Internship Instructor: Prof. Peter Blomquist Email: blomquip@seattleu.edu; Phone: (206) 240-8062; Mailbox: Casey 4E COURSE DESCRIPTION AND PURPOSE The International Studies Internship Program is an opportunity for INST students to gain practical experience, expand their professional networks, and advance their pursuit of a career. It enables students to integrate academic coursework with work experiences, career development goals, practical skills and personal values. INST interns work with internationally-focused organizations in the greater Seattle area. Placements have been made in global health, microfinance, education, advocacy, and other development or humanitarian issueareas. Most of these organizations are non-profits; internships in international business or with internationallyoriented government agencies may be possible. COURSE LEARNING OBJECTIVES By the end of this internship course, students should demonstrate the ability to: Integrate work experience with professional development and personal growth Reflect critically on their contributions to their internship organization Work effectively and collegially, whether independently or as part of a team Analyze the transnational and intercultural dimensions of their host agency s work INTERNSHIP CREDITS AND INST MAJOR REQUIREMENTS Up to 5 credits of internship can apply towards INST major or minor elective requirements. In any given quarter, students may take INST 4950 for a minimum of 2 credits and a maximum of 5 credits. Internship work hours correspond to the number of academic credits as follows: 2 course credits = 6 hrs/week 3 course credits = 9 hrs/week 4 course credits = 12 hrs/week 5 course credits = 15 hrs/week COURSE GRADE AND COURSE REQUIREMENTS INST 4950 is graded as Credit/Fail. To earn Credit, students must perform satisfactorily in the following areas: Weekly Reports: 30% Professional Portfolio: 35% Final Essay: 35% INTERNSHIP PLACEMENT AND REGISTRATION This occurs in two steps: 1) placement; and 2) registration. You cannot register for an internship without completing an internship contract, and you cannot complete a contract without placement in a specific agency. In total this takes several weeks; begin the process during the quarter before you aim to start your internship. Follow these guidelines as you proceed: Placement stage (Weeks 4-6 of quarter prior to internship): a) Discuss general internship interests and options with your INST adviser; b) Search for available internships and info; c) Complete a program application and send it to the internship instructor, Prof. Blomquist; d) Schedule a meeting with Prof. Blomquist to discuss 1
specific internship interests and identify particular agencies; e) In coordination with Professor Blomquist, contact agencies to check their availability and needs, and to discuss terms of a possible internship. Registration stage (Weeks 7-9 of quarter prior to internship): a) Work with Prof. Blomquist to identify a best-fit organization and a supervisor within it; b) Meet with the host-site supervisor to decide on your main duties and projects; c) Complete and acquire all signatures for the necessary forms to register your internship with Seattle U: 1. SU Internship Request; 2. College of Arts & Sciences Internship Contract; and 3. College of Arts & Sciences Risk Acknowledgment form. d) Submit completed forms to Reine Mages, INST Administrative Assistant (note: you must have all forms to Reine by the end of the first seven days of the quarter). EXPECTATIONS OF THE INTERNSHIP PROVIDERS/HOSTS The internship provider is expected to provide the intern with meaningful tasks ideally a project or series of projects and regular supervision in their accomplishment. Providers should specify a supervisor for their intern. Before the student accepts the internship, the student and his/her supervisor will fill out and sign the relevant portions of the Internship Contract Form, which includes space for a written description of expected tasks. In addition, the internship 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. PROFESSIONAL EXPECTATIONS OF INTERNS Interns are to perform as if they were regular employees of the organization, which includes expectations of punctuality, productivity, and openness to supervision. Although the primary job responsibility is to work on projects assigned to them, interns may occasionally need to do routine tasks and clerical work. As the internship is taken for academic credit, interns must carefully observe, analyze, and reflect upon the organization s operation and context. These analyses and reflections will be the basis for the written assignments described below. RESPONSIBILITES OF INST DEPARTMENT AND INTERNSHIP INSTRUCTOR The INST department and faculty instructor must coordinate with the host site to extend the undergraduate learning experience and enhance the student s career pursuits. They are also expected to work to make the internship mutually beneficial to the student and host agency, maintaining clear and regular lines of communication throughout the experience. Finally, the department and instructor must assess the outcomes of the internship and provide feedback. COURSE ASSIGNMENTS (Students who take this course over two quarters can stagger the completion of some requirements across the two quarters in agreement with the course instructor.) Weekly Journal Posts (30%): The weekly journal post is due on Fridays between Week 2 and Week 8 of the quarter. Students who take internships for 4-5 credits will submit every week indicated above (7 reports total). Students who take internships for 2-3 credits will submit reports every other week (4 reports total). The following topics are required for posts: 2
