PA 498 Public Administration
Internship
Fall
2013
San Diego State University Imperial Valley Campus
Course Syllabus
PA 498 Public Administration Internship, fall 2013
Instructor: Richard C. Martin, Ph.D.
Office Phone: (760) 768-5681
Office: Faculty Office East 112
Office Hour: Monday 4:30PM-5:30PM, Wednesday 3:00PM-4:00PM or by appointment
E-mail: rmartin2@mail.sdsu.edu (best way to reach me)
I.
Course Description: As a capstone experience in the Public Administration Program students
may choose to complete an internship in Public Administration. The internship is designed to
give participants the opportunity to interact with public administration professionals in a work
environment and to integrate theoretical knowledge with practitioner experience. The purpose is
not to provide job training, but rather to allow participants to see connections between public
administration theory and practice. Nonetheless, participants are encouraged to develop new
skills when opportunities present themselves, clarify career goals, and establish valuable contacts
for future employment prospects and job references. Participants may complete their internships
in a variety of settings including: federal, state and local government, public institutions, and
non-profit organizations. Agencies benefit greatly from the involvement of capable and reliable
interns.
II.
Student Learning Objectives:
i. Give participants the opportunity to interact with public administration
professionals in a work environment
ii. Allow participants to integrate theoretical knowledge with practitioner
experience
iii. Let participants see connections between public administration theory and
practice.
iv. Permit participants to develop new skills when opportunities present
themselves,
v. Help participants clarify career goals, and establish possible contacts for
future employment prospects and job references.
III Prerequisites: Public Administration 301, 330, 340, 341, 450; complete all lower division
required courses; senior standing; B average in the major; consent of the instructor.
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PA 498 Public Administration
Internship
Fall
2013
IV Supervision and Grading: The participant is placed with an agency and is supervised by
both an agency supervisor and the course instructor. Your instructor is Dr. Richard Martin.
The internship is graded “credit / no credit” and carries three units of course credit.
V: Course Requirements: There are several requirements for completing the internship.
Importantly, the course requires a 150 hour work commitment. In addition, participants must:
1. Register for the course by contracting the instructor assigned to the internship
course and obtain a course schedule number. An add code will be needed during the
first week of the semester. This can be done by email.
2. Attend a PA 498 mandatory meeting to be held the first two weeks of the semester.
3. Fill out and post to blackboard a participant information sheet. Blank participants
information sheets are on blackboard under course documents
4. Communicate with the instructor the proposed internship and possible agency sites.
5. Contact the prospective agency site and work out the internship structure and
responsibilities with the appropriate agency representative /contact.
6. Make sure the prospective agency has signed a Service Learning Agreement with
San Diego State University. If the agency has not signed one, the student must
obtain and forward to the instructor a signed Service Learning Agreement.
7. Make sure the prospective agency has signed a Learning Activity Site
Questionnaire. If the agency has not signed one, the student must obtain and
forward to the instructor a signed Learning Activity Site Questionnaire.
Please note steps 1-7 must be completed before the student begins working as an
intern for the prospective agency. If you begin your internship before handing in the
Service Learning Agreement and Learning Activity Site Questionnaire to your
instructor you may receive a grade of no-credit.
8. Complete the Internship Application Form after meeting with the sponsoring
agency. Post the Internship Application as an assignment on blackboard. This
should be done the first week of the internship. The internship application should
completed before completing 20 work in the internship
9. Complete and post on blackboard three (3) brief internship reports. Each report
should be from two to three pages in length and also contain a schedule showing
dates and hours worked. The first report must be completed and submitted during
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PA 498 Public Administration
Internship
Fall
2013
the first two weeks of the internship or after about 30 hours. It should describe the
participant’s expectations of the internship (given what they have discussed with the
internship agency representative, and given what the participant hopes to achieve
during the internship). The second report should be completed and submitted about
midway (75 hours) through the internship. It should be a progress report that lets
the instructor know what the participant has been learning and doing during the
internship experience. The third and final report should (a) provide a brief summary
of what participants have learned, (b) outline the strengths and weaknesses of the
internship, (c) offer a recommendation as to whether this would be a worthwhile
experience for other SDSU Public Administration participants. and (d) contain a
simple two column time report for the entire internship one column should show the
dates worked and the second column should show the hours worked each date.
Reports must have a title page, be submitted according to this schedule and be typed
in proper English. Poorly written reports will be returned for revision. Internship
reports may be made available for review to agency supervisors.
10. IMPORTANT: The Internship Application and Internship reports should be
submitted via blackboard assignments and include a title page with your name, date,
course number, the semester you registered for the course, the number of the report
(first, second, or third) and your email address typed on the cover page.
11. E-mail and Blackboard- Every student enrolled in PA 498 is required to have a
ROHAM e-mail account that is linked to Blackboard. Students can login to web
portal click button Roham/e-mail account. It is the student’s responsibility to check
blackboard on a regular basis, at least every couple of days.
VI. Guidelines for the Internship: Below are listed some guidelines that will aid participants
and the agency in having a positive experience. Please share them with your internship
supervisor.
1. Think of the internship as a part-time position. You are part of the staff.
2. Dress appropriately.
3. Punctuality and attendance are important. Let your supervisor know if you expect
to be late or absent. Arrange to make up missed days.
4. Know your goals ……. what you want to achieve out of the internship.
5. Obtain information about the agency prior to starting the internship if you can.
6. Most supervisors will give you an orientation on the first day. If not, ask them to do
so. Ask questions.
7. Seek ways to become exposed to different functions and departments of the agency.
8. Try to learn new skills.
9. Take some notes for your reports about the mission, structure, climate, and
management styles of the agency and personnel.
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PA 498 Public Administration
Internship
Fall
2013
10. For future reference keep a list of names, addresses and phone numbers of people
with whom you come in contact.
11. Keep lines of communication open with your supervisor.
12. Ask for a letter of recommendation from your supervisor at the conclusion of the
internship.
13. Remember that an internship can lead to a full time job. So, be sure to do your
best.
14. Establish a schedule with your supervisor at the beginning of the internship. The
course requires a 150 hour commitment. The university does not encourage you to
work more than 15 hours per week at the internship.
15. Students are not allowed to internship in the same department in which they work.
However, students may intern in a different department. For example a county
employee in one department may intern for a different department in the county.
16. If you have questions or problems, contact the instructor coordinating the internship
.
VII. Possible List of Agencies: A list of possible agencies to contact for internship
opportunities will be provided on blackboard by the instructor to registered participants upon
request.
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