INTERNSHIPS
The UTC Political Science Department many internship opportunities for undergraduates. The programs are listed below in detail along with the faculty member who serves as the Co-ordinator for the programs.
Metropolitan Internship Program
Co-ordinator: Dr.Christopher Horne (423-425-1709)The Metro Internship program is available to students from all majors. Participation is generally limited to juniors and seniors and requires a minimum 2.50 GPA.
The Metro Intern program places interns in a variety of internship sites. Examples include the offices of area congressional representatives, the Chattanooga City Attorney's Office, the Chattanooga/Hamilton County Regional Planning Commission, the Chattanooga Area Food Bank, and the Red Bank City Manager's Office.
Interns work under the supervision of a site supervisor who is responsible for assigning work responsibilities, monitoring progress, and evaluating student performance. Students are required to work three hours per week for each credit hour for which they are registered. Thus, students who register for POLS 471 must work nine hours per week during the course of the semester while those who register for both POLS 471 and 472 must spend a total of 18 hours per week at the internship site.
Metro interns are assigned a wide variety of responsibilities by their site supervisors. For example, interns in the Juvenile Court serve as monitors and advisors for youths who are involved with the court system. Those placed with the Planning Commission work on projects related to growth and development in the Metro area. Sheriff's Department interns cycle through the various activities and functions performed by that agency while those placed with congressional offices answer constituent calls and conduct research for the elected member of Congress.
In addition to the experiential component of our metropolitan internships, students are required to prepare a research paper, analyze assigned readings, and meet regularly with the faculty internship coordinator during the semester. Research paper topics are selected to reflect a connection with internship site's functions and purposes.
State internship Program
Co-ordinator: Dr. Christopher Horne (423-425-1709)
The Political Science Department also offers the Tennessee State Legislative Internship Program (POLS 461-464). This program is offered during spring semester and places students in the office of a member of the Hamilton County legislative delegation, or with a legislative committee during the Tennessee General Assembly's annual session.
Requirements for participation in the legislative internship program are generally the same as for the Metro Internship with the additional requirement of being registeredto vote in Tennessee and a pre-selection interview with a departmental screening committee.
Students spend their entire internship experience at the State Capitol in Nashville serving as assistants to legislators or legislative committees.
The program requires that students remain in their internship placement until the end of the legislative session, or until May 31, whichever comes first. This means that students often continue in the program beyond the semester ending date. Legislative interns are assigned a variety of responsibilities.
Many legislators assign their interns to attend committee hearings and prepare summaries of the proceedings and actions taken. Some use their interns to research issues related to legislation under consideration. Others depend on their interns to assist with scheduling under the heavy time constraints imposed by the legislative session.
As with the Metropolitan Internship program, the legislative internship includes both experiential and academic components. Students are required to prepare a research paper related to a topic of interest about the legislature, the legislative process, or some policy issue.
In addition, students are required to summarize assigned readings at regular meetings with the faculty internship coordinator during the semester. Finally, legislative interns are required to keep an extensive journal of their experiences and thoughts during the session.
National/International Government Internship Program
Co-ordinator: Dr.Fouad Moughrabi (423-425-4231)
Through this internship program (POLS 473r, 474, 475, 476) students have the opportunity to work in various national and international government offices, departments, or agencies.
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