Communications 297: Internship
Benedictine University at Springfield
Fall Semester 2008

www.sci.edu/classes/ellertsen/masscomm/comm297syllabus.html

Communications 297 is an internship course. Students will perform editorial, public relations or other communications duties at workplace, hereinafter refered to as the work site, and meet several times during the semester with the internship coordinator, Pete Ellertsen, Beata Hall (old Ursuline convent), telephone 525-1420x519. e-mail: pellertsen@sci.edu. Office hours TBA. Home: 545 Feldkamp, Springfield, IL 62704. tel. 793-2587.

I. Course Description.

Course Title: Internship
Course Number: COMM 297
Credits: 1.00-3.00

Description
Practical experience in public relations, electronic media, journalism, advertising or multimedia supervised by the Communication Arts department. Up to three internship hours may be applied toward the 39 hour major requirement. Up to 12 hours may apply toward the 120 hours for graduation.

Prerequisites
Consent of internship coordinator, department chair, and at least 3.0 G.P.A.

The internship experience is designed to give the student practical, real world experience in a focused area of his/her choice. Through a variety of hands-on experiences, the student should expect to be better prepared for future employment experiences. It is the sole responsibility of the student to secure the internship experience. The department may have a lead or recommendation, but you are not guaranteed an internship opportunity by the Communication Arts Department. Further, the department makes no promises or guarantees concerning the quality of the internship. Each student's Learning Contract [see below] will state his/her prescribed goals and outcomes, and it is the responsibility of the internship site that mutual goals are met. The student should also understand that while he/she may be working at a location outside of Benedictine, this is still considered a course, and the student is receiving academic credit for this experience. Therefore, the student will have to pay tuition and register for each credit hour earned.

II. Textbooks. All written work for communications classes will conform to The Associated Press Stylebook and Libel Manual. Preferred editorial style at your workplace, of course, may vary.

III. Mission statement of Benedictine University. Benedictine dedicates itself to the education for the undergraduate and graduated students from diverse ethnic, racial and religious backgrounds. As academic community committed to liberal arts and professional education distinguished and guided by its Roman Catholic tradition and Benedictine heritage - the University prepares its students for a lifetime as active, informed and responsible citizens and leaders in the world Community.

IV. Goals, objectives and outcomes.

A. Goals.


B. Student Learning Objectives. Upon completion of the course, students will be able to:

V. Teaching Methods.

VI. Course Requirements.

In order to begin the internship experience, the student must do the following: (1) Meet with the departmental internship coordinator to discuss requirements; (2) fill out a Request for Internship form and secure signatures of the SCI/Benedictine officials listed on that document; (3) negotiate an individualized Learning Contract with the internship coordinator, and obtain signatures from his/her on-site supervisor and academic advisor. The department internship coordinator give final approval to this form. You will NOT be credited with any hours until the the Request for Internship and Learning Contract are completely filled out and all signatures have been obtained.

INTERNSHIP REQUIREMENTS

A. ON-SITE HOURS - The student is required to complete a MINIMUM of 50 on-site hours for every credit hour earned (e.g., a three hour internship requires 150- plus hours of on site work). The student may register for ewer hours with consent of the departmental internship coordinator; if the original projection of hours proves to be incorrect (i.e., too high or too low), the student will need to DROP the internship for the original allotment of credit hours, and ADD the course for the revised number of projected credit hours. This needs to be taken care of before the semester drop date.


B. DAILY JOURNAL - The student is expected to keep a daily journal of work done at the internship site. Students should deliver the journal to the department coordinator before their in-person meetings, if possible, or else bring the journal with them for the meetings. The internship journal should contain a complete detailing of duties and tasks performed. Further, it should provide insight into the internship experience for the department coordinator. The journal will be kept confidential between the student and coordinator, and therefore the student is asked to write all entries with complete candor.

C. FINAL PAPER - The student will prepare a 5- to 7-page paper on the internship experience. It should be structured approximately as follows:

  1. INTRODUCTION - A history/background of the department/company.
  2. BODY - A synthesis of the journal entries into a narrative form. The body of the
    paper should explain the processes, projects, and learning experiences acquired by
    the student during the internship period.
  3. CONCLUSION - Would you recommend this internship experience to future
    Benedictine students? Why, or why not?

D. SUPERVISOR EVALUATION - The immediate supervisor of the student will be asked to evaluate the student intern along a number of applicable criteria.

