Internships/Experiential Credits

Internships offer the opportunity for students to bring together the insights and skills gained through coursework into a specific project. While students can suggest specific internship sites, the Writing Program has developed a series of programs/partnerships that offer a rich context for students to explore and implement their coursework. Typically, 2-3 internships are available for each site.

 

Writing Program Internship Sites (click a site below to learn more)
Diversity Project: Student Advisory Board
Site Advisor: Anne Fitzsimmons (afitzsim@syr.edu)
As part of the department's work to integrate diversity into WRT 105 and WRT 205, a core group of students called The Student Advisory Board (SAB) meets regularly, develops projects, and participates in organizing events. A
student who wants to be on the SAB as an intern would also do research, write, and link this work with other projects she may be involved with already. It is an opportunity to get credit for collective activist work and
writing in the Writing Program and across campus.
Habitat for Humanity
Site Faculty Advisors: Lois Agnew (lpagnew@syr.edu)
Student intern(s) will be given a variety of excellent opportunities to gain experience with writing and working with not-for-profit agencies. Possible assignments include:

  • Organizing and writing for the agency newsletter.
  • Developing and maintaining a blog site that documents the agency's activity and invites participation from a broad demographic.
  • Conducting and writing up interviews with people whose lives have been touched by Habitat's work.
  • Coordinating communication between the local chapter and other Habitat affiliates, including the SU/ESF chapter.
  • Doing research for and writing development materials, including grant proposals and letters to prospective donors.
  • Writing advocacy pieces.
Levy Middle School
Site Faculty Advisors: Steve Parks (sjparks@syr.edu) & Maureen Fitzsimmons (mrfitsi@syr.edu)
The Writing Program has established a peer-tutoring program designed to enable 7th and 8th grade students to improve their academic writing and reading skills. Student interns will be expected to attend an orientation session where they will be provided with information about the school as well as training in literacy tutoring. Once training is completed, SU students involved in this project would typically work one-on-one with a Levy student, offering them advice on how to revise a paper or approach an assigned reading. On occasion, SU students will also have the opportunity to work with classroom teachers on organizing learning activities.
New City Community Press (www.newcitypress.org)
Site Faculty Advisor: Steve Parks (sjparks@syr.edu)
NCCP collaborates with local community groups working to gain public recognition for their social, political, and economic concerns. Through sponsoring community-based writing groups and oral history projects, NCCP produces publications that are then used in community, public school, and university contexts. Many of these publications also serve a public advocacy goal. Students involved in this project might work with a writing group, design publications, develop websites, and write marketing materials. There are also opportunities to develop organizational and business-related documents.
Syracuse Jewish Family Service
Agency contact: Lisa Paul
Faculty sponsor: Carol Lipson (cslipson@syr.edu)

Interns with the Syracuse Jewish Family Service will be offered a diverse array of writing opportunities that include:

  • Organizing and writing for the agency newsletter.
  • Producing text and assisting with design for the agency website.
  • Preparing a regular column for the Jewish Observer.
  • Grant writing.
  • Helping senior citizen clients develop life journals.
  • Writing and design for the agency's website.

Additional opportunities can be arranged in consultation with the agency coordinator and faculty sponsor.

Syracuse Jewish Family Service was incorporated in 1939, focusing on counseling for individuals and families. It is a United Way non-profit agency, and administers county grants to serve community members of all religions who require assistance. Currently, in addition to counseling services and psychotherapy available on a sliding scale, SJFS offers art therapy as a mode of clinical treatment for individuals and families in crisis. Through a contract with the Onondaga County Department of Aging and Youth, the organization offers non-medical care management for seniors, to help them retain independence and to continue living at home. Similarly United Way subsidizes another program to assist seniors and individuals with disabilities in dealing with household bills, insurance paperwork, personal correspondence, and other such needs. A volunteer-based program arranges for transport for medical appointments and services such as grocery shopping. The organization works with local food pantries to provide needed food as well as donated clothing for job interviews and for daily life, as well as educational programs on nutrition, job counseling, and family life. A volunteer program arranges visits to homebound seniors and disabled individuals. And an at-risk care-management program helps families assess and plan for care in the face of needs associated with age, disabilities, or chronic illness. One of the newer programs involves the creation and leadership of a Bereavement Support Group. The only SJFS program that almost wholly serves a Jewish clientele involves the home delivery of Kosher meals to those unable to prepare their own meals. This program also serves members of the local Islamic community who observe Muslim dietary guidelines. The organization is housed on 4101 East Genesee Street, in the Menorah Park complex for the aged.


