Internships - General Information and Guidelines

The faculty of the Political Science Department encourage students to undertake internship experiences during their college years, and makes this possible by granting academic credit for such experiences. For students wishing to receive academic credit, the following guidelines apply:

Students should consult with Dr. Terri Jett in the Political Science Department (JH347B) because Dr. Jett coordinates all political science internships. Every intern requires a Political Science faculty sponsor who is responsible for providing guidance and evaluating the academic component of the internship. Generally the faculty sponsor will be Dr. Jett, but in some instances another member of the department will make a more appropriate guide and evaluator. Additional information about internships may be obtained from the Liberal Arts Works program coordinator, Jennifer Brockway (JH214). Ms Brockway maintains files on internship opportunities in Indianapolis, Washington, D.C. and overseas.
Students pursuing an internship for political science credit must enroll in PO380 Politics Practicum (3 credit hours). This course meets once a week and is designed to provide interns with the opportunity to interact regularly throughout the semester with Dr. Jett and their intern colleagues. This course may be taken more than once. Student interns in D.C. or abroad are expected to communicate electronically or by telephone with Dr. Jett (or their faculty sponsor) on a weekly basis.
In a given semester, a student may enroll for 9 hours of internship credit, but ONLY THREE HOURS OF INTERNSHIP CREDIT (PO380 Political Practicum) will count toward the political science major. In another semester, a student may enroll for more internship credit, but again, only THREE HOURS OF INTERNSHIP CREDIT (PO380 Political Practicum) will count toward the political science major. Thus, A LIMIT OF 6 HOURS OF INTERNSHIP CREDITS will count toward the major. All remaining internship credit hours earned will count toward the LAS 40 hours of upper division credit requirement.
The Department of Political Science allows a maximum of 15 HOURS OF UNIVERSITY CREDIT for all internships, which includes the maximum of 6 hours of Political Science internship hours (includes two different internships of 3 credits each, PO380 Politics Practicum) that will apply towards the major.

There are a variety of exciting opportunities for internships, especially in Indianapolis. In recent years, for example, Butler students have interned with the Democratic and Republican party caucuses in the Indiana legislature; the Mayor's Office; the Governor's Office; and numerous organizations that lobby with the State legislature.

Internship Guidelines for PO 403, 404, 405

Students may earn varying amounts of university elective credit hours depending on the amount of time devoted to the internship and the amount of academic work associated with the internship.

PO 403 - Two credit hours - for placements involving between five and seven hours per week. Academic work generally includes, but is not limited to, one five to seven page paper. Prerequisite: one upper level Political Science course.
PO 404 - Three credit hours - for placements involving between eight and seventeen hours per week. Academic work generally includes, but is not limited to, one ten-page paper. Prerequisite: one upper level Political Science course.
PO 405 - Six credit hours - for placements involving between eighteen and twenty-six hours per week. Academic work generally includes, but is not limited to, one THIRTY-page paper. Prerequisite: two upper level Political Sciences courses.

As indicated above, every intern requires a Political Science faculty sponsor to oversee the academic component of the internship. Students should alert Dr. Jett to their desire to pursue an internship and work with her to determine whether another member of the department should be involved with the internship. A signature from Dr. Jett or the faculty sponsor must be obtained prior to registration for course credit. Consultation with the faculty is strongly recommended prior to accepting an internship position. At least ten days prior to beginning an internship position, the student and faculty sponsor must consult to accomplish the following:

Clarify internship position: The student should be able to produce a written job description from the agency or person supervising the internship. The job must be more intellectually rewarding than running errands for "interesting" people.
Unless other arrangements are explicitly made, the student will submit a first draft of the term paper to the faculty sponsor at least ten days before the end of the classes. A final draft of the report will be due on the first day of exams.
Begin research agenda: This involves defining the academic focus of the internship. Questions should be addressed such as, What can be learned on this job? What outside reading will be helpful to help understand the political processes involved in the job? What sort of information can be gathered while on the job? What sort of paper will be appropriate to write?
Throughout the internship, interns will be required to keep a log of activities and observations. This log should be legible. It may serve as the basis for reports to the faculty advisor, for insights about the process, and/or as a place to record new data. By week four, the intern and faculty sponsor must agree on the final basis for evaluating the internship. In most cases this will be a blend of on the job learning and reflective writing.
The student will consult with faculty as needed, but no less than once every two weeks. If the intern placement is out of town, consultation can be by phone, e-mail or letter, but consultation must be maintained. It is the student's responsibility to initiate consultations. It is the faculty member's responsibility to be available for consultation.
Before the end of the term the student intern must see that her or his job supervisor sends the faculty sponsor a brief evaluation of the intern's performance and activities.