Sociology Internships         

Doing an internship is a great way to get real-world career-related experience and to see what types of jobs people are doing that are related to your coursework and learning. If you are interested in doing an internship, you should contact the CSBS Internship Coordinator for internship interest and exploration as well as for for internship confirmation and preparationat least one semester prior to the semester in which you want to do the internship to arrange for placement. Typically, if a student is enrolled for 3 credit hours, they will work approximately 100 hours per semester with a government agency or community organization. Internships are typically unpaid, but in some circumstances may be paid positions.

 

Sociology offers 3 College of Social and Behavioral Science internships:

• SOC 4890 - Individual Internships in Sociology
• SOC 4891 - CSBS Internship: Criminology
• SOC 4892 - CSBS Internship: Diversity

 

Internships Engage Students’ Social Concerns as they Prepare for Future Employment

As part of a concerted outreach to and integration with communities in need, the sociology department offers multiple opportunities for Community Engaged Learning, some of which are internships. Over the course of a semester, interns from the sociology department commit to 100 hours of service to an agency that is part of the overall system of social support. They set goals for that time, develop a work plan, and carry out their contributions under the supervision of an individual within their agency. Students must pro-actively obtain their internship, learn the requirements for participation within their agency, and then responsibly monitor themselves and their time throughout the semester. Our goal is to mirror a job search, appropriate self-promotion, integration into a work environment, and goal completion within the parameters of an established agency.

INTERNSHIP COURSES

Students participate in an internship by contacting the Internship Coordinator, Dominique Blanc, no later than two weeks before the beginning of the semester in which the student is enrolled in the internship.  The internship coordinator may approve an internship arrangement that a student has identified or may assist the student in identifying a good internship match.

CSBS INTERNSHIP: CRIMINOLOGY

The CSBS INTERNSHIP: CRIMINOLOGY  (SOC 4891) places students with an interest in criminology into agencies that serve the criminal justice system. Agencies such as Salt Lake City Police Department Victim Advocate Department and the Juvenile Peer Court Program allow our students real-life participation in criminology-related agencies. Students who pursue criminology internships often complete our criminology major or obtain sociology's criminology certificate as an enhancement to their degree. In addition to this, students are often offered jobs at the agencies in which they have interned.

CSBS INTERNSHIP: DIVERSITY and CSBS INTERNSHIP PROGRAM IN SOCIOLOGY

The CSBS INDIVIDUAL INTERNSHIP: Sociology (SOC 4890) and CSBS INTERNSHIP:Diversity  (SOC 4892) are performed in agencies whose mission is to serve marginalized communities. The requirements for our agencies are that they “fit in the broad system of social support” and “utilize [our] student intern(s) to do real and measurable good with a community in need.” We have a list of community partners, such as the South Valley Services Domestic Violence Shelter and the Utah Pride Center, that we collaborate with. Students may also bring their own agencies to the internship coordinator, provided they can demonstrate that the agency they serve is specifically intended to improve quality of life or address gaps in need for communities at risk. The sociology department also offers a diversity certificate as a degree enhancement, and many diversity interns pursue that certificate.

Our internships have an element of social justice; we intend that our students will take their educational privilege and lend it to the work of equality and social support. In so doing, we hope to not only serve marginalized communities but also to influence future leaders and participants in our democratic system. The humanizing work of serving at-risk communities has the potential to encourage nuanced thought about the opportunities that are extended to and withheld from individuals in need, as well as the structure and efficacy of the social support system. 

Recent support through the College of Social and Behavioral Science has allowed our internship program to expand and reflect the areas of emphasis within our department such as public health and environmental sociology. Among all internships on offer at present, the sociology department has partnerships with 49 agencies. However, more and diverse agencies are greatly welcome, particularly at this time as we purposefully expand internship participation. Research shows that internship opportunities are extremely beneficial to graduating students as they enter the job market, and we intend to help our students be as marketable as possible. We also invite alumni and community members to offer ideas and opportunities for internships that fit within the goals of the sociology department internship programs.

Please contact Jacqueline Broida, Internship Coordinator,  or book and appointment. We welcome your input.