The Sarah Isom Center for Women and Gender Studies offers an active internship program that integrates academics with professional experience. UM students have the opportunity to apply what they learn in their gender studies classrooms in a community setting. Internships provide students with the opportunity to give back to the community, gain first-hand experience, engage in professional development, and make connections that may help them find employment after they graduate. Internships are not paid, but interns receive three academic credits by registering for G ST 497: Internship in Gender Studies. Students may enroll in 1-3 hours per term up to three total hours.
Why Should Students Consider an Internship?
Internships allow students to apply concepts learned in their gender studies classes to real world situations and explore possible career paths. Internships build your resume and demonstrate that you can balance multiple obligations at once. You’ll get real life experience with a mentor who knows your skills and goals. You’ll get a chance to figure out what careers and jobs fit your goals and which ones don’t. You’ll meet people in your field who may be able to serve as references for you. Some internships even lead to paid positions.
Recent graduate Sheffield Spence interned with the Violet Valley Bookstore. She is now in the MA in English program at the University of Arkansas.
Where Do Students Intern?
Rather than slotting students into pre-determined placement sites, students are matched with internship sites based on their particular interests, career goals, and skill sets. The Center has established relationships with local non-profits, but almost any career path and interest can be accommodated.
Possibilities:
Family Crisis Services of Northwest Mississippi
Magnolia Montessori School
Oxford Community Market
Sinister Wisdom (Tampa, FL)
Violet Valley Bookstore (Water Valley, MS)
Is the Internship For Credit? Does It Count Toward Graduation?
The internship is a credit-bearing course (G ST 497) and counts as an elective for the gender studies minor. Students get valuable career experience while moving forward toward graduation. The internship course is like any other course at UM, requiring enrollment and payment of tuition and fees.
Eligibility:
Only students who meet the following eligibility requirements will be allowed to enroll in G ST 497. These requirements are not waived under any circumstances.
Sophomore standing
Successful completion of at least 3 hrs in gender studies
Internship Requirements:
Interns are required to work 50 hours per credit hour on-site during the course of the semester. Schedules may be adjusted to fit the circumstances.
Interns are required to submit a weekly 2 page, double-spaced journal. This journal describes their internship activities for the week and reflects on how what they are doing/learning in the internship relates to what they have learned in Women’s and Gender Studies courses.
Interns are required to complete certain professional development projects such as resume building, cover letter writing, and presentation creation.
Interns are required to complete a portfolio as a final project. Other final projects, however, are acceptable as long as they are approved by the intern's academic supervisor.
What if I Still Have Questions or I’m Not Sure if the Undergraduate Internship Program is for Me?
Contact our internship coordinator: Kevin Cozart. He’s happy to answer all of your questions, brainstorm options, and see if an internship fits your needs and goals.