The following written work is required of all English majors who complete internships for credit. The student’s internship grade (see also Final Grade) will be based on this work and on successful completion of the internship, determined by a favorable written Evaluation of Intern by the intern provider. All work must be typed and submitted in a folder labeled with the completed Cover Sheet attached. Written work and the Provider’s evaluation are due the last day of classes, NOT the last day of examination week, to the Director of Internships. It is the intern’s responsibility to make sure the Provider’s evaluation arrives in time.

| 1-Credit | 2-Credit | 3-Credit |

One-Credit Internships

1. Work schedule—journal of hours worked and tasks performed
   Keep a record of the days and hours worked and tasks performed over the course of the internship. You may simply list these or you can keep it on a calendar and photocopy the calendar pages.
   
   
2. Internship Report (4-5 pages plus evaluation)
   The report should be written carefully since it tells the Director of Internships, who will grade the paper, not only what you have done in the internship but also what you gained from the experience. The report should be approximately four pages in length and typed. Attach the student's evaluation of the internship to this report.
   
   Your career report should NOT be simply a description of your on-the-job activities; rather, it should report the details of your work situation and then proceed to analyze your experience both in professional and personal terms. Attach appendices of any studies, reports, or projects which you have prepared or helped to prepare. The first paragraph should summarize the internship itself—the organization, your specific job within the organization, and details of your duties.
   
   Following are some ideas and questions which may help to generate ideas for the report:
   1. Describe a particular day in detail.
   2. What have you learned in college and in the English major (e.g. writing, reading, communications, logic, group work) that has prepared you for this job?
   3. What skills have you had to learn on the job? What do you still need to learn? (skills, information, etc.)
   4. What did you like/dislike about the job, and what was the most surprising realization you had? How was the experience valuable to you? How could it have been made more valuable?
   5. Are there specific events in which you participated or were there particular problems that you observed from which lessons can be learned?
   6. What were the group dynamics? How did social interactions affect the work that is done?
   7. From your observations of the organization, can you think of any measures which would improve the organization's effectiveness?
   8. Was your perspective on this particular career altered as a result of your experience? How has this experience affected what you plan to do in your future work life?
      
      
3. Updated résumé (including the internship)
   
   
4. Provider’s Evaluation
   The internship provider must complete the evaluation form provided or write a letter evaluating your performance. This should be mailed directly to Director of Internships. Providers may also email, phone, or fax their evaluation. Students are responsible for seeing that the evaluation arrives by the last day of classes, not the last day of examination week. [BACK TO TOP]

Two-Credit Internships

1. Work schedule—journal of hours worked and tasks performed
   Keep a brief record of the days and hours worked and tasks performed over the course of the internship. You may simply list these or you can keep notes on a calendar and photocopy the calendar pages.
   
   
2. Internship Report (4-5 pages plus evaluation)
   The report should be written carefully since it tells the Director of Internships, who will grade the paper, not only what you have done in the internship but also what you gained from the experience. The report should be approximately four pages in length and typed. Attach the student's evaluation to this report.
   
   Your career report should NOT be simply a description of your on-the-job activities; rather, it should report the details of your work situation and then proceed to analyze your experience both in professional and personal terms. Attach appendices of any studies, reports, or projects which you have prepared or helped to prepare. The first paragraph should summarize the internship itself—the organization, your specific job within the organization, and details of your duties.

   Following are some ideas and questions which may help to generate ideas for the report:

   1. Describe a particular day in detail.
   2. What have you learned in college and in the English major (e.g. writing, reading, communications, logic, group work) that has prepared you for this job?
   3. What skills have you had to learn on the job? What do you still need to learn? (skills, information, etc.)
   4. What did you like/dislike about the job, and what was the most surprising realization you had? How was the experience valuable to you? How could it have been made more valuable?
   5. Are there specific events in which you participated or were there particular problems that you observed from which lessons can be learned?
   6. What were the group dynamics? How did social interactions affect the work that is done?
   7. From your observations of the organization, can you think of any measures which would improve the organization's effectiveness?
   8. Was your perspective on this particular career altered as a result of your experience? How has this experience affected what you plan to do in your future work life?
      
