The internship course enables students to acquire practical experience in a variety of professional settings that draw on the skills in reading and writing that Business and Technical Writing and English courses develop. It also enables students to test the practical range of some of the ideas presented in their coursework and to experience first-hand some of the career possibilities available to writers.

All placements must be approved by the Internship Director, and approval will depend both on the general suitability of the career field in question and the specific tasks and projects that the placement will entail. All internships must require some work with writing or with the close observation of or assistance with writing in the workplace. Students who sign up for the internship must EITHER have successfully completed at least one course in Business and Technical Writing OR have declared the English major and successfully completed Principles of Literary Study. You do not need to be an English major to complete a Writing Internship.

To begin the registration process, please submit the Internship Application Form. If your application is accepted you will receive a Special Permission Number from the Internship Director with which to register for the course. If your employer needs a letter to certify your internship credits, please send the Internship Director the name and address for that letter.

For a complete description of the internship course please explore the links in this site (in the navigation bar to your left): Work Component, Academic Component, Supervisor's Duties, FAQs, Placements, Class Syllabus, and Forum Instructions.

Below is a summary of the internship:

A. Setting Up an Internship

B. Requirements

B1. Work Component
B2. Academic Component

C. Contact the Internship Director

A. Setting Up an Internship

• Locating a potential internship position is currently the responsibility of the student, but we hope to offer contacts and assistance in finding Placements the near future. As Placements and other contacts become available, they will be posted on our Web site. Meanwhile, students may find information on internships at the Career Services office on their campus.

• Submit the Internship Application Form to have your work placement approved and to receive a special permission number for registration.

• Contact the Internship Director to have a letter submitted to your employer. Be sure to include the name and complete address of your site supervisor with your message.
  
  

• Once your internship has been approved, be sure to fill out the Internship Contract with your supervisor so that you will have no misunderstandings about mutual expectations. You may return the contract to the Internship Director in person, through campus mail to the Department of English / Murray Hall / CAC, or by sending it to:
  
  Barclay Barriosr, Internship Director
  Rutgers University
  Department of English / Murray Hall
  510 George Street
  New Brunswick, NJ 08901

B. Requirements

There are two components to the internship course:

B1. the Work Component
B2. the Academic Component

B1. Work Component

The Work Component will constitute 40% of your grade for 395 or 396.

• Hours worked:
  In order to achieve a passing grade, all interns must work a minimum 120 hours throughout the term of the internship. The intern should keep track of hours worked using the Internship Time Sheet and have the supervisor certify the sheet with his or her signature.

• Supervisor's duties:
  The organizational supervisor (i.e., the person to whom you report at your internship and who is responsible for assigning you tasks) will help you fill out the Internship Contract and will certify your Internship Time Sheet on a monthly basis. The supervisor is also asked to submit a Midterm Evaluation and a Final Evaluation of your work.

• Your work duties:
  Your most important duties are to follow your supervisor's instructions, to practice good work habits, and to keep good track of your hours while working (using the Internship Time Sheets, which you must submit to the Internship Director, signed by your supervisor, at midterm and semester meetings). As part of the academic component, you are encouraged to keep a journal of your experiences and you must collect a folder of workplace writing that you have either observed or worked upon (these documents will be kept confidential to protect company information). It is your responsibility to report problems with your work assignment to the Internship Director as soon as possible. It is especially imperative that you inform the Internship Director if you are not being given any writing-related assignments.

• Assessment of work:
  Quality of work at the internship will be assessed by the organizational supervisor in the Midterm Evaluation and Final Evaluation.
  

B2. Academic Component

Beginning Fall 2001, all interns must participate in an online class to fulfill the Academic Component of the internship. The class will require forum responses to readings about writing in the workplace and the completion of an 8-12 page paper on a topic related to the internship experience. The Class Syllabus is part of this site. You can also find Instructions on Using the Forum and a link to the Course Forum. Grades for the internship will be the same as those for other academic work at the University: A, B+, B, C+, C, D, F, TF. A TF will be awarded for incomplete work, and may require that students repeat either the academic or work portion of the internship.

C. Contact the Internship Director

The internship director for the Spring 2004 academic semester will be:

Barclay Barrios, Internship Director
Rutgers University
Department of English, Murray Hall
510 George Street
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
(732) 445-2106 FAX: (732) 445-5654
barclay.barrios@rutgers.edu
http://www.barclaybarrios.com

Please address all internship related matters to the Internship Director.