Writing Emphasis Course
Internship in Political Science
PS 4810 – 4811
Dr. Charles Kelly
Political Science Department
I.
Types of Writing
Resume and cover letter writing, activity reports, writing memoranda, term
paper or report, and journal writing.
II.
Rationale
The Internship in Political Science, is a course designed to provide meaningful
experiences in supervised, job-related and/or career-related placements in public
sector and not-for-profit service positions to reinforce our students’ Political
Science course work of the classroom. During the semester, each student
simulates the job-search and interviewing process in a self-selected career area,
before being accepted for placement by an organization, and performs activities
related to the eventual placement at a job site. In addition, students must record
and relate experiences, observations and appropriate recommendations related to
their job activities. The types of writing required will assist students in preparing
for public service and help them acquire skills necessary for effective activity
recording, analytic observation and written communication in public and non-forprofit sector employment.
III.
Method of Evaluation
The course’s writing assignments will be graded on a weighted basis and each
will be evaluated using the criteria of clarity, organization, grammar and
relevance. The writing of resumes, cover letters and pre-internship reports will
also be evaluated in class through an oral review and by openly comparing them
to similar efforts by classmates. The hand written journal, maintained by each
student on a daily basis during work at the job-site, will serve to provide a base of
information and data for two self-evaluation memoranda and the final Internship
Report. Seventy percent (70%) of the final grade will be based on the written
work completed by students and the remaining thirty percent (30%) will be based
on a combination of their supervisors’ evaluation of job performance and
participation in similar discussions and analyses.
IV.
Sample Sequence of Writing Assignments
As the outset of the semester, students will develop and write a personal
resume and a cover letter requesting a placement or job interview. After
completing the search and interviewing process and, as a result, being accepted
for a position, the students will write a report which describes the interviews, the
position’s responsibilities and how assigned activities will help realize
educational and/or career goals. The third and ongoing writing assignment is the
maintenance and up-dating of a daily Journal. At the midway and final part of the
semester, students will also write a Self-Evaluation Memorandum evaluating their
performance at the job site and assessing the appropriateness of the placement as
an educational experience. Lastly, a full and comprehensive paper, the Internship
Report, will be written toward the end of the students’ internship semester. This
paper will contain a description, discussion and analysis of the organization, unit
or office where the intern worked, including a set of recommendations based on
the observations and impressions recorded in the daily Journal.