Missouri
Western State University
Liberal
Arts and
Department of English, Foreign Languages, Journalism
Spring 2006
Dr. Jane Frick, professor
Email: frick@missouriwestern.edu
http://www.missouriwestern.edu/eflj/faculty/frick.asp
Office: Eder Hall, Room 201
Office
phone: 816 271-4315
Office
Hours: 9-11 TWTH
Other
times by appointment
Required Procedures:
Students must complete an internship application (http://staff.mwsc.edu/~frick/internap.html) prior to enrolling
in the course. Upon obtaining placement, the student and agency supervisor must
complete an internship contract (http://staff.mwsc.edu/~frick/contract.html) listing the number of
hours to be completed at the agency and the work objectives to be accomplished
during the semester. The signed contract also lists the grading criteria for
the internship. At midterm time, the supervisor completes a midterm evaluation
form regarding his/her intern. The evaluation form is returned by the intern to
the internship coordinator. At the end of the semester, the supervisor
completes a final evaluation form. The intern completes a final report or
prepares a portfolio about his/her internship.
Course
Objectives:
This course provides students with the practical application of skills in
journalism, public relations, and/or technical communications at a business
concern or agency. The internship correlates academic preparation with professionally
supervised work experience (thirty clock hours for each hour of credit). Work
objectives will be listed on the Internship Contract and signed by the intern,
the intern's supervisor, and the Internship Coordinator.
Course
Requirements:
1.
Attendance is mandatory.
If you do not complete the hours required as stipulated in the internship
contract, you will fail the course.
2.
Office hours: Feel free
to contact me if you need assistance. I am always glad to meet with students
and/or consult via email.
3.
Academic Honesty: Work
submitted under your name should be your work. You should clearly identify your
duties/responsibilities for any collaborative projects submitted in your
internship portfolio or final project. If you deviate from standard style
practices (AP, MLA, APA = whatever your agency/supervisor uses), please explain
why you have done so.
4.
Student Disability: Students
with disabilities (impaired hearing, vision, reading disorders, etc.,) should
notify me in writing of their disability on the internship application. I will
work out a course of studies/placement for such students.
5.
Grading Policy: Your
grade for the course will be determined in this manner:
A
B
C-D
F
One-time, Mandatory Meeting:
All interns enrolled for ENG, EPR, ETC, or JOU 316 Internship credits this fall
will meet at 4 p.m. Monday, February 6, in the Writing Project Conference Room
adjacent to my office at Missouri Western (Eder Hall 201: Across from the
elevator). We will review current placements, work ethics, and course reporting
and grading procedures.
Midterm Grade Reports and Procedures:
I
will email or snail/mail a midterm evaluation form to your supervisor in early
March, asking that he/she complete it and return it to you in a conference
regarding your internship work so far this semester. You should be sure that the completed form
is in my campus mailbox in the EFLJ department in Eder Hall, Room 222 NO LATER
THAN Monday, March 20. (It is acceptable for you to mail the midterm
evaluation to me; please sign and date it so that I know that you have reviewed
it with your supervisor.) If you would like to schedule a midterm intern
conference with me, you are welcome to do so.
Please call me and/or email me to schedule an appointment at our mutual
convenience.
Final Report (Essay or
Portfolio) and Course Grade:
Please
realize that your internship course grade will be determined on the basis of
your supervisor's final evaluation of your contracted work objectives and your
end-or-term internship report (an essay or portfolio)--not on the midterm
evaluation.
Your final report will
be due to me before Monday, May 1, - my mailbox in the EFLJ Offices in Eder
Hall 222.
You have two options
for the Final Report:
Final Report Option I: Write an essay in which you evaluate your internship experience (at
least five, double-spaced, word-processed pages, spell-checked, and
proofread--copy that you would be proud for any faculty member in the
department to read as an example of your best, finished and polished work).
Answering the
following questions may be helpful to you in drafting your essay:
(1) To what degree did
you achieve your educational and personal objectives in the internship? What
activities were conducive to your achievement of your objectives?
(2) To what extent did
your internship affect your career goals?
(3) How did your
internship work relate to your academic studies? What knowledge and skills did
you apply in your internship work?
(4) What did you learn
about working with others and about yourself from your experience?
(5) How do you plan to
use your internship experience in the future?
OR
Final Report Option
II: Prepare
a portfolio showcasing pertinent examples of your internship work
experience. Include a professional
resume and a cover letter describing your responsibilities for the work you
include in the portfolio. The resume and cover letter should be your best,
edited, and carefully-proofread prose.