Internships

Internships

Internships provide students with real-world experience and reinforce for them that written communication will be important in their professional lives. Via both print and electronic media, writers are conduits to audiences with diverse linguistic, cultural, and demographic profiles. However, the challenges presented by the demands of global communication are many and require a diverse range of abilities. Internships can prepare students to meet this need.

ENGL 492A allows students to earn internship credit as writers and/or editors. A minimum of 90 hours per unit is required up to 3 units. Students are encouraged to find their own internships; however, leads may be available from the Program Director of the ceritificate in Technical and Professional Communication (TPC), who supervises ENGL 492A, as well as the Career Development Center on campus. Internship courses with college prefixes that are arranged through the Career Development Center cannot be substituted for English 492A.

FORMS

• Course application
• Informed consent form

ENROLLING IN THE COURSE

Every student must complete the course application and, if applicable, obtain the signatures of the supervising faculty member and the Program Director. It is a student’s responsibility to consult with a faculty member or the TPC Program Director who will supervise the student throughout the internship.

The student then takes the application form to Doris Pintscher in MHB-413 who will assign a class number and give the student permission to add, which the student may then do online as usual.

CONTACTING THE EMPLOYER

Prior to starting the internship, the Program Director will contact the employer to review the requirements of the internship, including the employer’s need to approve the student’s hours and, once the 90 hours are reached, to write an evaluation of the student’s professional performance. If the faculty member has additional requirements, then at this point the Program Director must be made aware of them.

The student must also complete and sign the Informed Consent form and obtain the employer’s signature on this form as well. Both signers should retain a copy for their records; however, the original must be returned to the Program Director.

ASSIGNING A GRADE

The letter grade for this course is based on the student’s professional performance; therefore, the supervisor will also be asked to write an evaluation, in which the student’s responsibilities are described and both strengths and weaknesses addressed. This letter will be kept confidential unless the supervisor waives this right and allows the student access to it.

Once the evaluation letter is received and additional requirements (if assigned by the faculty member) are fulfilled, a letter grade will be posted at the end of the semester as usual.

QUESTIONS?

For more information or to schedule an appointment to discuss the internship, please contact the Program Director:

Gary Griswold

MHB 408

562.985.4234

william.griswold@csulb.edu