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    All students, particularly in the social sciences, are strongly encouraged to gain work experience, volunteer experience, or internship experience related to their career interests. Internships provide students with the opportunity to apply knowledge learned in the classroom in a workplace setting. The majority of internships in the social sciences are unpaid, but you can earn college credit. Students at UW- La Crosse have had internships in a wide variety of settings throughout the United States. UW- L Career Services is the place to start looking, and to sign up for, internship opportunities. Their web site, under the heading "Getting Experience" has a comprehensive list of services to get you started.

Talk with your advisor about your interest in an internship. They can direct you to faculty members with expertise in the field related to your internship site. If you know of an internship experience that you would like to have with a particular agency, Career Services and your internship advisor can assist you in getting the internship site approved.

There are several internship courses that you may sign up for as a sociology major, sociology minor or criminal justice minor (SOC 450, SOC 451, CEI 450, and CEI 475). The requirements for the internships vary and are listed below.

Requirements for SOC 450- Sociology Internship (3-15 credits; repeatable for a maximum of 15 credit hours)

• Junior or Senior standing; minimum cumulative GPA of 2.50;  completion of SOC 200.

• Approval of the placement agency and agreement on starting and ending dates of the internship.

• 40 hours of agency work for every credit hour earned.

• Pass/fail credit- students will be assigned a failing grade if they do not complete assignments from the instructor and/ or they do not meet the required number of internships hours in a satisfactory manner.

• A maximum of 6 credits can be applied to the major. Additional credit hours earned will count as general elective credits.

• A maximum of 3 credits can be applied to the minor. Additional credit hours earned will count as general elective credits.

Requirements for SOC 451- Criminal Justice Internship (3 credits)

• Junior or Senior standing; declared criminal justice minor.

• Approval of the placement agency and agreement on starting and ending dates of the internship.

• 40 hours of agency work for every credit hour earned (120 hours).

• Pass/fail credit- students will be assigned a failing grade if they do not complete assignments from the instructor and/ or they do not meet the required number of internships hours in a satisfactory manner.

• A maximum of 3 credits can be applied to the minor. Additional credit hours can be earned through SOC 450 or CEI internship courses but they will not apply to the minor.

CEI 450  Cooperative Education Internship (1-15 credits)

An academically relevant field experience in government, industry, business, or community agencies. Students must have their internships approved and be advised by the department most relevant to the field assignment. Determination of relevancy shall be made by the Career Services Office with the advice and consent of the department involved. Students must be on their internship work site during the semester for which they are registered for academic credit. Credits earned usually will count only toward university electives and not toward the completion of any major or minor. For exceptions, see the Career Services Office. Prerequisites: junior standing with a 2.25 grade point average. Pass/Fail grading.

CEI 475   University wide Cooperative Education Internship (3-15 credits)

A sequel to CEI 450 for the student who has previously served an internship under CEI 450 and utilized all available credit therein (i.e., 15). This course is only for approved co-op students seeking an academically relevant field experience in government, industry, business, or community agencies. The co-op internship assignment must be approved and the grade assigned by the department in which the student is majoring. The experience will be supervised closely by the intern's on-site supervisor, by the Career Services Staff, and by the student's faculty internship adviser. Students must be on their internship worksheet during the semester for which they are registered for academic credit. Credits earned in this course do not count toward the completion of the major or toward the completion of a degree. These credits will not be averaged into the student's grade point average. Pass/Fail grading.

Recent Sociology and Criminal Justice Related Internship Placement Sites:

• State of WI Public Defender's Office- La Crosse, Sparta, Milwaukee

• YWCA- GALAXY (Gay Alliance of La Crosse Area Youth) Program

• Family Resource Center, La Crosse

• WWTC 400 hr. Summer WI Law Enforcement Certification training/ La Crosse Police Reserves

• La Crosse County Family and Children's Center- After school Detention

• La Crosse Police Department- DART- Domestic Abuse Reduction Team

• State of WI Probation and Parole- La Crosse

• State of WI Probation and Parole- Milwaukee

• La Crosse County Human Services- Juvenile Corrective Thinking Program

• La Crosse County Human Services- Juvenile Detention Center

• La Crosse County Human Services- Alternative School

• Mediation Services- La Crosse

• La Crosse County Medical Examiner's Office

• Monroe County Domestic Abuse Project

• State of WI Dept. of Motor Vehicles- Dealer Investigation Unit

• Federal Correctional Institution- Oxford, WI

• Family and Children's Center, La Crosse & Holmen

• Logan High School- school within a school (alternative school for troubled youth)

• YWCA - general programming

• Veteran's Services- VA- Sparta

• Coulee Youth Centers- La Crosse- group home worker

• Richland County Social Services

• New Horizons Women's Shelter- Legal Advocate

• Gateway Adult Care Center- Sparta

Websites to Explore for Internships Outside the La Crosse Area:
Career Services
Wisconsin.gov - Portal Home
U.S. Federal Government Agencies
American Sociological Association
Society for the Study of Social Problems

Professor Vogt's Academic Requirements for Internships:

• Rental of the text: Criminal Justice Internships: Theory into Practice by Gary R. Gordon and R. Bruce Mc Bride, and Hedy Hyde Hage, available at textbook rental.

