Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies majors and WILL students are required to take WGS 398 Feminism in the Workplace, through which they receive academic credit for internships. Students’ internship hours must occur within the semester for which they are enrolled in WGS 398.
The prerequisite for the internship is two prior WGS courses. Most students take WGS 398 during their junior year.
On this page, you will find:
- Exceptions to the WGS 398 Internship requirement
- How to find and internship
- Forms you will need
- Information on how to register for a Non-Class Based WGS 399 Internship can be found on this page as well
Exceptions and Special Situations
- WGSS and WILL students may have WGS 398 waived if they take an internship or field study course in another department, with a minimum of 135 hours on site, and produce a journal and a research project focused on gender issues (to be approved by WGS faculty). They must also take a WGSS elective in order to complete the course requirements for WILL or the WGSS major.
How to Find an Internship
First, make sure you have an updated one-page resume to give to prospective employers. Career Services, the WILL director, or the internship advisor for WGSS can help you make sure it’s the best one-page resume you could write.
Second, think about where you’d like to work. Think about other requirements you have…how far can you travel? Do you need a paying internship or not?
Third, meet with your advisor, the instructor of WGS 398 Feminism in the Workplace, or another mentor. Brainstorm about your current career ideas and activism interests and about organizations that would be suitable.
Fourth, do some research about places offering internships. Check out the WILL/WGSS Internship Site. Check out Career Services. Check out the Internship Opportunities listed by the Center for Engaged Learning and Research. Talk to anybody you know who is working in a field that interests you.
Some Tips . . .
• The #1 best source of internships is people you already know, working in organizations you care about. If someone comes to mind, contact them and ask about internship opportunities.
• The #2 best source of internships is to identify an organization in the community that interests you, even if you don’t know anybody who works there, and tell the internship coordinator what you have in mind. They may be able to round up an opportunity for you by making a phone call.
• Watch your email! The WGSS department sometimes forwards internship announcements.
• There is a variety of on-campus positions that count as an internship. For instance, you might consider a research assistantship. Check with faculty in fields that interest you to see if they need research help. AVI has a regular internship hiring cycle, and other departments on campus sometimes publicize internships as well.
• If you have a double major or WGSS is your minor, some practicum activities you engage in through your other major may also work as a WGS or WILL internship. Check with the WILL director or the instructor of WGS 398.
• There are some “super-internships” and study abroad internships available, where you’ll spend a semester away from the College in an intensive program that provides you with experiential learning opportunities and additional academic credit. Think about whether you can consider one of these programs.
Guidelines for Class-Based Internships
• The internship should advance the student’s knowledge of a career path that they are considering.
• While the student will be analyzing gender regardless of the kind of position they take, they should give priority to finding a placement that relates directly to women, gender, and/or sexuality.
• The position’s responsibilities may include some routine clerical work, but it must not be primarily a clerical position.
• The student is required to spend a minimum of 135 hours working on the internship.
• The internship site must have a supervisor who will agree to mentor and evaluate the student. Mentorship includes reviewing the student’s goals for the internship with them at the outset of the internship; offering insights into concepts, strategies, and methods; and guiding the student toward research materials that will enhance their knowledge of the field.
• For academic credit, students are required to maintain participant-observer journals, conduct research, and write a report on a topic related to the internship. They are asked to explore with the site supervisor whether they can devise a research project that would benefit the employer while fulfilling the academic requirement.
• The internship may be in any employment sector (e.g. business, social services, education, law, health care, psychology, government, etc.), provided it fulfills the other guidelines.
• A job the student already holds may be approved as an internship if it meets the other guidelines.
Process for Registering for Class Based Internship (WGS 398)
Register for WGS 398 for the semester you will take part in an Internship.
Visit the HSS webpage for applying for Internships at https://hss.tcnj.edu/resources/current-students/forms/ .
Read about the process for Class-Based Internships.
Prepare an Internship Proposal (as described on above HSS webpage) and fill out the Internship Form . You will need to have your supervisor at the internship site sign the form.
Also secure the signatures of the professor teaching WGS 398 and the Chair of WGSS, and then upload the forms to https://tcnj.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_43lxWqFcU5Eqq9L .
The professor of WGS 398 will provide you with any other forms required for the Class-Based Internship.
Process for Registering for Non-Class Based Internship (WGS 399)
Once you have secured an internship that provides for 180 contact hours, meet with the WGSS faculty member who will serve as your Faculty Supervisor.
Visit the HSS webpage for applying for Internships at https://hss.tcnj.edu/resources/current-students/forms/ .
Prepare an Internship Proposal (as described on above HSS webpage) and fill out the separate Internship Form.
You will need to have your supervisor at the internship site sign the form.
Secure the signatures of your faculty supervisor, the Chair of WGSS, and then upload the forms to https://tcnj.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_43lxWqFcU5Eqq9L .