Course Description


MMJC 9700-650 (Summer 2020)   Internship

Instructor: J. Copeland / J. O'Brien / M. Edwards

Course Description
During their internships, students will have the opportunity to gain sustained practical experience applying what they have learned in class in a journalistic or communications setting. The internships will last 10 weeks and will comprise two half credits for the students.

1.0 course

Reflective Tasks
An important part of the internship is reflecting on the experience. (See below.)
1. Five Discussion Postings and Replies
Students on internships will be required to participate in an at least five online discussions in the OWL forum. The instructor will post at least one new discussion topic each week. At minimum, to get your checkmark you will need to:
• make a post about the topic
• reply to someone else's post
2. Midway Posting
At the half-way point, students will be expected to write a short (250-word max) observation of their notable experiences/thoughts through their placement so far, which they will share with the class on the forum. (Note: this update can be posted in the week 4, 5, or 6 forum, and will count as that week's posting.)
3. Final Essay
At the end of the internship, students will write a 750-word informal essay reflecting on their experiences and how they fit into their:
• Intrinsic motivations: autonomy, mastery & purpose
• Educational experience
• Career goals
• Personal needs for work culture and lifestyle
• Affective understanding of the place of journalism/communication in society
• Plans to build on their existing skill sets, and new skills they want to develop.
This essay will be submitted electronically to the instructor, either via the OWL site or via email.
Evaluation:
These activities are graded pass/fail.

Reflective activities are a critical part of the process of becoming a professional.
Reflection will help build INTRINSIC motivations.
People are more productive and happier if they have:
Autonomy - to be able to do what interests them
Mastery - to be able to it well
Purpose - to feel they're doing it to benefit others.
The first two of the above require reflective practice that is followed in professional life; to help to determine true interests and how to be successful in achieving goals. It requires thought on context – the organization where employed, co-workers, Managers, and their goals. What is my place? How can I contribute? What do I want to contribute?
During the internship, the discussions and the final essay are used to tackle the reflective component, so intrinsic motivations are understood – the first steps to a more enjoyable and rewarding career.





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