Syracuse University Press
Site Faculty Advisor: Steve Parks
Syracuse University Press is a nationally recognized publisher of academic scholarship and an important source for regional histories. At SU Press, students will have the opportunity to see the development of book projects from proposal stage to national marketing campaigns.
Welch Allyn
Company Contact: Ginny Stehle
Faculty Advisor: Lois Agnew (lpagnew@syr.edu)
This internship offers the selected student an opportunity to gain expertise in varied aspects of corporate communication at Welch Allyn, a major global manufacturer of medical equipment located in Skaneateles Falls. Possible internship projects include:

  • Developing a marketing brochure for the Corporate Social Responsibility programs.
  • Assistance with press releases.
  • Assistance with internal writing.
  • Assistance with producing and managing website content.
Public transportation is available to Skaneateles Falls. The company is willing to provide support for transportation expenses.


The Writers Club, Nottingham Senior Living Community
Site Faculty Advisor: Eileen Schell (eeschell@syr.edu)
Located at the Nottingham Senior Living Community in Jamesville, NY (four miles from campus with carpooling available), the Writer’s Club, founded in 2001, is a group of Nottingham residents (ages 70-95) who meet weekly on Wednesdays at 2:30 p.m. to share their writing and discuss the writing of published authors. Interns must be interested in working with senior citizens. Students involved in this project will have the opportunity to undertake work such as attend the Writers’ Club sessions and help plan and possibly guest-lead sessions; work one-on-one with residents helping them write, edit, and type their writing projects; compile and edit the Writers’ Club newsletter, which includes publishing residents’ work; and work on developing a series of webpages for the Writers’ Club. (Preference will be given to Writing majors and minors, although students in other programs may apply.)
The Writing Program Website
Site Advisor: George Rhinehart (glrhineh@syr.edu)
Interns—depending on their interests and areas of expertise—may work in a variety of roles, ranging from writing copy for the news and events area of the department's website (http://wrt.syr.edu) to assisting in the (re)design and maintenance of the site or any of its existing sub-sites (i.e., the Writing Center, learning communities, service learning, diversity, etc.). Interns may also be instrumental in designing and implementing new sub-sites planned to showcase digital student work, feature our majors and minors, and promote our nonfiction reading series. Occasionally, the Writing Program will also undertake web projects in support of external organizations and journals; interns would also be considered for this work.


Applying for an Internship

All internships must be approved prior to the term in which they will occur. For this reason, students should contact the project’s faculty advisor at the earliest possible moment to discuss possible involvement, time commitment, expectations, and potential projects. Once a site is selected, students will work with the site faculty advisor to complete the internship enrollment form. The completed proposal must be approved by the Writing Program Chair. Credit for internship work can be gained by enrolling in WRT 470. Each internship must be taken for 3 credits and for a letter grade.

While each internship will necessarily be different, students should consider the following when planning an internship:

  1. Students should understand how an internship site allows them to implement skills/concepts developed in their course work.

  2. Students should frame a proposal which includes both an extended writing project for the internship site as well a reflective document for the internship advisor.

  3. Students should determine with the site faculty advisor how many hours must be spent at each site.

  4. Students need to discuss with the faculty advisor the specific transportation/scheduling issues involved with each site prior to committing to an internship.

Any additional questions concerning the internship requirement should be directed to Lois Agnew (lpagnew@syr.edu).

 

 

 

Last modified:August 13 2008
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