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 faculty mentor, Pete Ellertsen, 211 Beata Hall (old Ursuline convent), telephone 525-1420 x519. email: pellertsen@sci.edu. Office hours TBA. Home: 545 Feldkamp, Springfield, IL 62704. tel. 793-2587.

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 faculty mentor, division chair, and at least a 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 Communication Arts program may have a lead or recommendation, but you are not guaranteed an internship opportunity by the Communication Arts program. 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. Students are required to initiate their internships with Career Development Coordinator Marion Hitchens, whose office is located in the Resource Center, Becker Library L-36, and to follow her instructions in addition to fulfilling the Communication Arts program course requirements listed below.

II. Textbooks. All written work for all communications classes, including COMM 297, will conform to The Associated Press Stylebook and Libel Manual. Preferred editorial style at your workplace, of course, may vary. Supplemental texts may be assigned at the discretion of the faculty mentor.

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.

• Students will gain practical communications experience in a workplace setting.
• Students will reflect on that experience and its relation to theories taught in the classroom.
• Other goals may be stipulated at the discretion of the student and faculty mentor. 

B. Student Learning Objectives. Upon completion of the course, students will be able to demonstrate mastery of specific skills required in the performance of duties at the worksite, to be agreed upon by the student and the faculty mentor and stipulated in a Learning Contract. These skills should relate to one of more of the following Communication Arts program objectives:

1. Prepare graduates for careers in advertising, electronic and print media, journalism, public relations, publishing, writing or other careers requiring sophisticated communications skills;

2. Prepare graduates for continued study in graduate or professional school;

3. Develop the student's critical and imaginative thinking, reading and writing skills;

4. Develop skills to empower the student to communicate ideas effectively, through speaking, writing and the use of technology;

5. Develop skills for critical interpretation of the media;

6. Foster aesthetic understanding in both production and interpretation of media texts;

7. Develop knowledge of the methods to make responsible social and personal decisions;

8. Develop primary and secondary research methodologies;

9. Develop an understanding of the history, structure and operation of the mass media;

10. Provide an understanding of the impact of mass media industries and messages on the individual, society and culture;

11. Develop professional-level skills in written and oral communication for a variety of media and audiences;

12. Develop professional-level production skills for both print and electronic media;

13. Encourage the development of creative expression; and

14. Help the student develop a professional media portfolio.

V. Teaching Methods. Please see Course Requirements below.

In registering for COMM 297, the student must: (1) Fill out all forms required by the Career Services Office and secure signatures of the university officials listed on all documents pertaining to the internship; (2) negotiate with the faculty mentor an individualized Learning Contract setting academic goals and objectives for the learning experience, and obtain a job description from his/her on-site supervisor, who also will sign the Learning Contract; and (4) fulfill such other requirements as may be required by the Career Services Office.

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 onsite work). The student may register for fewer hours with consent of the faculty advisor; 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. JOURNAL - The student is expected to keep timesheets and journals of work done at the internship site, which will be filed with the Career Services Office and discussed at regular intervals (see below) with the faculty mentor. The internship journal should contain a detailed list of duties and tasks performed, but students are not required to divulge unpublished findings of investigative journalism, marketing strategies, personnel policies and issues, and/or any other information considered by management at their work site to be proprietary or confidential.

C. FINAL PAPER - The student will prepare a 5- to 7-page self-reflective essay on the internship experience, based on the journal he/she has maintained through the semester and relating his/her learning experience to program goals of the Communication Arts program. This essay will be turned into the faculty mentor by the last day of regularly scheduled classes in the semester. 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, the exact nature of which can vary according to the policies and procedures in place at the worksite.

E. IN-PERSON MEETINGS WITH FACULTY MENTOR - The student is expected to meet with the faculty mentor four to five times during the academic term to reflect on the work experience and what the student is learning from the experience. The student is encouraged to use these conferences to discuss his/her journals and begin planning for the reflective essay due at the end of the semester.

F. OTHER REQUIREMENTS - Students must initiate their internship with the Career Services Office and follow the policies, procedures and guidelines required by that office. Certain deliverables, including but not limited to a resume, timesheets and journals, also will be required by the Career Services Office in addition to the requirements outlined in this syllabus. The faculty mentor’s administrative role is limited to setting academic goals and objectives, meeting with the student periodically to discuss the learning experience and awarding the student’s grade in COMM 297. It is the student’s responsibility to comply with Career Services Office rules and regulations, and the student will deal directly with that office regarding all requirements not enumerated in Section VI of this syllabus.

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

• FINAL PAPER - 50%
• SUPERVISOR EVALUATION - 30%
• IN-PERSON MEETINGS WITH FACULTY MENTOR - 20%

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.

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.

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.

January 25      -     Last day to add courses

January 25     -      Last day to drop a course without a W (4:00 p.m.)

April 5            -       Last day to drop courses

VIII. Course Outline and/or Calendar. TBA.

IX. 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.

X. 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.