BRADLEY UNIVERSITY GUIDE TO POLITICAL SCIENCE 480: INTERNSHIP IN POLITICAL SCIENCE
Internship Coordinator: Dr. Craig Curtis
Department of Political Science
486 Bradley Hall
(309) 677-2492
e-mail: rcc@bradley.edu
GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE INTERNSHIP IN POLITICAL SCIENCE
The Political Science Department at
PLS 480 allows qualified students to earn academic credit for work experiences in organizations that have an effect on political life in our society. Most of our interns work in government agencies; however, the range of organizations in which an intern may work is much greater than just the government agencies which spring readily to mind. The range of organizations is limited only by the generally accepted definitions of political science (such as Lasswell's “who gets what, when, and how?”) and the ingenuity and energy of the prospective intern. Just as the range of organizations is broad, so are the types of tasks which an intern may find him or herself performing. Thus, PLS 480 allows a student to customize their education at Bradley as well as increase their probability of success after graduation.
A word about the types of organizations that qualify is in order. Political Science is a broad field of study and covers more than just what government agencies do. Thus, working in a Congressional office or state legislator's office, any executive branch office at the federal, state or local level, or for a judge will almost certainly be acceptable, so long as you are doing more than just using the copier, using a word processor or answering the phone. Criminal Justice agencies are common placement options as well. Similarly, working in an election campaign will typically be appropriate. The growing third sector is also a fertile field for internships. Questions often arise about internships in law offices. Of course, a State's Attorney's or public defender's office is an executive branch office; however, a private law firm is not. In order for an internship in a private law firm to qualify for academic credit, the intern must be working on cases that involve public law, e.g., criminal defense, social security or other administrative law, environmental law, or, in some situations, labor law. Working for a public interest group, lobbying group or political action committee will usually qualify the student for credit. The Internship Coordinator is willing to listen to unusual proposals regarding internships, but reserves final judgment on what is and what is not appropriate. The bottom line is this: if Dr. Curtis approves the placement for credit, then it counts.
Internships are rewarding experiences for the students, but often entail significant investments of time and energy. Given the realities of tight job markets and increased competition for slots in graduate and professional schools, a student with a GPA lower than 2.5 might be better served by concentrating their energies on raising their GPA rather than taking an internship. Additionally, our experience has taught us that internship tasks almost always include use of a computer, the preparation of documents for submission to a supervisor, and interaction with the public in some way. Because the job sites are off campus, students need to furnish their own transportation to and from the work site.
HOW TO ENROLL IN PLS 480
Choosing an Internship
The first step taken by most students interested in an internship is to contact the Internship Coordinator. Dr. Curtis's office is in 486 Bradley Hall, his e-mail is rcc@bradley.edu, and his campus phone is 677-2492. PLS 480 is reserved for juniors and seniors, although this requirement may be waived in certain circumstances. In any case, the consent of the Internship Coordinator is required to enroll in PLS 480. That means that you can’t enroll on Webster. Dr. Curtis will put you in the class. A maximum of six hours of political science internship may be earned during the course of a student’s tenure at Bradley. The course itself is for variable credit. From one to six hours of credit may be earned in any given semester.
The first question that the prospective intern will be asked is: An internship with whom? Most students have already contacted an organization that they consider to be appropriate and wish for approval to get credit for working in that office. This is a very favorable state of affairs because matters can proceed very quickly from that point.
Some students lack a clear internship opportunity when they first contact the Internship Coordinator, although they have some very definite ideas about the type of internship they would like. That too is a favorable state of affairs, since the Internship Coordinator will likely have several ideas about how to proceed from that point, including the identification of agencies and people to call. Although the Internship Coordinator does not maintain a definitive list of organizations looking for interns and cannot place an intern himself, information on a wide variety of internship opportunities is available in his office. Placement decisions are made by the supervising organization, although the Internship Coordinator will assist a prospective intern in any way possible in securing a placement.
Some students merely know, in a general sort of way, that they would like an internship. This is not an unfavorable state of affairs, but a bit of refining of the student's thinking is needed. The Internship Coordinator will discuss the student's program of study with them, and suggest possible opportunities. Once the student has a clearer idea of what they want, then the task of identifying a specific placement becomes easier. This does not mean that a student need only come in and express an interest in an internship. Ultimately, the responsibility of finding a placement rests with the student.
Registering for PLS 480
Once the Internship Coordinator has judged that the internship proposed is appropriate and the organization in question has agreed to supervise the intern, the student is eligible to be enrolled in PLS 480. Enrollment is by reserve card only, which means that you can’t enroll using Webster. Once there is placement decision, Dr. Curtis arranges the reserve card. The usual rules governing late enrollments apply – once you get past the date for dropping and adding classes, the late add process, with all its signatures and explanations of why things didn’t get done on time must be followed.
Student may, if advance arrangements are made, perform an internship over the summer and get credit the following fall. This is a common arrangement that has many benefits and is encouraged. Summer and January term internship credit can be arranged if the student so desires, but the cost of paying tuition does fall heavily on the student.
The student is required to designate the number of academic credit sought at the time of the request for registration. Up to six hours can be earned in any one semester, and a total of six during your time at Bradley. Seventy hours of contact with the agency are required for each hour of academic credit. That means that a typical three hour internship should include 210 hours of agency contact. That amounts to fifteen hours per week for a fourteen week semester.
THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE INTERNSHIP
In order for the student to receive a grade of "Pass" for their internship, all the requirements of the internship must be completed by the last day of exams of the semester in which the internship credit is to be granted. It is the student's responsibility to see that all documents and papers are turned in on time. Incompletes will be awarded only when, through no fault of the student, the student did not finish on time, e.g., an unexpected illness or injury requiring extensive medical treatment. The requirements include:
1. Working the specified number of hours -- Seventy contact hours with the internship organization are required for each hour of academic credit.
2. Keeping a journal of the student's activities during the course of the internship -- Entries must be made at no greater than weekly intervals, although more frequent entries are desirable. The journal should include times worked and tasks completed. It need not be typed – a handwritten notebook is sufficient. Some internship agencies will require the student to keep a log as part of their duties. If so, that log will also work for this requirement.
3. Completion of an academic project -- Early in the semester during which academic credit is to be earned the student and the Internship Coordinator will meet to negotiate the terms of this project. For a three hour internship a 5 to 7 page paper of some kind is typically required, although all aspects of this project are negotiable. The size of the academic project varies according to the number of hours of academic credit. It is best when the student suggests a project, or at least initiates the discussion.
4. Receipt of a letter of confirmation from the internship supervisor -- A brief letter from your supervisor, on official letterhead, confirming that you are working on an internship in the office in question and briefly describing the duties expected of you, should be sent directly to the Internship Coordinator. This task may be completed vie e-mail.
5. Receipt of satisfactory evaluation from the internship supervisor -- You will be provided with a copy of the basic evaluation form which should be given to your supervisor. Ideally, out one form should be completed about halfway through the internship and the other at the end of the internship, although one evaluation is sufficient if that is all the site supervisor is wiling to complete. The agency supervisor is not bound to use this form and may use a form of their own choosing, or send me an unstructured evaluation via e-mail, or call me on the phone.
Grading Policies
PLS 480 is graded on a Pass/Fail basis. The satisfactory completion of all the requirements listed above will result in the awarding of a grade of "Pass." If any one requirement is not met, then a grade of "Fail" will be awarded. Incompletes will be awarded, in accordance with official university policy, only if justified by factors beyond the control of the student.