Internship in Communication

COMM 389 COMM 489 Internship in Communication

Effective –2014-15 Instructor: Dr. Carl L. Kell Office: FAC 147 Office Phone: (270) 745-5883 Email address: [email protected]

Course Description COMM 389 or COMM 489 is a supervised internship in a professional position. The internship requires 240 working hours, conforming to specifications identified in the COMM 389-489 Syllabus. The purpose of the internship is to apply the principles and theories taught in the classroom to real-life work in a professional setting.

Prerequisites: Sophomore, Junior, and Senior class standing with permission from the Director of Internships. The student should have already attained academic preparation in the professional field chosen for the internship. You will be admitted based on the completion of three tasks i.e., the Application, Learning Contract, and an unofficial copy of your WKU transcript.

General Course Requirements  Register for the course prior to the semester in which the internship experience occurs.  Meet with Dr. Carl L. Kell for approval of your internship. You are required to work with the Supervisor at the work site to complete the Learning Contract as the primary task / subject to approval by the Director of Internships.  You will need to prepare a Four-week Journal(s) of communication observations and projects engaged in during the internship experience. These journals entries will assist you in completing the Consultant’s Report. Hand-deliver or mail them at the end of each four-week period in the term. You will have at least two (2) Four-Week Reports, perhaps more.  You are expected to fill out the Mid-Term Form and a Final Term Form to submit to the Internship Director. (See the forms on the Department website under “Internship Opportunities” link located on the “BA Corporate & Organizational Communication” page.) The Mid-Term Form is due the week after you have completed 100-120 hours. The Final Term Form is due the last week of class. The Supervisor’s Mid- Term and Final Term Forms are due in the same time frames as the student’s Mid-Term and Final forms. Course Assignments Assignments Points Learning Contract (in cooperation with the Supervisor at the worksite) 0 Monthly Reports (2-3 reports) 40 Consultant’s Report 40 Mid-Term / Final-Term (2 forms) (student-only) 20 _____ 100

Assignment Descriptions

The COMM 200 App will serve as the theory base for COMM 489 with additional theories in interpersonal, gender, organizational communication from advanced classes.

Four-Week Reports As for the Four Week Reports, you will be evaluated on your work at the site by your supervisor as well as your self-evaluation on your understanding and application of selected communication theories. Reports must be typewritten and double spaced with 1 inch margins. Grammar, spelling, and other typographical errors will result in a reduced grade. Effective organization in telling your story is expected. Please include a reference list of resources you use in each Report.

Consultant’s Report Imagine that the organization for which you have interned has invited you back to serve as a consultant. Based on your experiences as an intern, you are to utilize at least three communication theories from your coursework to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of this organization in a 10-12 page report. Recommendations and/or conclusions based on your analysis should be offered in the Report. The Monthly Reports will serve as the substance of the CR as you develop a plan for your site to follow for an improved organizational culture.

Internship Forms are located on the departmental web pages. Follow these instructions:  go to Western’s Web page: www.wku.edu  click on: Academics  click on: Colleges & Departments, and then on Potter College of Arts & Letters  under Academic Units, click on Communication  under Degrees & Programs, click on Undergraduate  click on: Internships (located on right-hand side of page)

NOTE: The Internships webpage has all of the requirements for the course. The links to the Internship Forms are located in a table on the bottom of the page.