Ps 399 Syllabus Summer 2009

PS 399 Summer (8-Week) 2009

Political Science Internship Program Instructor: Dr. Christopher S. Rice Office: 1649 Patterson Office Tower Office Hours: By Appointment Website: http://ukpsinternships.pbwiki.com/

Telephone: 257-7030 Email: [email protected] Twitter: @ricetopher

INTRODUCTION The University of Kentuckyʼs Department of Political Science encourages undergraduates to learn about the political system through hands-on experience. Students often respond to this encouragement by seeking internships within government agencies, political campaigns, law firms, and the like. However, simply working at a job, even a professionally enriching job, does not necessarily contribute to a liberal arts education. On-site supervisors can teach the skills needed to carry out necessary tasks, but thereʼs no guarantee that supervisors will encourage interns to look beyond the job at hand and consider how it fits within the political and legal system. The Political Science Departmentʼs internship course, PS 399, therefore provides students with an opportunity to embed early work experiences within the liberal arts education they are pursuing. To earn credit, students not only must serve in a job with some connection to political science, they also must read social-science scholarship related to the internship. They communicate regularly with the Internship Director through a journaling project – sometimes to seek advice or guidance, but always with the expectation that they will show they are thinking abstractly or scientifically about the job and its techniques. They end the experience by writing a reflective paper connecting their specific job(s) to the scholarly readings. Thus, in addition to (1) the skills learned on the job and (2) the abstract knowledge gained about how that job fits into the political system, the course has a third learning outcome, which is that (3) students become aware of how, as professionals, they can do a job yet still think critically about the work they are performing.

ELIGIBLE INTERNSHIPS Students may receive academic credit for a wide variety of internship placements. The Department of Political Science assists students in taking advantage of internship opportunities and provides academic foundations for the internship work through PS 399. However, the department generally does not “place” students in internships. Each student enrolled in PS 399 is responsible for finding and arranging his/her own internship. The most common political science internships fit into these categories: •

• • • •

Government Entities and Related Associations (e.g., LFUCG City Council, Mayorʼs office, U.S. Senator or Representative, Governorʼs office, FBI, U.S. State Dept., Council of State Governments) Government agencies (whether local, state, or federal, including legislative staff) Political parties Political campaigns Community organizations, interest groups or other policy-related organizations (e.g., KFTC, MACED, BIPPS, Urban League, ACLU, non-profit research groups)

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• • • •

Judicial institutions (whether local, state, or federal) Law firms and other legal organizations (e.g. county attorneyʼs office) Media organizations, if primarily writing on government, politics, policy or political activism Assisting a political scientist, whether professor or advanced graduate student, performing research

The studentʼs internship supervisor/employer will be asked to participate in the course by filling out a Memorandum of Agreement at the start of the semester and by completing a small amount of paperwork at the end of the semester, usually just prior to or during the last week of classes. To be eligible, an internship therefore must meet one other implicit requirement: The employer or supervisor must know that the intern will be receiving course credit for the work performed and must be willing to cooperate. Students may earn up to six (6) credit hours in PS 399 during a given semester, for a total of no more than 12 credit hours of the 120 required to graduate. The number of potential earned credits in a given semester depends on how many hours the student will be working at the internship, as well as on the scope of the academic work the student is willing to perform:

Average Hours/Week Total Hours Worked/Semester # of 500 word Book Reviews # Journal Entries Final Paper Length Book Review #1 DUE Book Review #2 DUE Book Review #3 DUE Final Paper Proposal DUE Final Paper DUE

1 Credit Hour 6

2 Credit Hours 12

3 Credit Hours 18

4 Credit Hours 24

5 Credit Hours 30

48

96

144

192

240

6 Credit hours 35-40 (full-time) 288+

1

1

2

2

3

3

4 500 words July 9, 2009 N/A

4 1000 words July 9, 2009 N/A

N/A

N/A

8 1500 words July 2, 2009 July 30, 2009 N/A

8 2000 words July 2, 2009 July 30, 2009 N/A

July 23, 2009 August 6, 2009

July 23, 2009 August 6, 2009

July 23, 2009 August 6, 2009

July 23, 2009 August 6, 2009

12 2500 words June 25, 2009 July 9, 2009 July 30, 2009 July 23, 2009 August 6, 2009

12 3000 words June 25, 2009 July 9, 2009 July 30, 2009 July 23, 2009 August 6, 2009

Internships can begin in May before the Summer II semester starts and can end before the middle of August. The Internship Director, at his/her discretion, therefore may count work performed in the weeks before the Summer II semester starts when determining the number of credit hours for which a student is eligible (assuming that the student completes the academic course requirements necessary to earn such credit). However, students who start their Summer internship early need to discuss this situation with and obtain the approval of the Internship Director. The University of Kentucky only gives formal approval to the Learning Contract and planned course of study at the start of the Summer II semester.

