HUM 555 – Humanities Master’s Internships A primer and guide Background and Description of Internship Experience Certain students in the M.A. in Humanities curriculum might benefit from a practicum—an internship-style experience that would involve their working in the field to achieve particular aims and goals related to their broader educational goals in the M.A. program. The goal of having this course is to offer eligible students an opportunity to earn course credit outside of the classroom setting, similar to the undergraduate internship experience. This practicum experience must combine aspects of 1) research; 2) authorship and manuscript generation; and 3) presentation / education in order to qualify. This means students must be actively engaged in supervised research in an approved facility, must compose materials that supports that facility, and must present their materials in a professional or pedagogical setting in some capacity in order to qualify. For example, a student could complete a practicum experience in a museum, archive, or historical society, working underneath the supervision of the area personnel, cataloguing materials, researching components of them, and presenting those materials in some public capacity. Students may also complete teaching internships in the college classroom, provided they are adequately supervised. Criteria In order to be approved, the practicum experience must 1) be connected to a facility that has an educational purpose (though the goal of the organization need not solely be educational, and the manner of education would align to the organization); 2) allow for the research and generation of original materials, whether for internal or external publication; and 3) require the student to present the materials or related material in an educational manner. Students are eligible for a practicum experience 1) if they have been accepted into the MA Humanities program; 2) if the goals of the practicum align directly with the goals of their program; and 3) if the experience would be deemed to enrich the student’s M.A. educational goals. Internship Requirements The internship requires a minimum of 120 hours completed on site during the given semester or term. Students would be evaluated based on their site supervisor’s report and the generated materials. Students would also be expected to maintain a practicum journal and complete other assignments relevant to the internship experience, which will be detailed in their internship application. Students must also hand in a portfolio of all materials generated for the internship and complete an exit interview with their faculty internship director. Students will meet periodically with their faculty and/or site internship director based on a calendar set out at the beginning of the internship experience. The journal, portfolio, and paper are all due on the last day of classes during the semester or term in which the internship occurs. The exit interview must be completed prior to the conclusion of the final exam period. Internships in the M.A. Humanities program will receive letter grades. The grading of these courses will be bound by the policies impacting all M.A. Humanities grading.