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Economics 399: Economics Internship Credit

Due Date

The completed internship forms are due to the economics advising office no later than the 1st Friday of the quarter .

Credit

ECON 399 is graded 'Credit / No Credit.' Credit is variable, with a minimum of 1 credit and a maximum of 5 credits per quarter; with every 3 hours a week you spend at your site (over a 10-week quarter) being worth 1 credit. For example, if you wish to register for 5 credits, you must be working at the internship site at least 15 hours per week, or 150 hours during the quarter (5 X 3 X 10 = 150). The scope of your academic project also increases with the number of credits you pursue. You must complete the internship concurrently with your ECON 399 enrollment. Note: ECON 399 does not count towards the 50 Economics credits required for graduation.

Course Structure

You are the first partner in the learning community. As outlined in your learning contract (formed with your academic sponsor and site supervisor), you must complete an academic project and all assigned tasks , meeting mutually agreed upon criteria.
It is your responsibility to find the second partner: an internship instructor. You communicate with the internship instructor on a regular basis to discuss your academic project and experiences at your site. This person is willing and able to provide instructional support and guidance , along with help in research and help with problems that arise at your internship.
Your site supervisor is the third partner in the learning community. You should be working directly with this person, making explicit arrangements concerning overall goals, projects, duties, hours, and other expectations . These criteria are to be stipulated in the learning contract.

The Academic Project

The academic portion of earning credit for an internship can be completed in any number of ways, with support from both the internship instructor and site supervisor. For most students, the project takes the form of an analytic paper . Such a paper should develop an argument or thesis, drawing upon site-based experiences and academic theories and resources . It is recommended that you choose a topic both in your area of interest, and that will be of use for your site organization.
The paper must be a minimum of five pages for 1-2-credit internships, 7-10 pages for 3-4 credits, and 12-15 pages for 5 credits. It must include a bibliography of at least three academic sources . To capitalize on this opportunity for writing instruction, you are required to submit a project proposal and rough draft. You must discuss them with the internship instructor, and revise your project to complete the internship. It may NOT be merely a log or record of your internship experience.
You must complete the internship project/paper during the quarter in which you are working at your internship site. If the project is going to extend past the quarter enrolled, you must notify the internship adviser.

Registering and Receiving Credit

You can register for ECON 399 by completing the following steps:  
  1. Identify an economics related internship.
  2. Pick up an ECON 399 packet, which includes an application, and learning contract (or download one from the links below).
  3. Identify the number of credits you will pursue (see Earning Credit above).
  4. Complete the application and learning contract with input from your site supervisor and internship instructor.  Note: the learning contract consists of two pages, both of which must be reviewed and signed by your site supervisor, internship instructor and yourself.
  5. Make three copies of the application and learning contract. Give the internship instructor the original. Give a copy to your site supervisor, and to an economics undergraduate advisor, and keep one for yourself.
  6. You will be given an entry code to register when you submit a completed and signed application and learning contract to an advisor (One of the copies). Applications are due by the 1st Friday of the quarter.
In order to successfully complete the course and receive a grade, you must:  
  1. Complete the contracted number of hours at the internship site.
  2. Communicate the internship instructor according to the schedule in the learning contract. Complete the contracted academic project/paper within the timeframe specified. Note: a minimum 2.0 grade is required in order to receive credit for your project/paper.
  3. Complete the student evaluation included in the ECON 399 packet and submit it to an undergraduate advisor. Note: You will NOT receive credit for ECON 399 until your evaluation and your site supervisor’s evaluation are completed and turned in to the econ advisers.

Getting the Application

The application and learning contract are available online. You will need the Adobe Acrobat Reader in order to view this document. If you do not have Acrobat, click here to get it. To download the forms, click on he appropriate link below. Printed copies of the forms are available from the advising office, in Condon Hall, room 413.

When you have completed the required forms and made the necessary copies, return it in person to Undergraduate Advising, Condon 413. Upon review, an adviser will give you an entry code to register for the course.

 

 

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