STUDENT INTERNSHIP INFORMATION

The details below apply to SMST313C Screen and Media Internship (formerly 0211.313C)
Taken towards a major in Screen and Media Studies (as part of the BA degree)

Course coordinator: Geoff Lealand and Lisa Perrott
Internal assessment/examination ratio: 1:0
Papers limited to 5 students per semester.

The internship papers provide students with an opportunity to encounter and reflect on workplace practice in the screen and media industry. The experience gained helps to prepare students for a career within screen or media.

Criteria for admission

The normal criteria for enrolment in this paper are the completion of the second year SMST programme, a minimum B+ grade in SMST207 and the approval of the intern contract by the Coordinator of Internships. The first two requirements may be waived in exceptional circumstances.

PLEASE NOTE: Students cannot enrol in SMST313 without the Internship Coordinator's approval.
Students must meet with the internship coordinator to discuss this paper, including how placement is selected and negotiated, the internship time period, and how they will be assessed and supervised, before enrolment can proceed. If you are interested in an internship, please contact the Coordinator

Selecting an internship site

Students should not contact any potential internship organisation without first meeting the Internship Coordinator. Selection of, and negotiation of entry to, an internship organisation is done by the student in conjunction with the internship coordinator and supervisors.

Once an organisation has been selected (in consultation with the appropriate staff member), an Internship Learning Contract must be completed. This contract should be signed by the Screen and Media Studies Staff member who will be supervising the internship, and the supervisor at the placement organisation.

DOWNLOAD a CONTRACT as a Word document

Expectations

The period of time spend at the placement organisation will differ depending on the circumstances. However, as an estimation, 100 hours is indicative of the time necessary to successfully complete an internship. Ideally, the internship should be 'hands on', allowing the student to experience the day to day activities of the internship organisation.

These 100 hours may be over a short or long period of time, depending on student commitments, and the schedule of the respective organisation. For example, an internship may occur over:

a 1 week period, e.g. 14 hours per day for 7 days (such as a film shoot)
a 2 week period, e.g. 8 hours per day, 5 days per week (standard working week)
a six week period, e.g. 8 hours per day, 2 days per week
a three month period, e.g. 8 hours per day, 1 day per week for 12 weeks

Assessment

The number of assignments, and how much each assessment contributes to your final grade, differs for each intern depending on the specific internship case. However, in general, there are usually 3 pieces of assessments for SMST313:

1. Logbook

DOWNLOAD an example of a LOGBOOK SHEET.

There should be at least one entry per site visit, detailing the activities undertaken at the organisation, personal comments and reflections, any challenges encountered, and any significant issues to emerge. The logbook should then be included in the appendix of the final report.

2. Final report
At the end of the internship period, students should write a final report. This report details the entire experience from both an academic and practical perspective. The following must be included in the final report:

The specific focus of the internship report will depend on what issues emerged during the placement, as recorded via the internship logbook. After completing the internship placement, and submitting the logbook for assessment, the intern and supervisor will meet to discuss what areas should be covered in the final report. At this juncture, students are likely to read more extensively, to ensure a strong theoretical grounding underlies their discussion.

In general however, the following is likely to be included in the final report:

Introduction
- name
- date of internship
- company name
- name of supervisor
Company description
- History/background information
- Structure/organisation
- Mission/purpose
Internship experience
- Description of your job and practical experience (refer to logbook when appropriate)
Evaluation
- Personal
  - Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of your own performance
  - How did the internship help you in your career preparation?
- Academic
  - How did the internship relate to your study?
  - What course(s) most directly prepared you for this internship?
  - What readings/course material relate to your internship?
- Practical
  - What did you learn about workplace practice in the screen/media industry?
Recommendation
- Provide additional feedback, which may be of use to future interns.

The structure provided above is just a guide. The final report of each internship will differ depending on the nature of the work experience.

3. Seminar presentation
At the conclusion of the internship period, students will be expected to present a seminar as part of the Screen & Media Studies seminar series. This seminar will outline the main points regarding your internship, as discussed in the final report.

Useful references

Prior to placement at the internship organisation, students are encouraged to read the personal skills brief.

DOWNLOAD the PERSONAL SKILLS BRIEF as a Word document

As part of their preparation, students should also read a selection of the following articles.

Marlene A Dixon, George B Cunningham Michael Sagas, Brian A Turner, Aubrey Kent. (2005) Challenge Is Key: An Investigation of Affective Organizational Commitment in Undergraduate Interns. Journal of Education for Business. Washington, Vol.80, Iss. 3; pg. 172, 9 pgs
O'Keeffe, Alice; Hibbert, Katharine.(2003) Work experience: for whose benefit? New Statesman, 03/11/2003, Vol. 132 Issue 4662, p24-25,
Tovey, Janice (2001) 'Building connections between industry and university: Implement an internship program at a regional university.' Technical Communication Quarterly. Vol 10, Iss 2, p225.
Paulins, Ann (2001) Student and supervisor perceptions of the ethical environment of retail merchandising internship sites. Journal of Family and Consumer Sciences, Vol 93, Iss 4, p88.
Coco, Malcolm (2000) Internships: A try before you buy arrangement. Advanced Management Journal Vol 65, Iss 2, pg 41.
Beard, Fred (1999). Effects of internship predictors on successful field experience. Journalism and Mass Communication Educator, Vol 53, Iss 4, pg 42