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 Frequently Asked
Questions
- Internships
- Introductory Course in Political Science
- Written Assignments and Grades
- INTERNSHIPS
What is an internship?
 An internship is simply an employment experience (paid or unpaid) that
combines learning with work. A good internship provides opportunities
for you to learning about a career field, while working. These
opportunities generally entail some or all of the following:
attendance at departmental meetings; regular meetings with your
supervisor; access to reading materials; supervised preparation of
reports, memos, and other documents; specific training; or the
opportunities to "shadow" someone in the company, agency or
organization.
Why should I do a political science internship?
An internship is an active learning experience. By participating in
the work of a government agency, a lobby group, a news department, or
some other organization, the student can learn about the political
process first hand. Internships provide students with an opportunity
to test concepts learned in the classroom in a professional or
organizational setting. Finally, an internship allows students to
investigate potential career fields.
How do I obtain an internship?
Although students are responsible for obtaining their own internships,
they are not alone. The Internship Coordinator, Linda Rabieh, regularly receives
notifications of internship opportunities and posts them on the
bulletin board in the Political Science Department (Eaton Hall, 3rd
Floor). In addition, the PS 99 World Wide Web page will contain a
continually updated list of internship opportunities with external
links to the internship sponsors' web sites.
In addition to the departmental resources, there are a variety of
sources for internship opportunities. These include:
- Personal Contacts. Fellow students, faculty, administrators, friends,
family and professional contacts are all potential sources of
information about internship opportunities. Talk to those you know
about internship search. Networking is still the most effective means
for obtaining internships.
- The Career Planning Center (Booles House, 226 College Avenue): The
Career Planning Center maintains a career resource library and
regularly receives notices of paid and unpaid internship
opportunities. In addition, Tufts University subscribes to Job Trak
(http://jobtrack.com), a World Wide Web based resume referral and
employment posting service. To access Job Trak's internship listings
you need the Tufts specific password, available from the Career
Planning Center
- Tisch Library: The reference section in Tisch Library contains several
books on various internships and employment opportunities. These
include The Complete Guide to Public Employment and The Complete Guide
to International Jobs & Careers. In addition, there are several
volumes, handbooks, and publications, which you may find consult if
you apply for a internship in state government or in a congressional
district office. These include: The Congressional Directory, 1997-98;
The Massachusetts's Legislative Manual, The Almanac of American
Politics, and The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Government Handbook.
- Other departments and interdisciplinary programs in the Faculty of
Arts and Sciences: The Programs in International Relations (605 Cabot)
and Peace & Justice Studies (Eaton Hall, basement), and the Department
of Urban and Environmental Policy (97 Talbot Hall) also allow their
undergraduate majors (and graduate students, in the case of Urban and
Environmental Policy) to take internship for academic credit. Like the
Political Science Department, these departments and programs receive
notices of various internship opportunities.
- Internet Resources beyond Tufts University: In addition to Job Trak,
there are several other on-line internship and employment resources.
These include
Career Mosaic;
Job Bank-USA; and the
On-line Career
Center. These are also accessible through various search engines
(e.g. Yahoo,
Infoseek,
Excite) and via the homepages of the career
placement centers at other Boston-area universities.
- Create Your Own Internship: Often the most rewarding internships are
those in which the student identifies an interest and a corresponding
need at an organization or agency. I encourage you to use your
creativity and initiative to research and propose an internship. Learn
about the organization or agency. You should consult with The
Internship Coordinator, Linda Rabieh, if you decide to pursue this avenue.
What is an appropriate internship for PS 99?
In the past, many Tufts students have obtained internships in
government agencies, political campaigns, foreign consulates or the
media. Past and potential internship venues include
- District offices of US senators and representatives
- Offices of state senators and representatives
- Municipal or county government offices
- Branch offices of federal executive and legislative agencies in the
Boston metropolitan area (including the GAO, EPA, the Departments of
Commerce, Education, State, and Health and Human Services)
- Executive departments and offices in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
(including the Office of the Governor)
- Foreign consulates and diplomatic missions in the Boston metropolitan
area (Israel, Peru, Mexico, Japan, Germany, Columbia, UK, Canada,
Denmark, etc.)
- Political campaigns for state, county and local offices
- The news departments of area television and radio stations
- Lobbying organizations, advocacy groups and public interests
organizations
How do I make the most of my internship?
What a person "gets out" of an internship, largely depends on what he
or she puts into it. Commit yourself fully to the experience. Try to
do your best work, even with mundane tasks. Take responsibility for
your own learning. This includes asking questions and seeking out new
learning experiences. Seek out additional assignments, but do not take
on more responsibility than you can reasonably handle. Meet regularly
with your supervisor to get feedback on your work and gain information
about the field, the organization, and substantive issues involved.
Please remember, as an intern, each student represents not only
herself or himself, but also the Department of Political Science and
Tufts University. Please conduct yourself in a professional manner
while serving as interns. Dress and act according to organizational
norms. You should arrive on time and work the expected number of
hours.
Can I do a legal internship for PS 99?
