Course syllabus

POLITICS 774: Politics-Policy Internship

SEMESTER 2, 2018

30 points

 
Course Convenor: 

 Jennifer Curtin - j.curtin@auckland.ac.nz

 Summary of Course Description:              

This is a course for outstanding students undertaking postgraduate study in Honours and Masters programmes in Public Policy, Politics and International Relations. The course is designed to provide students with an opportunity to apply their in-class knowledge in a professional out-of-classroom environment. It will also present a unique opportunity for participating organisations to obtain a project report on a political or policy issue on a topic of interest to them.

The aim of the course is to provide opportunities and to improve students’ understanding of politics and policy-making. It also presents an excellent opportunity to translate academic writing skills into report writing skills for a professional environment.

 Course outcomes:

By successfully completing this course students will have developed the following: 

• A comprehensive understanding of the role of their host organisation
• A critical understanding of relevant political institutions, evaluation and advocacy work and the policy-making environment
• Analytical and report writing skills
• Practical skills related to the provision of consultancy-type services
• Interpersonal skills through interaction with a range of people both within and external to their host institution appropriate to future professional employment
• Time management, organisational and problem solving skills
• An awareness of ethical issues regarding expert advice and reporting

For details of our meeting dates and topics go to MODULES page

 Coursework requirements:           

Each Intern is required to complete a series of assessments in order to gain academic credit for this course. These are as follows:

• A project plan and reference list developed in consultation with workplace supervisor (500 words; due week 6) 10%
• A weekly journal on lessons learned from activities in the placement organisation culminating in a reflective essay. The short journal entries should be included as an appendix to the essay, but only the reflective essay will be graded (1000 words; due week 12) 10%
• Participation in a series of in-class activities based on readings provided in advance; participation in peer mentoring meetings (equiv 500 words) 10%
• In-class oral presentation based on project (equiv 1000 words, week 9) 10%
• A project report on a topic of relevance to the placement organisation, as developed in the original project plan (6,000 words, week 12) 60%