Gender and Women's Studies Internships

GWST HOME

Improving Lives; Enhancing Learning

We believe that education extends beyond the classroom to the larger communities in which we live, so the Gender & Women’s Studies Program at the University of Denver offers opportunities for local and global internships and service learning. Internships offer you more than valuable work experience and professional contacts. They give you the opportunity to make important contributions to the organizations and businesses that seek to ensure equity and opportunity for all people.

Qualifications

Juniors and seniors may earn up to 5 quarter hours of credit for a GWST internship.  With approval by the director of Gender & Women’s Studies, eligible students may enroll in GWST 3989 for 2 to 5 qtr hours.  GWST 3989 provides students an experiential learning opportunity in local, state, national, or international organizations, agencies or businesses that focus on women’s/gender issues.  To be eligible for a GWST internship, students must meet the following criteria:

• Must have a GWST major or minor
• Must be of junior or senior status
• Must have completed at least 8 hours of GWST coursework (including also-listed courses)
• Must have a GPA of 2.5 (overall and in the major or minor)

Finding an Internship

Our goal is to find an appropriate placement for your internship, and the process begins with you.  Think about the organizations you would like to work with and what women’s/gender issues you would like to address in your internship.  Consider what you would like to accomplish and what kind of service you would like to offer the community.  The GWST office can provide a pre-approved list of resources for identifying internship opportunities; however, you also may take the initiative to find an internship on your own and have it approved.  All internships must be approved by the GWST director; however, they may be sponsored by a member of the GWST faculty as a part of a GWST course.  While most internships are unpaid, there are opportunities for paid experiences.  Students also may apply to the Marsico Internship Initiative, a program that awards $2,500 grants to undergraduate students for participating in an unpaid internship during the summer.  For additional information regarding the Marsico Internship Initiative, please contact the program coordinator at duintern@du.edu.

Approval Process

Students who are interested in an internship opportunity must complete the following steps for the approval process:

• Discuss the proposed internship with the faculty advisor or GWST director
• Complete the Internship Agreement Form in consultation with the internship organization supervisor.  Include with the form a written job description, a description of the student’s goals and objectives for the internship, and a list of specific requirements for receiving academic credit.
• Secure faculty sponsor, internship supervisor, and GWST director signatures
• Submit the form to the GWST director

Credit Requirements

All internships must include a minimum of 50 hours of work.  Students receive two quarter hours of credit for every 50 hours of work--up to 5 credit hours.  In order to receive the credit, students must complete the following requirements:

• Enroll in GWST 3989 with GWST director’s approval
• Submit academic project to faculty advisor or  write a 5-7 page reflection discussing the following:
  • An overview of the organization and its objectives
  • An analysis of the organization’s role in addressing an important women’s/gender issue
  • A description of your goals, role, and duties for the internship
  • A discussion of how your GWST courses prepared you for or were relevant to the internship.
  • An analysis of how the internship contributed to your academic work or career plans.
• Have your internship organization supervisor complete an Internship Evaluation Form and submit it to the GWST director.

For More Information

For more information on GWST Internship opportunities, please contact Allison Riola, Assistant to the Director of GWST at ariola@du.edu or 303-871-4419. You may also contact Jessica Munns Ph.D., Director, GWST at jmunns@du.edu or 303-871-3603.  Please stop by the GWST office at Sturm Hall 419, 2000 East Asbury, Denver, C0 80208 or visit our website at http://www.du.edu/gwst

Come closer and you will see:  feminism is for everybody.

                                             --bell hooks