Remember, the central objective of PS 99 is to combine the academic
study of politics with practical employment experience. Although many
political science and international relations majors at Tufts
University (like students at other colleges and universities) consider
themselves "pre-law," an internship placement at a law firm would
generally not be appropriate for PS 99. Generally, internships at
large law firms are reserved for law school students; most firms do
not hire undergraduates as interns.
- INTRODUCTORY COURSE IN POLITICAL SCIENCE
Before being admitted to PS 99 you must have completed one of the
foundation courses in the Tuft's Political Science Department (or an
equivalent course if you are a transfer student). These course
include:
- PS 11: Introduction to American Politics
- PS 20: Introduction to Comparative Politics: Western Europe
- PS 51: International Relations
- PS 43: Introduction to Political Philosophy
- PS 21: Comparative Politics of Developing Countries
- PS 45: Western Political Thought I
- PS 46 Western Political Thought II
Students may substitute PS 155: American Foreign Policy for PS 51.
Do I need to be political science major
This very much depends on your own interests, your prior political
science coursework and the nature of the internship position you seek.
A related course may be a sophomore seminar (PS 90) or an upper
division course (PS 99 and above). In general, the related course
should provide a thematic, substantive or analytical background for
your proposed internship. For example, Political Science 142: Interest
Groups and Democratic Theory provides a useful foundation for students
seeking internships in a political action committee or lobbying
organization. PS 101: The Presidency and the Executive Branch, PS 102:
Congress, Bureaucracy and Public Policy, or PS 104: Public
Administration would provide a useful background for students seeking
internships in a state or federal agency. Finally, courses such as PS
165: Politics of the World Economy, PS 172: European Community and
Integration or the various political science courses in American,
German, Japanese, and Middle Eastern foreign policy could serve as a
related course for an internship in a foreign consulate.
- WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS AND GRADES
How will the grade for PS 99 be determined?
PS 99 must be taken for a letter. Students cannot take this course
"pass-fail." There are two components are of the grade: (1) the
students written work, and (2) the employer or internship supervisor's
written evaluation of the student's work. The course grade will be
determined as follows:
The Student's Written Work 50%
Employer's Evaluation: 50%
What are the components of the written assignments?
Students taking PS 99 have two options with respect to the written
assignments.
- Option A: The student writes two 8-10 page papers
on topics developed in consultation with the instructor.
Each paper will require you to relate concepts and topics
from a branch of the political science literature to the
actual work or projects you undertake as an intern. Under
this option, each paper will constitute 35% of the course
grade. The first paper will be due on seventh Thursday of
the semester (Fall 1997 Semester: October 16; Spring
Semester 1998: February 26), no later than 5:00 in the
Internship Coordinator's office. The second paper
will be due no later than 5:00 on the last day of Reading Period (Fall
1997 Semester: Wed., Dec. 10; Spring Semester 1998: Thurs., April 30).
- Option B: The student writes a single 18-20 page
term paper on a topic of his or her own choosing, developed
in consultation with the instructor. As with the previous
option, the term paper will require you to apply theory and
concepts from political science. The single term paper will
be due no later than 5:00 in the Internship Coordinator's
office on the last day of Reading Period (Fall 1997 Semester: Wed.,
Dec. 10; Spring Semester 1998: Thurs., April 30).
Students must decide which option they wish to pursue no later than
the second week of the semester. A student who selects Option A must
write both papers. Likewise, a student who selects Option B must
submit the18-20 page term paper at the end of the term.
What is the format for the paper(s)?
All papers for this course must be typed, double-spaced and printed
one side only. Papers should be free of spelling and grammatical
errors. Fonts must not be smaller than 11 point. There should be one
inch margins on all sides of the page. A separate cover page should
include the student's name, the paper's title, the course number and
the date of submission. Any verbatim transcriptions or quotations must
be placed in quotation marks and properly cited. Any material which is
summarized or paraphrased must be specifically acknowledged. Students
may use either the conventional footnote or endnote format found in
the Chicago Manual of Style (14th ed.) or the American Political
Science Review Style Guide in-text citation system. If students use
footnotes or endnotes, there is no need to include a separate
bibliography.
What are the required readings for this course?
There are no required readings for PS 99, per se. Like the various
Directed Research courses in Political Science (PS 118-9, 138-39,
148-9, and 178-9), the readings each student undertakes will depend
largely on his or her research topic. Attached is a list of books
drawn from the different political science sub-fields, as well as
other disciplines, that students may find useful in developing paper
topics .
What is the employer's evaluation?
Fifty percent of the grade for PS 99 will depend on your employer's or
internship supervisor's written evaluation of your work. Specifically,
toward the end the semester I will mail an evaluation form to your
internship supervisor or employer. On that form the employer will be
asked to provide a brief written evaluation of your job performance
and assign a letter grade. The employer or supervisor must return the
completed form to the Political Science Department by the last day of
Reading Period.
Will the Internship Coordinator visit the place of employment?
No. The reasons for this are largely philosophical. Tufts University
students are adults. Moreover, by enrolling in PS 99 or other directed
study courses the student demonstrates a certain degree of initiative
and intellectual maturity. Beyond making initial referrals to
potential internship sponsors, the Internship Coordinator will not serve as
a mediator between the student and the employer.
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