Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies 191: Internship

This The Gender, Sexuality and Women's Studies internship seminar is held in conjunction with a GSWS internship. Students  begin researching and making arrangements for these internship placements before the semester begins through reviewing the GSWS website, or consulting with the instructor or other faculty members.

In this learning experience the interns participate in a reading, discussion, and skills-focused seminar with a GSWS faculty member and other GSWS interns.  The primary objective of the seminar is to support students in the work they do off-campus, and to give them opportunities to evaluate their internship experiences and relate them to what they have learned in the classroom. Assigned readings vary in content and include material pertaining to gender, sexuality and women's studies in general and to topics of particular interest to the interns. Book discussion will focus on topics that reflect broad concerns.

Feminist pedagogical principles are embodied in this seminar; it is a setting in which understanding the political and social reality of people’s lives is emphasized. Interns are asked to reflect on and share their personal experiences, listen to others with an open mind, and integrate multiple sources of data using critical thinking skills. Interns are treated as peers in this context, and they have the opportunity to integrate a diversity of opinions.

Seminar Objectives:

• Share experiences gained during internship with other interns
• Cooperative problem solving
• Develop skill sets of benefit academically and professionally
• Exercise critical thinking skills