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COURSE REQUIREMENTS Undergraduates must follow several UK and departmental rules to receive PS 399 academic credit (this course is offered Pass/Fail only). Since these rules add requirements on top of those demanded by other departments and the UK Office of Career Services, it is important that you read, understand, and adhere to the following instructions. The required forms are attached at the end of this packet The Learning Contract may also be downloaded from the Career Services website (http://www.uky.edu/CareerCenter/internship.htm). In order to earn academic credit for their internship, each student must work on meaningful, professional-level tasks in one of the internship categories listed above while enrolled in PS 399. Each internship supervisor will be asked to complete an evaluation form for the student intern. This evaluation form will comprise a major component of the final Pass/Fail grade, in addition to the Internship Directorʼs assessment of student learning exhibited through the following academic course requirements: 1. The Working Journal: Each student enrolled in PS 399 is required to keep a working journal for the duration of the project. Interns should not reveal confidential information about the work they are doing. Instead, they must outline in general terms the kind of tasks they are performing. The journal should be focused on critical events experienced during the course of your internship and must include interviews with at least two individuals who perform different roles within or related to the organization for which you are interning. You should be able to identify your own role and utilize readings and relevant political science theory and research to examine your internship experiences. The student must use the journal to provide evidence that they are thinking critically about how their experiences fit into “the big picture” (e.g., ethical systems, social relations, professional norms, the workings of the political and legal system, etc.). This reflection can come in the form of questions, generalizations, or specific observations. The number of entries required for your journal will vary according to the number of credit hours for which you are enrolled (see table above). Entries in your journal should be approximately 250-300 words each, and may be supplemented with pictures, video, PowerPoints or other multimedia objects. Students will meet the journal requirement by creating a private (meaning the blog is only accessible by the Internship Director and the student) blog on the Blogger or Wordpress.com blogging services. Please check the UK Political Science Internship Wiki (http://ukpsinternships.pbwiki.com/) for information on how to do this under the “Journal” tab. Your Journal URL must be provided to the Internship Director by Thursday, June 11, 2009. 2. Required Reading: The student must read scholarship in social science related to the internship. The specific books and articles are to be selected by the student with guidance and approval from the Internship Director. The quantity of reading depends on the number of credit hours (see table above). Students are encouraged to discuss what they are reading with the Internship Director (either in-person, by email or on the studentʼs journal), although such discussion is not mandatory. To complete this requirement, the student will write a 500-word analysis of each required book (see table above) and post this in an entry to their working journal. Note that this analysis does not substitute for that weekʼs regular journal entry. See the table above for the deadlines for posting these to your journal. Recommended books for most internship subject areas are available on the UK Political Science Internship Wiki (http://ukpsinternships.pbwiki.com/). 3. Final Paper: The student must submit a final paper of a specified word count (see table above), which should be word-processed and published to a Page on the studentʼs Working Journal by Thursday, August 6, 2009. The final paper should focus on the relevant learning aspects of your work, and as such should be primarily analytical rather than merely descriptive. The paper must connect the scholarly readings to the hands-on experience in some fashion. For example, a student might (a) illustrate points made in the readings with personal examples, (b) criticize the

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readings by showing how they fail to characterize the internship experience, or (c) analyze as social scientists the organizational efforts in which they participated. Students are welcome to discuss the paper with the Internship Director before the due date, but the final version of the paper must be received no later than August 6, 2009. You must sign up for your topic(s) by publishing a 250-350 word abstract/paper proposal and a preliminary bibliography (of at least 5 sources) to your Working Journal by July 23, 2009. All final papers must be properly documented and have an attached bibliography. The academic requirements for a Pass/Fail course are not excessively difficult to satisfy. However, students should not assume that they will pass the internship course automatically as long as their placement supervisor is satisfied. Interns will not pass the course if they (1) fail to communicate with the Internship Director on schedule and in the reflective fashion required, (2) fail to turn in a final paper, or (3) submit a paper that does not exhibit adequate familiarity with the readings. As a final note, the department does not guarantee academic credit upon signing the Learning Contract. In the event the student and/or the department cannot secure agency compliance with its written obligations during the internship period, the student may be assigned an incomplete for the credits involved or be asked to do sufficient additional reading and/or research projects to warrant granting of said credits.

ENROLLING IN PS 399 STEP 1:

Enroll in PS 399 for the Summer II semester for the appropriate number of credit hours (see table above).

STEP 2:

Arrange a placement for your Summer internship. Political Science majors are generally expected to find their own internship placements, though if this proves impossible, the Internship Director will generally be willing to help you find leads and contacts given enough notice. Information on available internships will also be posted as they become available at http://ukpsinternships.pbwiki.com/.

STEP 3:

Complete & submit the attached Preliminary Internship Proposal form to the Internship Directorʼs mailbox in 1615 Patterson Office Tower no later than Thursday, June 11, 2009. The form may also be submitted by fax (859.257.7034) or by email in PDF format only.

STEP 4:

Complete a Memorandum of Agreement with the internship supervisor (see attached). You are responsible for securing your supervisorʼs signature and submitting the form to the Internship Directorʼs mailbox in 1615 Patterson Office Tower no later than Friday, June 19, 2009. The form may also be submitted by fax (859.257.7034) or by email in PDF format only.