Describe the mission, vision, theory of change, and value proposition of your organization (you will likely need to ask for help from colleagues in your organization). Read The Moral Bucket List or Swimming in Uncharted Waters by David Brooks (Canvas/Files/Readings and Resources) and respond personally. Review the Global Competence Matrix (Canvas/Files/Readings and Resources) and reflect on your strengths and challenges to date in terms of being a globally competent person. Other posts can be chosen from among the following: Describe your strengths and challenges in a professional context Read one article from the Readings and Resources page (Canvas/Files/Readings and Resources). What did you like, what did you question, and how could this article be useful to you? What seems most dysfunctional about your organization? Describe and try to understand why this problem exists. Interview a client of your organization and write up her/his story. Interview a Board Member of your organization and ask her/him what about her roles and responsibilities. Describe one program of your organization (name, purpose, structure, strategies) and how that program is evaluated for success. Describe one issue or trend your organization is addressing, including specific description of the problem/opportunity and how the organization is responding. Describe how your organization participates in advocacy efforts. Are they successful? Open Mike (your topic) Professional Portfolio (35%): This project allows the student to communicate to an external audience (e.g. a potential employer, grad school committee etc.) the skills and experiences accrued during the internship experience and their connection to the student s personal and professional objectives and academic training. It consists of the following: a) Student and Host-site Goals: Together with the host-site supervisor and faculty instructor each intern develops a set of primary learning goals, tasks and duties, and anticipated products or results. The Learning and Organizational Goals Contract form should be used for this assignment. b) Resume and Linked-in Profile: Interns will integrate their internship experience into a resume that also includes their professional objective(s), educational information, and other relevant experience. Students are expected to research how to build a quality resume as they complete this assignment. Your resume material will also be the basis for developing your professional profile on linkedin.com. Students who take internships for 4-5 credits must complete the resume and Linked-in profile assignment. Students who take internships for 2-3 credits must complete only the resume assignment, but are encouraged to create a Linked-in profile as well. c) Mid-Quarter Assessment Meetings. We will meet as a group (or in sub-groups) three times during the quarter, as follows: Week of Oct 2 Week of Oct. 23 Week of Nov. 13 Your will present your scope of work and discuss progress to date. You will analyze your organization s strengths and weaknesses. You will discuss an obstacle and how you have worked to overcome it. 3
Note: You are responsible to coordinate availability for these meetings with at least one other intern and then schedule a meeting with Professor Blomquist. d) Informational Interview Summary: Interns will conduct an informational interview with an established professional in the thematic area of the student s internship. This professional should not be the host-site supervisor, but the intern may ask their hosts for interview contacts. Interview topics may include the career motivations of the interviewee, his/her education and experiences that led to their current position, and the aspects of the profession that s/he likes or dislikes. In the written summary (one page single-spaced), be sure to record the interviewee s name and the date and place of the interview in addition to detailing the interview content. A description on how to do an Informational Interview can be found on Canvas. e) Exit Interview Summary: This interview will be with your on-site supervisor at the end of your internship with the organization. You will review your initial goals and deliverables, how much and how well these were accomplished, and the reasons for your performance. This is also an opportunity to discuss any future relationship between you and the agency, including whether your supervisor would provide recommendation letters for your future job applications. f) Join the INST LinkedIn Group @ Final Essay (35%): There are two options: 1. Interns write a 6-7-page double-spaced paper (4-5 pages for 2 or 3 credit internship) that focuses on (1) the goals, operations and context of the internship provider, and (2) the student s experience working for the internship provider. The paper should make explicit linkages to material from INST courses where appropriate. The reflection might respond to the following questions: a. Who and what is the organization trying to serve, and in what way? In what country or countries do the organization s main beneficiaries live in, or what countries did they come from? How does the agency pursue its mission and objectives? What are the major obstacles to pursuing these (e.g. individual people, cultural differences or geographic distance, resources)? What are the organization s standards for effectiveness? Does it live up to those standards? Should there be different standards? b. What was most interesting about your time with the organization and why? What was most challenging and why? What were your main accomplishments and primary setbacks or difficulties? How did you reach these accomplishments? What explains the difficulties or limits you faced? How did you interact with your supervisor and other employees? Did you spend most of your time working alone or in a group? In your responses, discuss how cultural differences or geographic distances affected your work, either positively or negatively. You are encouraged to address some of these questions in writing your weekly reports, which you can then draw on to compose your final essay. Elements of your professional portfolio may also be useful in writing your final paper. 2. You pick a topic of your choice and get Professor Blomquist s approval before writing your paper. 4
TIMELINE: Your assignments are due as follows: Fall Quarter 2017 TASK Date Due 4-5 credits Date Due 2-3 credits Completed Submit Goals and Scope of Work 9/27 9/27 Submit Resume 10/4 10/4 and LinkedIn 10/4 Journal Posts 1 (everyone) 10/6 10/6 2 (everyone) 10/13 10/20 3 (everyone) 10/20 11/3 4 (everyone) 10/27 11/17 5 (for 4-5 credits) 11/3 6 (for 4-5 credits) 11/10 7 (for 4-5 credits) 11/17 Present at mid-term meetings (3) Oct 2 Oct 23 Nov 13 Oct 2 Oct 23 Nov 13 Summary of informational Interview 12/2 12/2 Self and Supervisor Evaluation 12/5 12/5 Present at Final Meeting (Finals Week) 12/6 12/6 Final Paper 12/7 12/7 Hours Log 12/5 12/5 5