Internship: English 6620
Students in each of the concentrations in the M.A. program are required to complete an internship alongside the course English 6620 Sites of Praxis. The internship experience is flexible, depending on student interest and need. Internships are generally taken in the second year of the MA program.
By week 12 of the semester before the internship will take place, the student should identify an internship site (more on these options below), and fill out the Internship Contract, getting the required signatures and turning it in to their coordinator who will get them a permit to add English 6620.
Teaching Internships
Currently, the majority of our students complete teaching internships. In this model, the student identifies an undergraduate course in their concentration (if they are a dual concentration student, they can choose either one) taught by a professor who is willing to act as their mentor and have them sign the Teaching Internship Contract. The intern will:
1. Complete the readings assigned to the students in the undergraduate class.
2. Participate in the planning of the course. This is optional. The student should discuss with the faculty member if this makes sense for this particular course.
3. Meet on a regular basis (approximately 5-8 times per semester) with the faculty mentor to discuss the course.
4. Read and “ghost-grade” a set of 6-10 student papers or assignments and discuss them with the faculty mentor.
5. Attend all undergraduate class meetings, during which the intern will:
a. work with students during small-group and individual activities;
b. provide students with assistance in understanding assignments, completing papers, and/or interpreting reading assignments as appropriate in the course;
c. observe the teaching of the faculty mentor.
6. Teach a minimum of one class during the quarter.
7. Attend and complete assignments for the 6620 Sites of Praxis course.
Teaching Internships for Current Teachers
Many students in our MA program are already teaching in their own workplaces. If they would like to get experience teaching in the college classroom, they should follow the directions for the Teaching Internships above. But these students can also choose to intern in their own workplaces by shadowing another teacher who can act as their internship mentor. In that case, you will complete the Teaching Internship Contract and identify the "Other" internship site (along with the other details), and then sign and turn it in to your coordinator for a permit to add 6620.
Alternative Internship Sites
Students may also identify other sites for their internship. Students in the Public & Professional Writing Concentration in particular might want to take advantage of this option for a professional writing internship. The MA program is working to build some connections to potential sites in the community, but in the meantime, students interested in alternative possibilities should get started searching early. See the CSUSB Career Center Internship resources for more help. Once students have secured an internship, they and their supervisor should sign the Alternative Site Internship Contract and turn it in to their coordinator in order to receive a permit to add English 6620.