INTERNSHIP THESIS SPRING
Description
From January until March students will be given the opportunity to do an internship with an NGO, interest group, government or international organization, political party or media organization (see Course Information on Brightspace). Students are responsible for finding an internship position. It is important that the organization is willing to allow and facilitate the student to implement a research project relevant to the organization or its activities.
The internship is followed by a three month internship project seminar in block IV (April - June). During the internship seminar the student will write his or her thesis on the research project. This research paper takes the form of an academic paper. That is: it invokes theory to help answer a clearly formulated question (or hypothesis) on the basis of systematically collected data.
Procedure
Please first consult your Study Advisor on the impact of an internship on your study plan.
The students get in touch with the internship coordinator after finding the internship and the internship coordinator guides the student which form needs to be filled, when and how to submit it. The procedure is explained in detail in the info meeting as well as in the Internship Project Seminar Manual on Brightspace of the project.
Given the emphasis on doing research during the internship, it is important that the participants of the program should verify at potential internship positions the consent of the internship organization for doing research within the organization. In case of doubt, consult your internship coordinator. The Institute of Political Science acts as a facilitator and advisor to find a suitable internship position where both internship work and internship research can be done. The research ideally yields data that can be used in the internship project seminar which leads to the thesis, with a length of approximately 8,000 to 10.000 words.
Examination
Internship: 1. Pass/Fail based on Assessment form by organization internship-supervisor (B3 on the BS); information from interim report and meetings with supervisors; and on internship report written by the student. The internship report must count 1500 words and entails: description of the internship, including the type and aims of the organization; the various activities the internship entailed, and the function of these activities for the work of the organization; a reflection on the internship in light of the academic study of political science, and on the contribution of the internship to the development of professional skills.
Internship project seminar: 1. Research proposal (Pass/Fail by supervisor and second reader); 2. Graded thesis.
Registration
**General information meeting for both Leiden and The Hague MSc students: Wednesday 18 September, 17.15-19.00 in room 1A20 PDLC building, Leiden.
Internship: January - March.
Thesis supervision: Individual meetings from April - June.
The Internhip Project Seminar offers place for 15 students, enrollment is on first come first serve basis
Deadlines
See the manual on Brightspace.