• Meet with me at least every two weeks to discuss your progress during the internship. It is the student's responsibility to set up and keep these appointments. Depending on the number of interns I am supervising, we may meet as a group. Failure to set up or attend meetings will put you at risk of earning a failing grade.

• A Field Journal- the field journal will be a combination of your participant observation notes from the work site, your feelings and attitudes about the internship, and responses to questions from the internship text.

• Adequately completing, on the assigned date, the response assignments listed below. Look over the due dates carefully. Parts of several questions are due very early on in the internship experience.

Journal and Response Assignments
    Click here to obtain an MS-Word version of the assignments

1. Field Journal entries should be made after each work period. Be sure to include your reactions and feelings about what is going on at the internship site and to observe interaction between co-workers, clients, etc. Journal entries and response question answers may be hand written or typed. Journal entries and response question answers must be handed in at our meeting every two weeks or e-mailed prior to the meeting.

2. Based on your internship expectations, prepare at least two goals for each of the following categories, and clearly state objectives (ways) that you can measure your attainment or progress at reaching these goals. A) Knowledge acquisition;
B) Performance assessment; C) Personal growth; and D) Professional development.
Question #2 is due at the first meeting (2 weeks into the internship). Due Date:

3. Gordon and Mc Bride discuss four stages of the internship role: 1) initial entry; 2) probationary period; 3) productive worker; and 4) termination.
    A) Briefly describe your initial entry and probationary period at the internship. What issues are of most concern to you?
    3A. is due at the second meeting (4th week). Due Date:
    B) Midway through your internship, describe your role as a productive worker. 3B. is due at the 4th meeting
    (8th week). Due Date:
    C) Near the end of your internship, describe your steps toward termination. 3C. is due at the 6th meeting
    (12th week). Due Date:

4. Read the chapter in Gordon & Mc Bride on participant observation. After reading the chapter, complete the following tasks:

A. Using direct observation, carefully describe the physical environment of the internship site. Include a description of the following: the amount of space allocated to the agency, layout of the rooms, decorations, placement of furniture, etc.
Question #4A is due at the 2nd meeting (4th week). Due Date:

B. Describe the staff: number of males and females, their positions, approximate age distribution, racial/ethnic composition, how different people dress, how status is exhibited, how space is allocated. Draw an organizational chart of the positions in the agency. You may need to consult with your supervisor or other agency personnel to complete this task. DO NOT use names to describe the personnel- use their roles. Question #4B is due at the 3rd meeting (6th week).
Due Date:

5. Using an introduction to sociology text or another similar source, define the following terms. After defining the terms, provide an example of each from your internship. Bureaucracy, Norms, Power, Prestige, Role/social role, Role Conflict, Social organization, Status/Social status, Values. Question #5 is due at the 4th meeting (8th week).
Due Date:

6. Observe and describe how the agency staff relate to clients and the public. Include, if possible, the impression clients have of the agency from observation of their contact with you and others. This question requires you to do either direct observation or direct questioning (in a very informal way). You may also wan to talk to other staff members to get their views on staff-client relations. Question #6 is due at the 6th meeting (12th week). Due Date:

7. Describe any ethical issues or problems that you have experienced or observed during your internship. How do you feel about these situations? Are there issues of power and position in the organization involved? Question #7 is due at the 6th meeting (12th week). Due Date:

8. Read the chapter in Gordon and Mc Bride on organizational characteristics. Referring to your organizational chart, fill in any details that you may not have been aware of earlier, and answer the following:
    A. Take two positions in the hierarchy and describe official and unofficial duties of people in those positions, based on observation and/or interview.
    B. Describe one formal and one informal policy or rule within your organization. Why do organizations develop informal rules and policies?
Question #8 is due at the 7th meeting (14th week). Due Date:

9. Write a detailed analysis of the progress you have made on the goals that you set for your internship. Assess your personal growth and professional development. What have you learned? Do you want to continue to work in an area related to your internship? Why or why not? Question #9 is due at the 7th meeting (14th week) and should be several pages in length. Due Date:

E-mail me at: vogt.kimb"at"uwlax.edu

Last Modified 09/28/2009