In a 2005 survey conducted by CollegeGrad.com, employers ranked internships/experience as one of the top three criteria they use in hiring college graduates.
Dedicated to providing students with the tools and experience they’ll need to succeed after college, the UWF Department of History offers numerous internship opportunities.
 |
Ashley Lyttle, public history graduate student, assisted in the research and editing process for the development of a museum exhibit titled “Collard Greens and Artistic Scenes: Stories of Pensacola Women of the 1930s,” displayed at the T. T. Wentworth Jr. Florida State Museum. “Seeing the completion of such a noteworthy project has been the most fulfilling experience in my graduate studies,” said Lyttle. “I have worked with and researched some of the most amazing women, all of whom have changed my life in some shape or fashion.” |
Securing Appropriate Internships
Students arrange an internship that will provide a suitable set of public
history focused experiences. This process will expand the student’s
communication, writing and organizational skills while providing them with
an understanding of the intangibles of the process. Throughout this process,
the student’s internship advisor will assist in making arrangements
and assuring that the placement will provide an appropriate cultivation
of skills as well as acceptable academic standards.
Internship Agreement
Once the student and the internship advisor secure an appropriate internship,
they and the sponsoring agency/organization sign an internship agreement.
This contract between the parties assures that the student will complete,
within the specified time period and number of internship hours, a specific
project or projects. This agreement assures that the sponsoring agency/organization
will receive a completed product, that the student will engage in beneficial
activities during their involvement and that the internship advisor will
verify that the process meets appropriate academic, professional and ethical
standards.
Internship Activities
Students engage in a specified project or projects, which incorporate applied
history skills and methodologies. As the student conducts these projects,
he/she will keep copies of all materials and documents used as well as records
of any meetings, discussions, similar projects and/or correspondence. Additionally,
the student will keep a detailed internship journal of daily actives and
experiences. To assure the success of the process, students will maintain
regular contact with their agency/organization supervisor as well as weekly
contact with their internship advisor. Students will provide regular written
updates of progress and activities.
Final Products
Upon completion of the internship, the student will submit all completed
product materials to the internship granting agency. As a reflection of
the student, UWF and the Department of History all materials must demonstrate
the highest academic, professional and ethical standards. Both the student
and the internship advisor will coordinate to verify compliance with these
standards.
Internship Report
Following the completion of the internship fieldwork phase, students will
prepare a comprehensive internship report. While the completed product will
contain the culmination of appropriate research, analytical, and communication
skills, the final summation will address the value of the experience, insights
as to the process, working as a professional, and conclusions to the process.
As an academic internship, the report must reflect both conventional and
applied history methodologies and approaches. As supporting documentation
to the internship, the report should include copies of all materials associated
with the experience, a copy of the final product and the student’s
internship journal. Similar to formal thesis procedures, the student will
complete the process by defending his/her internship before a departmental
committee. The report should serve as both an illustration of the intern’s
experiences for future activities, and as an example of a successful internship
project for future history students.
The report must contain the following sections:
Background/Internship Attainment: Section that describes the student’s coursework, experiences, activities with history projects and the process of securing the internship with the granting institution.
Project Methodologies and Procedures: Comprehensive section that describes the process of completing the internship. This should include, but is not limited to, history “tools” and skills applied during the internship, evaluation of difficulties encountered and discussion of any new concepts that emerged.
Conclusion and Recommendations
Section that addresses what the intern learned through the process. This
should include what specifically the student gained from the experience,
an evaluation of what activities remain for future projects, a discussion
of what worked and what did not work and what additional training or skills
would have improved the experience. This section should serve as a reflective
presentation designed to explain not only how the student benefited, but
also how future students can learn from the experience and use the work
as a starting point for future activities.
Internship Journal: Section that provides a daily assessment and discussion of activities completed for the internship. While this can include minutia such as traveling, lodging meals, etc., the purpose of the journal is to provide a reflective forum for understanding the internship and project process, the tools applied and the experiences learned.
Project Product and Appendices: Copy of the completed project materials that the intern submitted to the granting institution. If student completed a non-documentary based project (such as a program, exhibit, display, processed collection, etc.) supporting materials for the project are appropriate. Typically, the final product will contain a bibliography of materials used in the project.
Additional attached appendices should include pertinent materials about the acquisition, production and completion of the project. These should include communications, letters, e-mail copies, maps, photographs, contract copies and a non-product related bibliography as necessary.
Time Requirements
Although the duration of the experience must be determined by the scope
of the project, the demands of the granting agency or institution and the
needs of the student, each internship must include a minimum of 200 fieldwork
hours to fulfill the six (6) hour internship requirement. Because of the
extensive requirements for the internship, students should consider undertaking
their internship during the summer months between the spring and fall semesters.
Although this is only a suggestion, this arrangement provides both available
time outside of semester coursework for internship work and the remaining
semesters to complete and defend the report.
Grading
While students receive no formal letter grade for the internship, successful
completion depends upon three factors:
