Prerequisites
Gov 310 & 312 or equivalent; consent of instructor via application. Application available at: http://www.utexas.edu/cola/depts/government/internship/prospective-interns/applications.php
Description
The Government Department internship program provides students an opportunity to combine work experience in government and politics with intellectual reflection on their experience. Making the most of the course requires interns to work as diligent part-time employees in their positions while reflecting thoughtfully and analytically on their experience in the organizations in which they work.
The academic objectives of the internship course are:
To provide students with first-hand experience working in government and politics;
To incorporate this experience into the contexts of their intellectual education at the university and of public expectations of politics and government;
To use interns’ experiences to think about the dynamics of politics and government as features of contemporary society; and
To use interns’ experience to think about the practice of politics as a profession. Most of students’ time and energy will be directed toward performing the duties of their internships in a manner that reflects positively on them and on The University of Texas at Austin. A solid performance as an intern provides a rich learning experience, the possibility of future intellectual and professional opportunities, and also reflects well on the program, paving the way for future students to have the same opportunities current interns enjoy.
However, interns should be clear about the nature of this course. Students are not receiving credit from the Government Department primarily for fulfilling their internships. Students receive grades and credit for completing the internships in conjunction with guided course work. Supervisor evaluations are taken into account in assigning grades, but the primary consideration in assigning grades is the quality of academic work completed for the course.
Grading Policy
Course Requirements:
4 mandatory group meetings
3 papers
Work hours: 9-12 hours per week, beginning first day of semester, concluding the last regular day of the semester.
The minimum total hours worked should 150 hours. How you track this is up to you and your supervisor/employer, but it should be verifiable if necessary.
Two evaluations by internship supervisor
One video taped exit interview (about 15-30 minutes)
4 Texas Politics Speaker Series attendance (see below, plus times & dates TBA)`
Respond to readings on email list as directed
NOTE: all requirements must be fulfilled to receive credit for the course.
Grade Calculation:
Writing assignment #1 20%
Writing assignment #2 20%
Writing assignment #3 25%
Mid term supervisor evaluation 10%
Final supervisor evaluation 15%
Exit interview 10%
Grade scale:
A 94-100
A- 90-93
B+ 87-89
B 84-86
B- 80-83
C+ 77-79
C 74-76
C- 70-73
D+ 67-69
D 64-66
D- 60-63
Texts
Max Weber, “Politics as a Vocation” (http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Politics_as_a_Vocation, or in print in H.H. Gerth and C. Wright Mills (Translated and edited), From Max Weber: Essays in Sociology, pp. 77-128, New York: Oxford University Press.) Karen Olsson, Waterloo. New York: Picador, 2006. (Available in paperback and is discounted at Amazon.com. If you order ahead from one of their associated vendors, you can get a real deal on a used copy. There are also usually copies in used bookstores around Austin.)
