Internships   Practical experience in a professional communication medium to augment classroom activity intended for advanced students. Students are required to document internship activities according to department policy.   Prerequisite: Communication Arts majors and minors only; upper division standing (junior or senior); and, permission of instructor required prior to registration. In addition, I require that: students in the public relations concentration or those who are focusing on public relations as a minor must have completed at minimum COMM 1200, 1400, and 3910, 426A-H, and 4810 prior to registering in COMM 490A, B, C, Communication Internship (3). students in the mass communication concentration and the corporate communication specialization must have completed COMM 1200, 2400, 3010, 3320, 3800, and 3910 prior to registering in COMM 490A, B, C, Communication Internship (3). If you have not met these prerequisites for Dr. Parcells' interns, please do not ask to do an internship. Of course, you always have the option of finding another professor in the department who is willing to serve as your directing professor for an internship under other terms and conditions.   Students must work 48 contact hours for each semester hour of credit in their internship.   Go to Dr. Parcells' Internship Index by clicking here.

	Internships Index   Simply click on the area of interest in the index for view that section on Internships. General Internship Information Appropriate Internship Areas Professional Organization Networking Finding an Internship Internship Objectives Internship Procedures Internship Requirements Internship Evaluation Internship Syllabus Download

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	General Internship Information A Communication Internship is intended to provide paid or unpaid service(s) of an APSU student majoring in Communication Arts to an organization in the nonprofit or commercial sector based upon the premise that the student can be of assistance to that organization.   It is presumed that there is an obligation on the part of that organization and its assigned site supervisor to provide the student-intern with a profitable, learning experience. Such student-interns are not intended to serve only as cheap labor, offering gofor "go for this or that" services to the organization or site supervisor.

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	Appropriate Internship Areas Relevant areas of study for the Communication Internship include: educational, public and commercial broadcast programming, production, sales, public affairs, promotions, and management cable systems and media production companies in programming, sales, production, public affairs, promotions, and management advertising, corporate communication, marketing, marketing communications, and public relations positions in departments within organizations as well as firms and agencies Internet technology positions in web design, Internet service providers, Internet access providers, computer technology, telecommunications, and other web-based operations public affairs and government relations positions at the federal, state, and local level in a pre-law or public relations orientation Inappropriate areas of study for the communication internship include any position where the student- intern serves as a tour guide, life guard, camp counselor, and other communication meaningless positions of service not directly related to the communication discipline.

	Professional Organization Networking An absolutely mandatory part of gaining essential communication discipline experience is student involvement in the APSU IABC and APSU PRSSA Chapters. This provides an opportunity for students to attend the Nashville-sponsoring chapter meetings where direct contact with communication professionals occurs. Thus, students who have not involved themselves in these APSU chapters are ill-advised to seek internships until they have completed the necessary and essential student-professional networking that occurs only through meeting attendance with Nashville public relations, advertising, and marketing communications pros.   In order to gain access to membership lists of the IABC Nashville Chapter or the PRSA Nashville Chapter, students must join either of the appropriate student chapters: APSU IABC Chapter or the APSU PRSSA Chapter. Simply click on the names to visit the chapter web sites for membership and meeting information.   It is the student's responsibility to procure an internship which meets all of the requirements outlined in this syllabus. Dr. Parcells is available as a reference or an advisor, but not to provide students with internships without their own research, networking, and organizational membership and active participation.

	Finding an Internship It can be an extremely frustrating and difficult task for a student to find a useful and appropriate internship. The search for an internship is usually hampered when students are ill-prepared and have not invested planning and preparatory energy into the concept of an internship. A campus practicum is intended to provide an initial experience in public relations, corporate communication, or Internet and web technology. However, that is only a beginning. It is the solely a student responsibility to research and find an internship.   Internship preparation can begin by active involvement in the APSU IABC or APSU PRSSA chapters and attending meetings of the sponsoring professional organizations in Nashville where students can meet and talk with communication professionals. The site supervisor for the campus practicum is also a good resource person for networking as he or she is usually involved with professional organizations and has industry contacts which could be very useful for a student in finding an internship. Dr. Parcells maintains a large bulletin board listing the advertising, corporate communication, Internet technology, and public relations internship opportunities which are identified by contact with professional organizations, associations, his own contacts, and community contacts. This bulletin board is next to Dr. Parcells' office by room 142 in the Music and Mass Communication building. Internships are frequently posted on the "opportunities sections" of professional association web sites such as the AAF, AMA, IABC, IWA, PRSA, PRSSA, and SIP. Check out these web sites on a regular basis looking to internship opportunities. Look through the Yellow Pages and identify advertising agencies, public relations firms, marketing and marketing communications firms, web design groups, and Internet service providers as well as web hosting businesses in Montgomery County and Nashville. These directories are available online and in APSU's Woodward Library. Regularly watch the Leaf Chronicle and Tennessean newspapers for announcements, classified ads and display ads that introduce new companies and businesses, and scan the business section of these newspapers on a consistent basis for mentions of different and successful marketing communication, PR, advertising, and Internet businesses that might offer internship opportunities. Should you be interested in broadcast or music promotions, develop a list of the record labels and radio or TV stations in Nashville. Identify the executive personnel for each, and try to introduce yourself to them by email or a telephone call well before you are ready for an internship. Woodward Library as an excellent radio, TV, and cable resource book listing the names and addresses of all stations and systems; it's called the Broadcast/Cable Yearbook and is available on an annual basis to keep information up-to-date. There are some additional online resources which should not be overlooked when seeking the best internship available for your specific area of study. Here are some web sites which offer valuable information regarding internship opportunities. BUT, some of these require student registration, and a couple are even fee-based so make your selection carefully. Always check to be certain that there are internships and information for your specific area of study available before spending any money whatsoever online. Campus Career Center.com - allows you to set up your own account, build an online resume, and search databases for internship and career opportunities. Click here now. Wet Feet.com - provides comprehensive databases for internships and careers in the entertainment, sports, public relations, marketing, and management fields. Check it out now by clicking here. Vault Internship Board.com - offers many internship opportunities in the communication industry. Look over the databases and post your own information by clicking here now. Internships.org- Lists many nonprofit organization opportunities for students. Click here to visit it now. Internships.WetFeet.com - suggests many internship options listed in its database. Click here to visit it now. Intern Jobs.com - has a database of internships throughout the U. S. with many clearly appropriate for PR and corporate communication career experience. Check it our by clicking here. MPA Internships - Lists opportunities with magazine publishers. Click here to review their database.

