Admission requirements
Contact the study adviser. All internships have to be approved by the Career Service and the MAIR Board of Examiners before the starting date. Students can contact Andreas Hofmann for the appointment of a MAIR internship lecturer (a person from within the MAIR programme who supervises your internship).
Description
The European Union Studies track of the MA in International Relations offers students the possibility to exchange one elective (5 EC ) for an (‘intracurricular’) internship at an entity in the field of international or foreign relations, in or outside of the Netherlands.
Please note that the workload of the internship has to be worth at least 10 EC, even though these can only be used to replace a courseload of 5 EC. The remaining EC will be credited as an 'extra-curricular' activity.
Students are free to choose their own host institution, but they need final approval by the MAIR Board of Examiners. Academic and self-reflection are crucial aspects of the internship. To complete the internship, students are required to follow these steps:
Before the internship, write an internship plan. This internship plan includes well-formulated learning objectives. The internship plan follows a faculty template. Students will discuss this plan with their MAIR internship lecturer and their supervisor (contact person) at the internship organisation. They submit the jointly agreed version to the Career Service, who will forward it to the MAIR Board of Examiners for approval. Calculate four weeks for this process. Internships need to be approved before the start date – retrospective approval is not possible.
The internship plan must contain a detailed description of an internship assignment. Students draft this in cooperation with the MAIR internship lecturer and the supervisor at the internship organisation. The assignment must connect the internship with the MAIR programme and contain a research component (e.g., a draft trade strategy, advice on cultural diplomacy etc.). Students receive some time during the internship to work on this assignment.
Schedule a mid-term meeting with the MAIR internship lecturer (virtual or in-person) where the student reports on the progress of the internship and the assignment. Scheduling is the responsibility of the student.
Within two weeks (10 working days) of the end of the internship, submit an internship report. This report has two parts. In part one (about 1500 words), students critically reflect on their achievements during the internship vis-a-vis their learning objectives, including how the internship connects with the MAIR programme. Part two (about 3000 words) is the final product of the internship assignment. This is a detailed report and academic reflection on the assignment that follows academic standards, including referencing.
Course objectives
Upon successful completion of the course, participants can
demonstrate the capacity for independent learning through critical self-reflection
demonstrate appropriate cognitive, communicative and transferable skills
apply knowledge gained in the MAIR programme in a professional setting
critically evaluate the relationship between the theoretical and practical aspects of international relations
Timetable
The timetables are available through My Timetable.
Mode of instruction
Internship
Assessment method
Assessment
Assessment is based on the following components:
Preparation of the internship: the formulation of the internship plan
Functioning during the internship: primarily based on the assessment of the supervisor at the internship organisation
Internship report: contents and quality of the internship report
Weighing
The final mark for the course is established by determining the weighted average of the individual components:
10% internship plan
20% functioning during the internship
10% part one of the internship report
60% part two of the internship report
The final mark for the course is established by determining the weighted average. To pass the course, the student is required to at least obtain a pass for the functioning during the internship and part one of the internship report, and the weighted average of the partial grades must be 5.5 or higher.
Reading list
To be agreed with the academic internship supervisor.
Registration
Enrolment through MyStudyMap is mandatory.
General information about course and exam enrolment is available on the website
Contact
For substantive questions, contact the study adviser.
For questions about enrolment, admission, etc, contact the Education Administration Office: Huizinga
Remarks
For additional information on internships, see the website of Leiden University's Careers Service.