SOCY 499

SOCY 499
INTERNSHIP (WI)

Catalog Entry

SOCY 499. Internship (WI)
Credit Hours (1-12).

Prerequisites: Students must complete 12 hours of sociology and have permission of the department chair.

Students must get approval of the department on the proposed program and agency in the semester preceding that in which the internship is anticipated. The course may carry one to twelve hours credit a semester and may be repeated to a maximum of 12 hours credit. Only three credit hours may be counted toward the sociology major.

Note(s): Applied Learning designated course. Offered as required.

Detailed Description of Content of Course

The sociology internship includes a field placement in a private or public agency related to the student's area of study and a bi-weekly seminar. The student works with designated agency personnel, receives an overview of agency functions, and completes assigned tasks within the agency. The bi-weekly seminar provides an opportunity for interns to meet as a group with the internship coordinator to discuss common issues across all agency settings. The internship coordinator will assign readings on topics which directly or indirectly affect various professional settings. Aspects of organizational behavior will be considered to enable the students to better understand on-the-job experiences, as well as to provide an opportunity to relate sociological theory and methods to practice.

Detailed Description of Conduct of Course

The major instructional strategies in this course are field experience and cooperative/group learning. Through field experience, students will be exposed to the qualifications and work requirements of various public and private agencies. The student will apply the theory and methods learned in their prior course work to a practical work setting. Participating agencies will permit students to become involved in the work of their agency and, when possible, make contributions to the agency. In the bi-weekly seminar, students will discuss their internship experiences and through cooperative group learning will exchange theoretical and practical information for the purpose of creative problem solving at their individual work sites.

Goals and Objectives of the Course

After successful completion of SOCY 499, students will have:

1. participated in a seminar which will introduce them to a variety of agencies in the private and public sector which may utilize the training of sociology graduates;
2. comprehended the communications, decision-making, and problem-solving mechanisms used by agencies in providing services for their clients;
3. observed the styles used by agency staff in interacting with clients and other staff members;
4. applied sociological theory and method in a practical work setting.

Assessment Measures

The above student outcomes will be assessed as follows:

Goal #1: This goal will be assessed by written assignments designed to interrelate the variety of internship experiences which will be discussed in the bi-weekly seminar.
Goal #2: This goal will be assessed by a mid-semester and end-of-semester comprehensive evaluation by the supervising staff at the agency of placement.
Goal #3: This goal will be assessed by a daily journal which will include observations of agency staff and the intern interacting with clients and other staff members.
Goal #4. This goal will be assessed by a term project designed by the agency supervisor with the student intern and approved by the internship supervisor. This project will relate the course material to the practical work setting.

Other Course Information

Not applicable.

Review and Approval

DATE ACTION REVIEWED
January, 2004 Reviewed Peggy A. Shifflett

April, 2011

March 01, 2021