Basic Version: readings and required assignments vary depending on type of internship 1
POL 3080
Internship in Politics or Government
Spring 2016
Prof. Paul Soper
psoper@umn.edu
ph: 612-626-1002
1480 Social Sciences
Office Hours: e-mail for appointment
This course has two purposes. The first is to provide students with an opportunity to acquire
first-hand political experience and knowledge. The second is to enable students to situate their
internship experience in the context of relevant political science research on the subject matter.
Requirements
3-4 credits:
Weekly Journal
2 Informational Interviews
5-8 credits:
Weekly Journal
2 Informational Interviews
5-7 page text essay
9-13 credits:
Weekly Journal
2 Informational Interviews
5-7 page text essay
10 page research paper
Course Assignments
1. Weekly Journal – 1-2pp. single spaced, to be submitted once a week.
In your daily journal, provide a brief description of what you are doing, as well as how your
office or organization is operating, and what work it is engaged in. Most importantly, I want you
to analyze what you observe, by making use of your previous political science coursework, and
the assigned readings for this internship. Each week, I expect to see you make some use of ideas
and information presented in one or more of the assigned readings for the course to help you
analyze some event or process that you’ve observed through the internship. Also, you should
respond to any questions that I have posed in my comments on your previous entries.
NOTE: it is essential that you submit your journal once a week. I will respond as quickly as
possible with my comments and suggestions for improvement. The point of this frequent contact
is to establish a regular dialogue between us, so that I can monitor your progress, and you can get
answers to your questions. I expect 1-2 pages single-spaced each week. I prefer that you submit
your journal entries to me via e-mail, as attached Word files, or cut and paste the text of your
entry into the body of your e-mail. Also, please be sure to specify the dates that each entry
covers (e.g., Week of January 25-29).
2. Informational Interview Reports – 2 reports, 3-5pp. dbl spcd each; due last day of classes
Informational interviewing is an excellent way to learn about various jobs and careers, while also
introducing yourself to potential future employers. Interview two individuals working in your
office. Your questions should focus on the nature of their work, how their career has developed
(their educational background, what jobs they held before, and how these helped them get their
current job), what they enjoy and dislike about their job, and what trends they see in their
position and the organization in which they work. Allot 20-30 minutes for each interview, and
then write a 3-5 page report for each interview, summarizing your findings. Your report should
be in essay format, not merely Q-and-A or bullet points. Guidelines for conducting an
informational interview can be found in many career or job search books in local bookstores.
Schedule the interviews as soon as you can, and write a rough draft of your report immediately
after conducting the interview, so that you don’t forget anything.
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3. Text Essay – 5-7 pages, double-spaced, due by midterm (or last day of classes, if 5-8 credit
option is chosen)
Write an essay in which you compare your internship experience with information and analysis
presented in an article or chapter from the assigned readings. To what extent does the author’s
analysis coincide with what you have experienced in your internship? In what ways has your
internship differed from what the author says one should expect? Consult with me if you have
more questions about this assignment.
4. Research Paper – 10 pages, double-spaced, due last day of classes
Write a research paper on a topic related to your internship work. This paper will combine
substantial research (making use of such resources available to you through your internship, as
well as some books/articles from the UofM Library) with analysis of your experiences and
observations as an intern. The main task is to do a substantial amount of research (at least 10
published sources), drawing upon the resources available to you as an intern, and to use that
evidence and your analytical skills to craft an argument regarding your topic.
Grading
3-4 credits
Weekly journal = 60%
Info’l Interviews = 40%
5-8 credits
Weekly journal = 40%
Info’l Interviews = 30%
Text Essay =
30%
9-12 credits
Weekly journal = 40%
Info’l Interviews = 10%
Text Essay =
25%
Research Paper = 25%
Your grade for this course will be based on both your academic work and your job performance
in your internship office. While I will be grading your journal and papers, I will also take into
account your supervisor’s evaluation of your job performance. Your internship is a mixture of
academic work and professional work. We expect you to come to work regularly and on time,
dressed professionally and willing to do whatever is asked of you (within reason, of course). I
will be in contact with your supervisor to see that you are performing to their satisfaction. If you
are not, we will investigate why this is. If I feel it is warranted because you are in fact not doing
your job there, I will lower your grade substantially (i.e., one or more letter grades).
NOTE: You MUST turn in a journal entry EVERY WEEK. If you do not, your grade will
be lowered. Students who fail to complete all required coursework by the end of the term
will be given an F for the course. Only under rare and dire circumstances will I grant
students an Incomplete (i.e., death in student’s immediate family, severe illness in student).
If you have any questions about the academic portion of your internship (about particular
assignments, readings, or grading), or about what your supervisors can reasonably expect you to
do for them, please don’t hesitate to send an e-mail, or to call me.
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Ethics of Internships
As an intern working in a government office or in politics, you may be privy to confidential or
sensitive political or personal information, which your intern supervisor will not want you to
disclose to those outside the office (or organization or party caucus, etc.). You should respect
and adhere to this norm of confidentiality, as it establishes trust between your internship
supervisor and yourself. Politics is virtually impossible without trust among those who share a
common set of political goals, and work together to achieve them. Violating this norm of
confidentiality undermines the trust upon which political action is based, and undermines in
particular the trust upon which internships and internship programs are based.
You should not reveal any confidential information learned through your internship to anyone
without your supervisor’s permission. It is also expected that you will not use your internship
experience, or confidential information gained through it, for immediate partisan or personal
advantage. For instance, you should not work for a member of one party, and then turn around
and immediately work for a member of another party, or that party’s legislative caucus; or work
for one group on an issue, and then work for a group on the other side of that issue, supplying the
latter group with sensitive information gathered through your first internship. Nor should you
use your internship as a stepping stone toward running in the next election against the Senator or
Representative for whom you just worked. This is unethical behavior, and also unwise from the
perspective of political strategy.
The only exception to the ethical standard of confidentiality is when you witness clearly illegal
activities. In such cases, it is not a breach of ethics to reveal this knowledge to the proper
authorities.
I leave it to you to determine what or how much you can reveal to me through your academic
work, but I give all interns the assurance that I will not divulge confidential information to
anyone. Your academic work is private, between you and me, and I will not disclose it to
anyone without your permission.
Again, if you have any questions about the academic portion of your internship (about particular
assignments, readings, or grading), or about what your supervisors can reasonably expect you to
do for them, please don’t hesitate to send an e-mail or call me.
Readings
Readings will be selected to match your internship work.