Syllabus for CRJS/SOC 368 Internship

Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice
Old Dominion University

Internship Director/Faculty Supervisor: Dr. Chappell
Office Phone: 757-683-4041
Office: BAL 6006 Office Hours: By appt.
Email: achappel@odu.edu
Fax: 757-683-5634

Course Description

The internship course requires students to complete a specific number of hours at an organization or agency that relates to their major. Academic assignments include keeping a daily journal, submitting an approved resume, and completing a research paper. The research paper requires students to review scholarly research on a topic that relates to their internship, and discuss the relationship between the scholarly research and their internship experience. All assignments require students to apply academic knowledge to "real world" settings.

Objectives
Upon completion of the course, the successful student will be able to:
1. Understand the organizational structure and functions of the placement agency.
2. Appreciate the relationship between academic and experiential knowledge.
3. Apply critical analysis skills to "real world" settings.
4. Describe experiences and personal growth during the semester.
5. Clarify educational and professional goals.
*Course Call Numbers vary depending on the number of credit hours. All students must register for at least three credits of CRJS 368 or SOC 368.
*Students must obtain permission from the faculty director before registering for the course.
*All Internships must be approved by the faculty director. Please do not begin working until you have obtained approval.

Course Requirements
1. Complete a Resume
Students must complete a resume and have it reviewed and approved by Alice Jones or Matthew Myers in the Career Management Center (BAL 1006) prior to scheduling internship interviews. At the end of the semester, students must turn in a copy of the updated resume (that includes their internship experience) with final materials.

2. Establish an Email Account
You can establish an email account by visiting one of the computer labs on campus. Email will be used by both the faculty director and interns to communicate issues and concerns. Students are responsible for information sent via email.

3. Internship Approval
All Internships must be approved by Dr. Chappell, the Faculty Director, before work can begin. Failure to obtain approval will result in an "F" grade in the course. In order to obtain approval, please send (or have your supervisor send) a detailed description of your duties/responsibilities/roles at your internship to Dr. Chappell via email or fax. If the internship is approved, you will receive an email confirming approval. It is advised that you keep a copy of this approval for your records.

4. Complete a Learning Contract
The learning contract must be completed and signed by the student and the field supervisor (supervisor at your internship). It is available here: http://www.odu.edu/ao/cmc/al/info.shtml#intern.

5. Decide Number of Hours you will complete at your internship (in consultation with placement supervisor)
50 volunteer hours are required for each academic credit taken (i.e., 3 credits of course work = 150 volunteer hours). You must register for at least 3 credit hours. Hours must be completed prior to submission of your materials at the end of the semester. Always call your field supervisor when there is any change in your scheduled hours including tardiness and/or absences. Library research associated with your research paper may NOT be counted toward your hours.

6. Keep a Time Sheet
Students are required to keep a time sheet documenting the number of hours worked. Your supervisor must sign your time sheet either weekly, or at the end of the internship, to verify the number of hours you have worked. Only those hours directly associated with your placement may be counted toward the internship.

7. Keep an Internship Journal
You must keep an internship journal in which you critically reflect upon and analyze your internship experience. The journal is to be a self-conscious effort at thinking about what you are learning. Notes, reflections, insights, connections, and critiques from work experiences, readings, and other relevant experiences are to be recorded in your journal. Journal entries should reflect a serious effort to synthesize theory and practice. You are expected to write in the journal each time you work at the agency. Each journal entry should be at least 3/4 of a page in length. Journals may be typed or hand-written.

8. Complete a Research Paper
The Internship will conclude with a research paper based on your internship experience. This paper must be approximately 10-15 pages long for 3 hours credit and 15-20 pages long for 6 hours credit. Half of the paper is a "traditional" research paper on a topic that relates to the internship. To prepare this half of the paper, conduct a literature search to identify appropriate peer-reviewed, scholarly journal articles and books. The remaining half of the paper should relate your internship experiences to the research literature available on your topic. In this part of the paper, you should describe your internship experience in light of the available research on your topic. It is recommended that you prepare an outline that includes an introduction and a conclusion.

It is a good idea to start thinking about a topic at the onset of your internship. As soon as you have a tentative topic, conduct a literature search using the ODU library databases available online (e.g., Sociological Abstracts, Criminal Justice Abstracts). After locating journal articles, (as well as some books and government documents) you should read and annotate them. Then, summarize the research literature you identify. You must include at least 5 peer-reviewed journal articles in your paper. Please see Dr. Chappell for assistance with selecting a paper topic and locating peer-reviewed journal articles.

There are numerous topics you can do your research paper on. For example, an intern with a police agency might summarize the research on the use of police discretion, and then compare his/her actual experiences with discretion to the available literature.

Consider the following questions: What issues related to your topic does the research literature address? Does your intern experience coincide with the research literature you reviewed? How so? In sum, compare and contrast your experiences during your internship to the research literature on the topic. Students who fail to conduct library research, and those who only summarize their experiences, will not pass the course.

All research papers must have a title page that includes the title of the paper, student's name and UIN, and the course name/CRN. Please number all pages. Include a reference page (bibliography/works cited) at the end of your paper. All sources listed on your reference page must be cited in the text of your paper, and all cites within paper must be included on your reference page. NOTE: All work must be original. Academic Dishonesty/plagiarism will not be tolerated. Please see your student handbook for a detailed discussion of what constitutes academic dishonesty, as well as the University procedures designed to prevent it. Please see Dr. Chappell, another professor, or the Writing Center if you have questions.

Grading
This course is available for Pass/Fail grading only. Students will be graded on both their academic performance (75%) and their supervisor work evaluations (25%). Supervisors and students will be mailed an evaluation by the Career Management Center at the end of the semester. Students must have a satisfactory work performance evaluation to receive a passing grade. Failing any one of the academic components or an unsatisfactory work evaluation will result in an F.

You are responsible for turning in your updated resume (reflecting internship experience), time sheet (signed by your supervisor), journal, and research paper by the due date. *Note: many students want to have their materials returned once grading is completed. I will keep your internship materials in my office for one semester, and then they will be destroyed. If you want your materials, please be sure to pick them up during the following semester.