	Internship Objectives and Textbook The objectives of an internship through Dr. Parcells are for students to: apply communication theories, tactics, strategies, and skills within a communication industry setting. practice the communication tasks and functions under the close supervision and direction of a practicing communication professional. experience the time frame and productivity demands of the current area of focus within the communication industry. observe the responsibilities and duties of professional communicators as they encounter their daily schedules and situations in the workforce.

	Internship Procedures Students are expected to apply for an internship by completing the Communication Internship Application available as a Microsoft Word document by clicking here. Return the completed document with all required items to Dr. Parcells by mail or placed in his mailbox in the APSU Communication and Theatre Department office in MMC. When the initial application for a Communication Internship is approved, students must then develop an Internship Agreement form which outlines the terms and conditions of the internship and is signed and approved by the directing professor, and the organization's site supervisor. Download an Internship Agreement form as a Microsoft Word document by clicking here. When the Internship Agreement form has been completed, signed by the organization's site supervisor, it must be returned to Dr. Parcells by mail or placed in his mailbox in the APSU Communication and Theatre Department office in MMC 173. Upon Dr. Parcells' approval of the Internship Agreement, the student intern will be provided with the call number and section number to register for COMM 490A, B, and/or C, Communication Internship. Internships are not listed in the APSU published Schedule of Classes so that only students completing all of the above procedures can register for the Communication Internship.   Students can register for a maximum of 9 semester hours of any combination of COMM 490A, B, C completed in any single semester. A maximum of 9 semester hours of any combination of COMM 490A, B, C can be completed within a Bachelor's degree for Communication Arts majors at APSU regardless of whether the Internship is counted as electives within the 120 hour degree requirements. A maximum of 3 semester hours of COMM 490A, B, C can be substituted for course work in the public relations concentration or the mass communication specializations of corporate communication or Internet Technology within the Communication Arts major.

	Internship Requirements     Item  Description  Points Self-Assessment Students complete a self-assessment instrument targeted to force student focus on achievement of Communication Internship and Liberal Arts goals and objectives. Click here to download a copy of the Self-Assessment form. 200       Site Supervisor Evaluation Students must be evaluated by their site supervisor both at midterm and at the end of the semester. Students download the Communication Internship Site Supervisor Evaluation form for this purpose, print out a copy, and give it to the site supervisor to complete and send by return mail to Dr. Parcells. Download a copy of the Site Supervisor Evaluation form by clicking here now. 400       Internship Logs Students maintain Internship Logs in which they record the (a) hours, days, and dates of their interning activities and (b) a brief description of the activities completed within each time frame. Students are to turn in these completed, approved forms to Dr. Parcells on a weekly basis. The Internship Log requires the signature of the Internship Site Supervisor to verify all hours worked and activities completed.Download an Internship Log Sheet as a Microsoft Word document by clicking here. 400       Internship Journals Students maintain an Internship Journal in which they keep a written record on a day by day, week by week basis of the (a) activities they complete in the Internship, (b) their recollection and reflection on the value and usefulness of those activities for their concentration or specialization area of study within the Communication Arts major, and (c) they make notations of special learning experiences or surprising facets discovered during the internship experience. Download an Internship Journal sheet as a Microsoft Word document by clicking here. 400       Evaluation Paper                 Students must complete an Internship Evaluation paper (a maximum of 20 typewritten, double-spaced pages) using the APA Publication Manual (5th ed.) writing style and form. This paper evaluates the internship learning situation. This evaluation focuses on a systematic self-analysis and self-assessment of the entire internship experience, including: notations about special learning experiences or surprising facets of the internship experience; comments on the training, assistance, helpfulness, and accessibility of the site supervisor; an overall reaction to the type of position involved in the internship [PR specialist, Broadcast Sales Account Executive]; (d) statements about the achievement or non achievement of goals and/or objectives identified and specified in the Internship Agreement; and, relating the criteria, values, and goals/objectives outlined in the textbook to your internship experience. This paper must be completed and turned in to Dr. Parcells as a Microsoft Word document as an attachment to an email message by the last day of classes during the term in which the student is registered for internship credit at APSU. Send the email message with the paper attached to Dr. Parcells at the following address: ParcellsF@APSU.edu. 1000

	Internship Evaluation Students are evaluated based upon all of the above criteria. An internship is a graded, liberal arts learning experience, and the use of the English language is an important part of the evaluation.   Students are evaluated by the directing professor, site supervisor, a self-assessment instrument, and the the other course ingredients outlined above.   Grading Scale  Grade  Explanation Point Range Percentage          A B C D F  Superior Very Good Good Poor Failing 1980 to 2200 1760 to 1979 1540 to 1759 1320 to 1539 0 to 1319  90% to 100% 80% to 89% 70% to 79% 60% to 69% 0 to 59%            Grades are rounded up at .5; anything below that remains static. Extra credit is not possible so please do not even ask.

	Internship Syllabus Download Download a copy of the internship syllabus as a Microsoft Word document by clicking here.