South Australian Internship and Parliamentary Internship Program

The South Australian Internship Program is offered by the Politics Discipline in the School of History and Politics of the University of Adelaide. This Program offers placement in either the State Parliament of South Australia or with one of a range of public sector agencies. It was established to allow students to gain first hand experience of the workings of diverse public sector organisations and to appreciate the daily activities of those who work within them.

The Internship Program aims to:

provide students with community resources and connections not normally available to them
enhance understanding of public-policy making process through this exposure
produce a report of findings of use and value to the organisation and for which students gain academic credit
provide students with valuable experience, under supervision, in the production of long research reports

In recent years we have had students conducting research in the following placements:

State Parliament of South Australia
State and local government bodies
Broadcasting organisations
Non-government peak lobby organisations
Political parties
Youth/generation politics
Australian cultural history
Rehabilitation in correctional services
Policy of firearms legislation
Sexual assault laws and case counselling confidentiality
Monitoring of recommendations of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal deaths in custody

Environmental agencies
Aboriginal services
Women's services
Legal services
Environmentally sustainable urban development
Voluntary euthanasia
Family court costs and legal aid
An Australian Republic and state power
Forecast of trade demand for selected South Australian commodities
Declining public perceptions of public schooling
Relevance of the United Nations in internal disputes

The Internship Program has been designed with two clear goals in mind:

To allow students to work within an organisation active in the public sector. In the process it is expected that the students will acquire a sense of the general responsibilities confronted by this organisation. Further, while com-pleting the research, students will gain access to some of the resources and connections not usually available to them. By the end of the Program, students should be able to leave with an enhanced understanding of the public policy processes and a detailed knowledge of the issues behind the chosen research topic.
Students will produce work that is of use to the organisation, and in the process of the research and the drafting of the final report, students will make a valuable contribution to the organisation as well as to the broader process of policy-making.

For the whole of their period as interns, students remain attached to the University of Adelaide. This means that all administrative matters and questions relating to their enrolment and status should be directed to the University.

Admission to the Program

selection to the program is competitive and admission to the Program cannot be guaranteed
the final selection of students is by quota, based on academic merit
students wanting a place must enrol by 30 April (though students applying after 30 April may be accepted, depending on their desired placement and the level of demand)
all enrolled students will be informed whether they have been accepted into the Program by May
all students offered a place will be asked for their placement and research preferences and will be advised of their placement before the start of Semester 2

The Program begins with an orientation session. At this meeting we will discuss the process of arranging a meeting with their nominated organisation/supervisor and how to begin the process of preliminary planning of the research project. Once the exact terms of the research project have been agreed an ‘agreement' defining the task, outlining the methodology, and detailing the level of support available will be signed by the supervisor, the student and the academic coordinator. All students are expected to participate in a series of seminars during the semester.

Assessment is based upon the written research report and on a short reflective essay based on internship experiences.

At the end of the academic semester, all students will attend an ‘Internship Conference' at which they will present a summary of their findings. One week later, all students will submit bound copies of their research project. One copy will go to the academic coordinator, and the other to the host organisation one copy of reports completed for Members of the State Parliament will be lodged in the Parliamentary Library).

A final mark (determined by the University) will be based on all the written work.

Further Information

Responsibility for the academic coordination of the Internships, for the negotiation of placements and the day to day running of the Internship Scheme rests with the Academic coordinator, and all enquiries specifically about the Scheme should be directed to:

Dr Clement Macintyre
Politics Department
University of Adelaide
South Australia 5005
Telephone 61-8-8303 5601
Facsimile 61-8-8303 3446
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Language Assistant Internship

Suitably qualified students may apply to undertake a language assistant internship in the area of German Studies as part of their study abroad or exchange program.

The Program

The student will attend a minimum of 3 hours of classes per week (language classes, tutorials and lectures) during the course of the semester
The student will document his/her attendance and participation in the form of a diary
The student will normally spend the first three weeks observing classes
After the first three weeks, the student will normally prepare and give a minimum of 1 presentation per week. The length of the presentation will increase as the student gains experience.
Each presentation will be discussed in advance with the supervisory staff member and a written version of the presentation will normally be provided before the date of the presentation so that any necessary changes may be made/
The student may present one lecture during the semester.
At the end of the semester the supervisory staff member will write a report which will be made available to the student’s home institution.

Requirements

Students should be native-speakers of the German language
Students will enrol in a 6-unit course which forms part of the normal course load for the study abroad/exchange program
Students will receive a grade of Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory for the course
A total of two students per semester can normally be admitted to the internship program
There is no extra cost – the course forms part of the normal enrolment for each student

Application

Potential students should indicate their interest on the study abroad/exchange application form and apply by the application deadline, including an outline of their background and suitable skills
Applicants will be informed of the result before they arrive in Adelaide

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