Department of Political Science

Internship FAQ Sheet  

What is an internship?
An internship is a work experience related to politics, government, and/or public policy.

How do I find out about available internships?
While you are ultimately the one who will seek out and acquire your own internship experience, here are some resources to get you started.  The department sends out information about internships via POLINOTE whenever we receive internship descriptions and requests from political/governmental entities.  Also, the USC Office of Career Planning and Placement is an excellent resource to explore internship options.  Many students seek internships in state government, particularly in the legislative and executive branches; and students have also done internships in other state agencies, such as Commerce; SLED; and Parks, Recreation & Tourism.  Students have completed internships within branches of federal government and with governmental agencies in Washington, DC, all of whom have information about student internships on their websites.   Other internship opportunities include working on political campaigns, working at a political party headquarters, and working with non-governmental agencies who have functions closely associated with politics and/or government (e.g., some recent examples include The League of Women Voters, Project Votesmart,  the Columbia World Affairs Council, various Washington, DC think tanks).

How do I get academic credit for an internship?
You may earn internship credit for an internship by registering for  POLI 379, Public Affairs Internship, during the academic term in which you are completing an internship work experience.  Students must meet the following criteria to qualify to register for POLI 379:

1.  Sophomore standing (cumulative hours earned of 30 or more hours);
2.  Prior completion of at least six (6) credit hours of POLI course work at the 300-level or higher.

Registration for POLI 379 requires a completed internship contract, which must be turned into the University Registrar before you can register for the course.  This contract outlines requirements to complete the internship and requires the following signatures for approval:  the departmental internship faculty supervisor (Dr. Todd Shaw), your advisor, the Department of Political Science chairman, and your academic dean.  To complete the contract, you should make an appointment with the internship coordinator, Janis Leaphart.  You need to bring with you to this appointment a letter from the agency, organization or office in which the internship is to be completed. The letter must be on letterhead and attest to the fact that the student has the internship. Further, it should state the inclusive dates of the internship and the hours per week required by the internship. It should specify the duties to be performed as part of the internship and should provide the name, address and phone number of the responsible contact person in that agency, organization or office.
Note: POLI 379 is a regular course to which all University registration deadlines, rules, fee and tuition charges apply.

How many hours of credit can I earn with an internship?
Credit is variable, and you can earn either three credit hours or six credit hours.  You must complete 150 work hours (at least 10 hours per week in a regular semester) to earn three credit hours and 300 work hours (at least 20 hours per week in a regular semester) to earn six credit hours.  You must also complete the required assignments (see the next section) and submit a performance evaluation done by their on site internship supervisor.  Many students successfully complete internships during the summer months, but keep in mind that you must still work the same number of hours (i.e., 150/300) to receive academic credit. POLI 379 may be applied to major, minor, or cognate credit.  A maximum of six credit hours may be applied for major credit; a maximum of three hours may be applied for minor credit.

What are the assignments for this course and how is my grade determined for POLI 379?
The required assignments for POLI 379 are as follows: 

1.  Students must maintain a daily journal and be prepared to submit it to Dr. Shaw at midterm and semester’s end.
2.  Students must successfully complete the internship and submit a satisfactory written evaluation from the on site supervisor at the internship site;
3.  Students must write a 15-20 page research paper relating the internship experience to political science research, theory and course work.  The paper topic must be submitted to and approved by Dr. Shaw by the due date on the contract.

The paper must be submitted by Reading Day of the semester in which you are enrolled in POLI 379.  The supervisor’s evaluation and the journal are also due by Reading Day.

While the supervisor’s evaluation and the journal are considered when grades are assigned, the actual letter grade earned for the internship experience will be based predominantly on the research paper.  The research paper will address a problem or question related to political science that is illustrated by the student’s internship experience.  In addition, the following three questions may be helpful in choosing a topic and writing the research paper:

1.  To what extent did the experience reinforce classroom experience and readings done?
2.  Did you learn anything new and significant about your topic that you hadn’t learned in class or through your readings?
3.  What was contradictory and/or inconsistent with your classroom experience or readings?