Appalachian Studies 480

APST 480: Appalachian Studies Internship

Credit Hours: (3-15)

Prerequisites: Junior or senior standing; 2.0 minimum overall grade point average and permission of instructor.

Each hour of credit will require a total of forty hours on the job. Course counts up to three hours toward fulfillment of course requirements for an Appalachian Studies minor. One-semester internship with public or private agency in Appalachia. Student will receive academic and agency supervision.

Note(s): The course will be graded on a pass/fail basis.

Detailed Description of Content of Course

The purpose of the this course is to provide students with an academic or professional interest in Appalachia an opportunity to further their studies through an on-site experience. Such an activity affords the students the occasion and ability to apply the content of their course work to practical situations and to encounter learning experiences unavailable in the classroom

Detailed Description of Content of Course

Formal internship arrangements are contracted by the faculty supervisor and the responsible agency representative. However, students themselves may informally initiate such arrangements. Students must meet all qualifications required by the agency (age, citizenship, physical background checks, employment examinations, etc.) and agree to meet the normal standards (hair length, dress, conduct codes) for employees of the agency. Student applicants must be interviewed and accepted for the internship by both the agency and the faculty supervisor.

The agency supervisor will be responsible for the training, instruction, and duty assignments of the intern; issuance of all equipment required for the intern's performance of duties; maintenance of attendance and performance records; and a final evaluation report on the intern.

The faculty supervisor will contact the intern periodically for a progress check, making any appropriate academic assignments in conjunction with the internship.

Upon receipt of the agency supervisor's report and evaluation of the intern, and after grading all academic assignments made during the internship, the faculty supervisor will award a course grade of P or F to the intern.

The internship will require up to forty hours of work a week for fifteen weeks; the student will earn three to fifteen hours credit. (Number of hours worked per week will be determined by the number of credit hours being earned; each hour of credit will require forty hours on the job.)

Goals and Objectives of the Course

The internship affords the student the opportunity to apply concepts learned in on-campus courses to off-campus situations within the Appalachian region. The internship experience makes the student a more attractive job prospect in many areas with an Appalachian orientation. Toward this end the internship facilitates interchange between faculty and off-campus professionals, which in turn improves the quality of the Appalachian Studies Program as a whole, and promotes career preparation. The internship also provides a community service by placing students in often over-worked and under-staffed public agencies.

Assessment Measures

The student intern will be expected to conduct herself/himself as an employee of the agency and will be evaluated for such conduct (attendance, quality and quantity of work performed, ability to cooperate with others in the agency, etc.). The intern will perform the following minimum tasks for the faculty supervisor:

(1) maintain a written record (log) of daily activities and experiences in the agency;
(2) contact the faculty supervisor periodically for progress checks; and
(3) write a summary paper on the career and educational value of the internship. Other academic assignments may be made by the faculty supervisor during the internship.

The agency supervisor will submit a final evaluation report on the intern's conduct and work. Upon receipt of the agency supervisor's evaluation report, and after grading all academic assignments made during the internship, the faculty supervisor will award a course grade of P (Pass) or F (Fail) to the intern.

Other Course Information

None

Review and Approval
September 2001 Reviewed by Dr. Grace Toney Edwards, Chair

Demember, 2009