STEP 5:

Negotiate academic course requirements with the Internship Director, then type up a Learning Contract (see attached). Complete the entire form, listing both the academic and job requirements. The information for department chair has already been entered for you. For Faculty Supervisor – unless you are working directly with another Political Science faculty member – put Christopher Rice, 1649 POT, speed sort 0027. Otherwise, this syllabus contains all the information you need. A Learning Contract with your signature must be submitted to the Internship Directorʼs mailbox in 1615 Patterson Office Tower no later than Thursday, June 11, 2009. The form may also be submitted by fax (859.257.7034) or by email in PDF format only.

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Preliminary Internship Proposal Summer II Semester 2009 NOTE: Must be received by Dr. Christopher S. Rice, 1649 Patterson Office Tower, no later than Thursday, June 11, 2009. Personal Information Name: Local Address: Local Phone #s: Email address:

______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________

Academic Information Major: Academic Rank:

______________________________________________ ____________ Poli. Sci. hours completed: __________

Internship Information Organization hosting the job or internship: _____________________________ Name of Internship Supervisor: _____________________________________ Supervisor Telephone: ____________________________________________ Internship Period: From _____/_____/_______ to _____/_____/_______ Internship will average _____ hours per week for a total of ______ fall sem. hours # of credit hours sought: _______ Do you plan to receive university credit for this internship from any other department? No____ Yes____ If yes, please explain: ____________________ ________________________________________________________________

Please attach a two-page typed description of your planned internship that: 1. Outlines the job(s) you will be doing, 2. Explains how it/they apply to political science, and 3. Indicates what you hope to learn from the experience.

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UK Department of Political Science Summer (8-Week) 2009 Internship Program Memorandum of Agreement The Department of Political Science encourages UK undergraduates to learn about government, law, or politics through hands-on experience. We thank you and your organization for agreeing to provide an internship experience for: _______________ (Student enters name here) The student has asked that we grant course credit for the internship. Our ability to grant such credit relies on your cooperation in three ways: 1. By confirming the number of hours the student will work for you, 2. By verifying some of the tasks that will be involved in the studentʼs job, and 3. By agreeing to provide a brief performance evaluation by August 6, 2009. 1. The student has reported that the internship with your organization will involve at least ______ hours on average per week/ total (student must circle one) from _________ through August 6. 2. The student has reported that the internship will involve, among its various duties, the following tasks related to political science: ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ 3. The student has reported that you will be willing to provide an evaluation of his/her performance as an intern no later than August 6, 2009 by email, phone or standard mail. I, the undersigned, confirm that the studentʼs expectations are correct. My organization will provide an opportunity to work the reported number of hours in a job that will include the reported tasks, and I will be willing to provide the University of Kentucky with a brief evaluation of the internʼs performance by August 6, 2009. _______________________________

_________________________________

_______________________________

_________________________________

_______________________________

_________________________________

(Internship supervisorʼs name & title)

(Internship supervisorʼs mailing address)

_______________________________

_________________________________

(Internship supervisorʼs signature)

(Internship supervisorʼs email address)

NOTE: Must be received by Dr. Christopher S. Rice, 1649 Patterson Office Tower, no later than Friday, June 18, 2009

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Internship Program LEARNING CONTRACT Experiential Education and Career Services, James W. Stuckert Career Center, University of Kentucky 408 Rose Street, Lexington, KY 40506-0494, Phone (859) 257-2746, Fax (859) 323-1085 Learning Contract must be typed. Guidelines for completing the form are at www.uky.edu/CareerCenter/internship.htm ____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Student Information

Course Information

Student Name:

Semester/Year:

E-mail:

Course:

Phone:

Credit Hours:

Address:

Grade Option:

City/ST/Zip Major: College: Class Level: Student Number (not SSN): Internship Partner Information

Hours

Organization/Company Name:

Starting Date:

Supervisor’s Name:

Ending Date:

E-mail:

Total Number of Weeks:

Phone:

Average Hours Per Week:

Address: City/ST/Zip: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Describe the duties of your internship:

Learning Contract Page 1

List your learning objectives for this experience: (What do you expect to learn from this experience? Objectives should be measurable and achievable.)

Specify the assignments agreed upon with your faculty sponsor: (Assignments are usually reflective in nature.)

Specify dates and times you have agreed to meet with your faculty sponsor for critical reflection: (Dates/times may be specific or in general terms, but “To Be Determined” is not acceptable.)

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Faculty Sponsor: Dept: Political Science Campus Address: Campus Speed Sort: Phone: E-mail:

Department Chair: Dr. Donald Gross Dept: Political Science Campus Address: 1615 P.O.T. Campus Speed Sort: 0027

______________________________________ Faculty Signature Date

______________________________________ Dept. Chair Signature Date

______________________________________ Student Signature Date

______________________________________ Experiential Education/Career Services Date

Additional signature required only if you are a student in the College of Agriculture: ______________________________________ Associate Dean Date

Learning Contract Page 2