The Academic Component

The following pages detail your work for the Academic Component of the Internship. This portion of the course will be conducted mostly online, though you must meet with the Internship Director at least once during the semester to discuss your work.

Requirements of the Academic Component
Below are the complete requirements for the Academic Component of the internship.

• Research
  Students are required to do independent research on their organization or the industry to which it belongs so as to better understand the context of their work.

• Portfolio of Written Work (recommended but not required)
  You should keep a portfolio of written work completed for your employer, though it is not an absolute requirement. This portfolio will be reviewed at the Semester Meeting and will be very useful in completing the final paper for the course. Many of you, especially those generating written product at work, will find a portfolio of value when you go on the job market.

• Journal (recommended but not required)
  In order to complete the written work for the Academic Component, you are strongly urged to keep a journal of your work experiences -- especially if you are completing the work component of the internship in the summer and you are therefore likely to forget specific things about what you did. A journal will help you to remember names, dates and assignments; to keep track of your hours; and to begin reflecting critically about your experiences in preparation for the Forum Postings and Final Paper. The journal will not be collected or reviewed, but you are urged to bring it with you to the Midterm and Semester Meetings to help you remember specific details.

• Draft of Final Paper
  You are required to complete a draft of your Final Paper before the Semester Meeting. This should be at least 5 pages in length and should at least make reference to one of the readings for the term.

• Semester Meeting(s)
  Students are urged to meet twice with the Internship Director to develop and draft an essay about their experience. You must arrange at least one 30-minute meeting with the Internship Director before the end of the semester to review your work for the term and discuss your draft. Bring the Draft of the Final Paper, your Portfolio of Written Work (if available), and any forms you have not turned in previously.

• Final Paper
  The final paper should be 8-12 pages in length and must offer a critical reflection on the writing you did in the workplace. You are encouraged to adapt ideas from your journal and your forum postings in writing this paper. Papers may include narrative elements but must focus on analytic and expository writing. Purely narrative papers will not be accepted. The strongest papers will use readings or research to help understand and interpret experience.

  Final Paper Assignment:

  Remember that the final paper is a chance to reflect critically upon your internship experience and to make it meaningful for yourself and others. Though you have probably been learning a lot about workplace writing during this semester, the final paper asks you to return to the "liberal arts" essay format that you learned in school in order to reflect on what you have learned in a critical and focused way. Think of it, though, as a chance to make some sense of your experience, so that when you go on the job market and someone asks you "What did you learn from that internship?" you will have a very cogent and intelligent answer.

  What have you learned? What have you learned about writing at work? Or what have you learned about the specific industry in which you worked? Or what have you learned about yourself and about the skills you will need to develop in order to succeed in future jobs?

  Since every internship experience is different, every final paper will have its own unique focus. What issue stood out most prominently for you? Or what insight seemed most important? We will talk individually about your topic, and you will use the forum postings to reflect upon your work. Try most of all to find a focus that you can sustain for the whole essay.

  Papers must be from 8 to 12 pages (double spaced), they should make reference to at least one reading (to help you establish a frame for discussion), and they should discuss at least one specific case of workplace writing that you either participated in or observed (to help illustrate your theme). Be as specific as possible in your examples, and be sure to analyze and not just narrate your experience.

  All interns should be assured that your paper will never be read by anyone other than your teacher without your specific permission. In order to help future interns in crafting their final papers, I may ask if I can share your final paper with them. You have every right to decline or to put restrictions (such as anonymity) on the way the paper is presented.

• Student's Internship Evaluation (available online)
  Upon completion of the Work Component of your internship (or before the end of the semester, whichever comes first), you must complete the Student's Internship Evaluation.