepts an internship with the sponsoring organization, the student will have his/her supervisor fill out and sign the relevant portion of the Internship Plan (see below), which includes space for a brief written description of the expected tasks. In addition, the office should designate a person to be the on-the-job supervisor of the intern. The supervisor’s responsibilities are to be in regular, direct contact with the intern, provide direction to the intern’s job activity, and complete a final evaluation of the intern.

 

Expectations of the intern: The intern is to perform as if he or she were a regular employee of the office, which includes expectations of neatness, punctuality, productivity, and openness to supervision. Although the primary job responsibility is to work on projects assigned to them, the intern may also be expected to do routine tasks and clerical work. Because the internship is taken for academic credit, the intern must carefully observe, analyze, and reflect upon the organization’s operation and context. See below for evaluation expectations.

 

 

EVALUATION

Credit for the internship will be awarded upon completion of several requirements at both the beginning and end of the internship.

 

Beginning of the internship:

 

  • INTERNSHIP PLAN AND REGISTRATION PERMIT: Prospective interns and their Internship Supervisors will fill out and sign the Internship Plan form, available from the Internship Director. The completed form should be submitted to the Internship Director at the time of registration. Upon completion and submission of the Internship Plan, the Internship Director will issue a registration permit.

 

  • LEARNING OBJECTIVES: Before their internship commences, students will submit to the Internship Director a brief summary (two pages, double spaced) of their learning objectives. Be sure to keep a copy of the objectives for reference at the end of the semester. Interns should focus on objectives in the following areas:

 

    • Professional: How do you expect this internship to help you pursue your career goals?
    • Civic: What political knowledge or civic skills (e.g. public speaking, writing, leadership) do you hope to obtain through this internship?
    • Scholarly: Do you expect your internship to confirm/disconfirm what you have learned as a student of political science or international relations?
    • Personal: Do you expect the internship to give you a greater sense of personal civic responsibility?

 

End of the semester (by the due date on the Internship Contract):

 

  • SUPERVISOR’S EVALUATION: Two weeks prior to the end of the internship (the ending date is indicated on the Internship Contract), the intern will request that his or her supervisor forward a performance evaluation directly to the Director. The evaluation should indicate work performance for the appropriate number of hours. A brief letter is usually sufficient.

 

  • THE INTERNSHIP PORTFOLIO: Each intern is required to turn in an Internship Portfolio at the end of the semester, which will comprise the following:

 

    • RESUME: Interns will integrate their internship experience into a resume that also includes their professional objective(s), educational information, and other relevant experience.

 

    • JOURNAL: The journal is a weekly log that will include a summary of each day’s activities as well as observations and brief reflections about the functioning of the office (e.g. work-supervisor relations, leadership and management practices, interactions with outside agencies, groups and constituents/clients). It is important that interns set aside regular time to record these journal entries.

 

    • INTERNSHIP ESSAY 1: THE ORGANIZATION: Interns will write a 3-5 page paper (double-spaced) that focuses on the political and social role of the intern’s organization. The paper should make explicit linkages to the political scientific literature on the intern’s type of organization, though the intern may find that his or her experience does not confirm that literature. See the readings list at the Internships website for some relevant literature. The reflection might respond to the following questions, among others.

 

      • Whom is the organization trying to serve, and in what way?

 

      • How does the group pursue its goal? What are the major obstacles to pursuing its goals (e.g. individual people, public opinion, local institutions, resources, etc.)?

 

      • How does your organization fit into civil society? Does it seem to encourage the development of “social capital”? Why or why not?

 

      • What are the organization’s standards for effectiveness? Does it live up to those standards? Would you apply different standards? Do you think the people your organization serves are owed what you provide? Why or why not?

 

  • INTERNSHIP ESSAY 2: INTERNSHIP REFLECTION: Each intern will write a 3-5 page paper (double-spaced) defending his or her internship by comparing what has been learned with the Learning Objectives submitted at the beginning of the course. Please include a copy of the objectives with the portfolio as well.

 

  • INFORMATIONAL INTERVIEW(S): Interns will conduct informational interviews with one (for interns completing 2-3 credits) or two (for interns completing 4-6 credits) established professionals in their area of interest (e.g. legislator, lawyer, legislative director, chief of staff, campaign manager, political advocate, public executive or administrator). The portfolio will include a summary of the interview(s) in no more than 2 double-spaced pages for each interview. The interview(s) may cover a range of topics, including the career motivations of the interviewee(s), his or her education and other experiences that led to his or her position, and the aspects of the profession that he or she likes or dislikes, among other topics. In your summary, be sure to record the interviewee’s name and the date and place of the interview(s).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rev. 7/06