      
3. Informational Interview Report
   The intern should request an informational interview with his or her supervisor or a member of the organization with which the student is interning. Alternatively, the student may arrange an informational interview with another individual engaged in the same kind of work. The goal here is to select someone who is experienced, knowledgeable, and willing to provide detailed and helpful information about the particular career the student is considering. The interview may be supplemented by internet or library research on the career if desired.
   Prepare for the interview by requesting a specific appointment, either in person, by phone, or by email. Prepare a list of questions in advance. During the interview, request permission to take notes or to tape the interview. Listen carefully and ask follow-up questions that seem helpful. Following the interview, write a thank-you note and send it to the interviewee.
   Helpful information as well as lists of questions to ask can be found at the following sites:
   • DaneNet
   • JobSearch
   • Florida State University
   • Career Planning
   • i-seek
   • University of Illinois
   • University of Texas
     
     
4. Updated résumé (including the internship)
   
   
5. Provider’s Evaluation
   The internship provider must complete the evaluation form provided or write a letter evaluating your performance. This should be mailed directly to Director of Internships. Providers may also email, phone, or fax their evaluation. Students are responsible for seeing that the evaluation arrives by the last day of classes, not the last day of examination week. [BACK TO TOP]

Three-Credit Internships

1. Work schedule—journal of hours worked and tasks performed
   Keep a record of the days and hours worked and tasks performed over the course of the internship. You may simply list these or you can keep it on a calendar and photocopy the calendar pages.
   
   
2. Internship Report (4-5 pages plus evaluation)
   The report should be written carefully since it tells the Director of Internships, who will grade the paper, not only what you have done in the internship but also what you gained from the experience. The report should be approximately four pages in length and typed. Attach the student's evaluation of the internship to this report.
   
   Your career report should NOT be simply a description of your on-the-job activities; rather, it should report the details of your work situation and then proceed to analyze your experience both in professional and personal terms. Attach appendices of any studies, reports, or projects which you have prepared or helped to prepare. The first paragraph should summarize the internship itself—the organization, your specific job within the organization, and details of your duties.
   
   Following are some ideas and questions which may help to generate ideas for the report:
   1. Describe a particular day in detail.
   2. What have you learned in college and in the English major (e.g. writing, reading, communications, logic, group work) that has prepared you for this job?
   3. What skills have you had to learn on the job? What do you still need to learn? (skills, information, etc.)
   4. What did you like/dislike about the job, and what was the most surprising realization you had? How was the experience valuable to you? How could it have been made more valuable?
   5. Are there specific events in which you participated or were there particular problems that you observed from which lessons can be learned?
   6. What were the group dynamics? How did social interactions affect the work that is done?
   7. From your observations of the organization, can you think of any measures which would improve the organization's effectiveness?
   8. Was your perspective on this particular career altered as a result of your experience? How has this experience affected what you plan to do in your future work life?
      
      
3. Updated résumé (including the internship)
   
   
4. Career Report (8 pages)
   A major component of the student's internship will be a detailed report on the career the student is considering pursuing and in which the internship provides experience. Information for the report may be gathered by interviewing fellow employees, the internship supervisor, or other individuals who are pursuing this career; by conducting library or internet research; or by using the library at JMU’s Career and Academic Planning .
   
   The report should generally cover the following areas and include a bibliography of sources used in MLA format. Keep in mind that the goal of this report is to help the student acquire detailed information about a career of interest; thus, the report should focus on information of most use to the student as he or she prepares for a future career.
   1. Overview of the field: How is it defined?
   2. What kinds of work do people in the field do? What are some of the job titles? What specific areas of responsibility exist?
   3. What qualifications are needed to enter this field? To progress in it? Do qualifications vary or increase with different kinds of positions? You might divide qualifications into such categories as: Personal, Professional, Educational, Technological, etc.
   4. What is the future of this field and its various areas?
   5. What are the salary ranges and promotion opportunities? Typical benefits package?
   6. What seem to be the most exciting aspects of this career? What drawbacks are there?
   7. If possible, do an informational interview with someone in the field and discuss what you learned from that interview?
   8. In what ways does this career field fit your particular experience, skills, and interests? In what ways does it not seem a good fit? Or, perhaps, what might some of your concerns be?
   9. Annotated bibliography of resources you used to compile the report and resources of use to those who are interested in the field, including web sites, journals, books, including professional journals, books on the subject—biographies of people in the field, research in the field, exposes, press coverage, novels, etc.
      
      
5. Provider’s Evaluation
   The internship provider must complete the evaluation form provided or write a letter evaluating your performance. This should be mailed directly to Director of Internships. Providers may also email, phone, or fax their evaluation. Students are responsible for seeing that the evaluation arrives by the last day of classes, not the last day of examination week. [BACK TO TOP]