Students approved for an internship are assigned to an organisation, where they fulfil a minimum of four days per week during the semester, equating to 32 hours of work.
Students are placed according to their interests and the availability of internships. The internship seminar supports the internship experience by:
Providing students with a current frame of reference and a body of information to enhance their internship experience and better appreciate their new environment
Providing students with an opportunity to reflect on and analyse their internship experience
Providing students with the opportunity to build skills and competences in the areas of communication, cultural understanding and career awareness
Attendance policy:
Any missed class, without a legitimate reason will be reflected in the final grade. A legitimate reason would include illness or family bereavement.
Learning outcomes:
The internship, in tandem with the internship seminar, aims to aid students’ cultural immersion and understanding of the Irish workplace, giving a rounded appreciation of Irish culture and society. Furthermore, the internship experience has the goal of increasing intercultural communication and preparing students to work in an international environment.
Method of presentation:
Interns are obliged to spend four days per week at their internship (32 hours) and attend a weekly internship seminar. The seminar is discussion based and provides an open forum for students to share their experiences. The seminar facilitator provides information relevant to the Irish workplace, culture and economy.
Visual supports
Documentaries, images and internet clips will be used to illustrate certain points throughout the course of the seminars.
Seminar Content
In each seminar, students should be prepared to discuss their internship experiences – for example, the cultural and professional challenges that they have experienced; how the internship is informing their cultural experience in Ireland and their observations about Irish people, gained through interning. Group discussion is actively encouraged and forms the basis of the seminar.
Readings are assigned to students in advance of each class and students are expected to attend class prepared to share their thoughts on these readings.
Required work and form of assessment:
Evaluation by internship sponsor: 50%
A summary paper of your internship (approx. 1500 - 2000 words in total): 20%
A short weekly journal to be submitted via Moodle each week: 10%
Class attendance, contribution and student presentation: 20%
A 15 minute presentation based on your internship experience
content:
Session 1
Part 1
Setting the scene for your internship: goals, challenges and tips
This session focuses on the important task of thinking about your goals and priorities in your internship. It also looks at ways of managing challenges during your internship and some tips on making the most of the placement.
Part 2
Social change in Ireland
“There are those who want to get rid of the Catholic Church, the GAA and Fianna Fail. I won't speak about the other two but they won't get rid of Fianna Fail.” Eamonn O Cuiv.
This session looks at how Irish society has changed over the past twenty years. The Catholic Church, the GAA and Fianna Fail were long held as the pillars of Irish society. Now only the GAA can claim any prominence in Irish life. We explore the changes to Irish society in the areas of gender relations and the Catholic Church.
Session 2
The Celtic Tiger: from boom to bust
Irish society – and the Irish workforce – has changed enormously in the past few decades. This session charts Ireland’s economic rise from the 1980s until the mid-2000s and looks at the impact of the boom on lifestyles, social mobility and careers. We then look at the situation that Ireland find itself in today, examining the economic collapse, unemployment, the national housing bust and the consequences for the lifestyles and careers of Irish people
Session 3
Ireland in the wider world
“Being Irish”, working with “the Irish” and taking this experience into the global workplace. This session looks at Ireland in the global context.
Case study: The Arts in Ireland
To many Irish people, the Arts are the best way of promoting our identity abroad and some argue that “The Arts Can Save Ireland”. We consider this statement in the context of Ireland’s role on the global stage.
Session 4
Cultural intelligence
As the internship progresses, this session asks interns to reflect on the skills and new attributes they are gaining in their role. Some of the benefits of an internship are professional but the ability to communicate with people of different cultures is a huge accomplishment from interning abroad. This session looks at intercultural communication in the global workplace.
Guest speaker
Journalist, broadcaster, activist and diversity trainer Dil Wickremasinghe will speak to seminar students about multiculturalism in the Irish workplace. http://dwickremasinghe.ie/[2]
Session 5
Working through challenges in the workplace; the role of internships in forming your career plan.
This session looks at solving problems in the workplace. It pays particular attention to college to work transitions. It asks the intern to consider how internships have informed their career plans and the role of internships.
Session 6
Student Presentations
Notes:
This course is offered during the regular semester and in the summer. For summer sections, the course schedule is condensed, but the content, learning outcomes, and contact hours are the same.
Internship Seminar
Students approved for an internship are assigned to an organisation, where they fulfil a minimum of four days per week during the semester, equating to 32 hours of work.
Students are placed according to their interests and the availability of internships. The internship seminar supports the internship experience by:
Any missed class, without a legitimate reason will be reflected in the final grade. A legitimate reason would include illness or family bereavement.
The internship, in tandem with the internship seminar, aims to aid students’ cultural immersion and understanding of the Irish workplace, giving a rounded appreciation of Irish culture and society. Furthermore, the internship experience has the goal of increasing intercultural communication and preparing students to work in an international environment.
Interns are obliged to spend four days per week at their internship (32 hours) and attend a weekly internship seminar. The seminar is discussion based and provides an open forum for students to share their experiences. The seminar facilitator provides information relevant to the Irish workplace, culture and economy.
Visual supports
Documentaries, images and internet clips will be used to illustrate certain points throughout the course of the seminars.
Seminar Content
In each seminar, students should be prepared to discuss their internship experiences – for example, the cultural and professional challenges that they have experienced; how the internship is informing their cultural experience in Ireland and their observations about Irish people, gained through interning. Group discussion is actively encouraged and forms the basis of the seminar.
Readings are assigned to students in advance of each class and students are expected to attend class prepared to share their thoughts on these readings.
Session 1
Session 2
Session 3
Session 4
Session 5
Session 6
This course is offered during the regular semester and in the summer. For summer sections, the course schedule is condensed, but the content, learning outcomes, and contact hours are the same.