IUPUI Department of Sociology

R494 Internship Paper Guidelines (1/07)

The final 10-15 page paper should include the following:

1.  State the dates for the internship, the work location, the intern (job) supervisor

Offer a description of the employing organization, including a brief history and current goals.  (<1 page)

2.  Analyze the organization relative to the community: (1-2 pages)

            a.  Who does the organization serve?

            b.  What programs are used to serve the community?

            c.  How effective are these programs?  (strengths/weaknesses)

            d.  What other organizations exist in the community that have similar programs?

            e.  How does your organization interact with these other organizations?

3.  Describe your internship assignment: (1-2 pages)

            a.  What work you did (and how this compared to the original job description on the

            internship proposal form)

            b.  Evaluation of how well you think you performed your job (strengths/weaknesses)

            c.  Evaluation of the job as an internship assignment – what was good, what could have been better?

4.  Analyze the extent to which your learning objectives were or were not met during the internship (consult the original proposal form).  (1-2 pages)

5.  Analyze how your previous course work connected to the work you did in the internship, as well as what additional course work would have helped you in this internship.  What theories, methods, and knowledge from sociology were useful in doing this internship? (5-10 pages)  Note: If the internship is one of your elective courses, you need only link the experience to related courses (e.g. to your family courses or to your crime and deviance courses).  If the internship is for your capstone, this section should be longer (up to 10 pages), and should integrate the internship experience with your entire experience as a sociology major. Alternatively, for the capstone, this section could analyze the extent to which your internship enhanced your understanding of the Principles of Undergraduate Learning (list available on website).

6.  Summarize your three most memorable experiences while on this internship.  (1-2 pages)

7.  Detail at least one problem that you encountered, and explain how you sought to resolve it.  (1-2 pages)

8.  Discuss how your internship relates to your future educational and career goals.  (1-2 pages)

9.  State whether you would recommend or not recommend this work organization to a friend.  Explain your response.   What recommendations would you give the organization for future intern placement?  (<1 page)