E. IN-PERSON MEETINGS WITH DEPARTMENT INTERNSHIP COORDINATOR - The student is expected to meet with the department coordinator in-person four to five times during the academic term.

VI. Means of Evaluation. Grades are weighted as follows:

Academic Integrity Statement. Academic and professional environments require honesty and integrity, and these qualities are expected of every student at Springfield College-Benedictine University. In accordance with such expectations, academic integrity requires that you credit others for their ideas. Plagiarism, whether intentional or not, is a grievous offense. Any time you use words or ideas that are not your own, you must give credit to the author, whether or not you are quoting directly from that author. Failure to do so constitutes plagiarism.

Any incident of plagiarism and/or academic dishonesty may result in serious consequences. Penalties for academic dishonesty vary depending on the severity or extent of the problem but are always serious.

The following are consequences you may face for academic dishonesty:

• a failing grade or “zero” for the assignment;

• dismissal from and a failing grade for the course; or

• dismissal from the Institution.

Please refer to the Springfield College Benedictine University Catalog or the Student Handbook for a complete discussion of the Academic Integrity policy.  

Professionals in the communications industry are held to even higher standards of ethics. Plagiarism can result in immediate termination from a job; if published works are plagiarized, the offense often involves copyright infringement, which is a violation of federal law. A standard legal reference defines plagiarism as “[t]he deliberate and knowing presentation of another person's original ideas or creative expressions as one's own” and explains: “Generally, plagiarism is immoral but not illegal. If the expression's creator gives unrestricted permission for its use and the user claims the expression as original, the user commits plagiarism but does not violate copyright laws. If the original expression is copied without permission, the plagiarist may violate copyright laws, even if credit goes to the creator. …"  8 Black's Law Dictionary 1187 (2004).

The instructor's grading scale is as follows: A = 100-90. B = 89-80. C = 79-70. D = 69-60. E = 59-0. Please note, the letter grade of “E” has been changed to a letter grade of “F.”

 

Grade Appeal Process. According to the Springfield College Catalog, grade appeals must be initiated 90 days prior to the end of one semester after the course in question has been completed. The process for appealing a grade is outlined below.

            First, contact the Instructor.

1.A student must appeal to his/her instructor in writing (e-mail is acceptable) and provide specific reasons why his/her grade should be changed.

2.The instructor must respond to the student in writing (e-mail is acceptable) and provide a copy to the division chair.

Second, contact the Division Chair.

3.If the student wishes, he/she may then appeal to the division chair in writing (e-mail is acceptable) and provide specific reasons why his/her grade should be changed without the instructor’s permission. The student should understand that overwhelming evidence must be presented to the division chair to prove that the current grade is incorrect.

4. The division chair must respond to the student in writing (e-mail is acceptable)      and provide a copy to the academic dean.

Lastly, contact the Academic Dean.

5.         If the student wishes, he/she may appeal to the academic dean in writing (e-        mail is acceptable) and provide specific reasons why his/her grade should be        changed without the instructor’s or the division chair’s permission. The student             should understand that   overwhelming evidence must be presented to the academic dean to prove the grade is incorrect.

6.         The academic dean must respond to the student in writing (e-mail is        acceptable). The academic dean’s decision is final.

 

Add/Drop Dates.  Last day to add courses is Aug. 22. Last day to drop a course without a "W" is Aug. 22. Last day to drop courses is Oct. 24.

 

Incomplete Request. To qualify for an “I” grade, a minimum of 75% of the course work must be completed          with a passing grade, and a student must submit a completed Request for an  Incomplete form to the Registrar’s Office.  The form must be completed by both student          and instructor, but it is the student’s responsibility (not the instructor’s) to initiate this process and obtain the necessary signatures.

 

Student Withdrawal Procedure. It is the student’s responsibility to officially withdraw from a course by completing the appropriate form, with appropriate signatures, and returning the completed form to the Advising Office.  Please refer to the Student Handbook for important financial information related to withdrawals.

           

VII. Course Outline and/or Calendar. TBA.

VIII. Americans with Disabilities Act. Benedictine University at Springfield College in Illinois provides individuals with disabilities reasonable accommodations to participate in educational programs, actives and services. Students with disabilities requiring accommodations to participate in class activities or meet course requirements should contact the Director of the Resource Center as early as possible.

IX. Assessment. Goals, objectives, and learning outcomes to be assessed will be stated in the Learning Contract. Primary means of assessment will be self-reflective essays and examination of any portfolio artifacts.

Final exam schedule TBA.