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Okay, here are the basics:
-This is a 500-level course, obviously. This means it is open to graduate students and qualified seniors. The latter must be seniors--that is, have at least 90 hours, and have solid grades in their upper-level English courses. Alternate routes may exist for other undergraduates to gain credit for internship work they perform.
The course director keeps information about internships and requests from people who want interns to work with them. However, most students end up finding their own internships based on their interests and contacts.
To qualify as a satisfactory internship, a position should involve at least 125 hours of work on site (for three academic hours of credit) and at least 3500 words of writing and/or editing. The internship should be spread over at least ten weeks of the semester; this allows the student to experience part-time professional-world work, which is the goal. An intern who works more hours than the basic number may qualify for additional academic hours of credit. The maximum is six hours of credit.
Truth be told, this is one area in which cold-calling usually words. Most people can't resist someone who says, Hey, I want to learn how to do what it is you do. So if you have an idea for an internship, make a call, explore the possibility, see about an interview.
Once you have an internship lined up, submit a proposal to the course director. Include your name, address, phone numbers, e-mail address, the name and address of the person with whom you'd be working, a basic outline of what you'd be doing, and a statement about how this experience will benefit your education. That is, what do you hope to learn and how will that help your achieve your goals as a writer and editor.
After the course director has worked out the details, you can sign up for the internship.
At several points during the semester, the course director will contact you to ensure things are going well. You should keep representations of your work so that at the end of the semester, you can submit a portfolio showing what you have done and how much your skills have grown.
Your grade is synthesized from an exit interview with you and your on-site supervisor, plus the work level evidenced in your portfolio, and your apparent good-faith effort to carry out the contract outlined your proposal.
Questions, or to check out ideas, call or e-mail me.
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