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GENERAL STUDIES 350:
Linking Internships & Academic Credit

General Studies 350, "Independent Fieldwork," is one option for University of Washington students interested in earning academic credit for integrating an internship experience with academic work. Many academic departments also offer credit mechanisms for internships (e.g. ENGL 491, Internship) so students should check with academic advisers to decide which course is most appropriate.

General Studies 350 credit is awarded for the academic project (usually in the form of a paper) constructed in conjunction with an internship. The internship can be thought of as the text for a course. One does not earn credit for merely reading the text, but for the analysis of and the synthesis with larger concepts in the field. The academic project is aided by a student-selected academic sponsor (UW Faculty Member) and an internship supervisor. This arrangement is called the Learning Triangle.

General Studies 350 Learning Triangle

1. The student is the first partner in the learning triangle. As outlined in the learningcontract developed with the academic sponsor and site supervisor, students must complete an academic project and all assigned tasks necessary in order to meet the mutually agreed upon criteria.
2. The second partner in the "learning triangle" is the academic sponsor, a UW faculty member of the student’s choice. This is a professor on campus that the student will meet with on a regular basis to discuss the academic project and experiences at the internship.
3. The site supervisor is the third partner in the "learning triangle." The student works directly with this person at the internship site to make explicit arrangements concerning overall goals, projects, duties, hours, and other expectations.
   
   

Academic Project Details

This academic project can be completed in a number of ways, though for most students, it takes the form of an analytic paper.

• The paper must be a minimum of 5 pages for 1-2-credit internships, 7-10 pages for 3-4 credits, and 12-15 pages for 5-6 credits.
• It must include a bibliography with at least three sources.
• Students are expected to complete the project during the quarter in which they are working at their internship site. If the project is going to extend past the quarter enrolled, they must notify Carlson Center staff via email.
• Academic Projects cannot be a log of the internship experience, but must answer an academic question that is raised by or related to the internship experience.

*The faculty sponsor is encouraged to help students discuss drafts and help with revision.
 

Evaluations

Carlson Center staff will distribute evaluations to students, academic sponsors, and internship site supervisors via email during the last two weeks of the quarter.

1) The student evaluation addresses the integration of the internship experience with academic work.
2) The site supervisor evaluation addresses the student's performance at the internship site.
3) The academic sponsor evaluation addresses the academic project and the student's process in crafting it.

Grades will not be released until all evaluations have been completed.
It is the student's responsibility to make
sure that all evaluations are completed.