Internship

Overview of Internship Courses

SE major students who would like their participation in internships to count towards meeting graduation requirements may enrol in courses managed by Department or the FASS (see FASS’s internship website for more information about faculty managed internship course).

Course SE3550 Southeast Asian Studies Internship ISE3550 Extended Internship*
Units 4 4
Course Classification Counted towards SE major requirements. Can be counted towards Unrestricted Electives (UE) only
Prerequisite(s): Students should have completed a minimum of 24 Units in Southeast Asian Studies and have declared Southeast Asian Studies as their major
Preclusion(s): Any other XX3550 module (Note: Students who change major may not do a second internship in their new major)
Internship Hours Special Term, Full-time: 8-12 weeks during special term, no more than 40 hours per week. A minimum of 120 hours of work.
Semester 1 or 2, Part-time: 12-16 weeks during regular semester, no more than 16 hours per week. A minimum of 120 hours of work.		 Semester 1 or 2, Full-time: 12-16 weeks during regular semester, no more than 40 hours per week. (Inclusive of internship hours for SE3550). A minimum of 240 hours of work.
Application Deadlines Semester 1: 1st week of June
Semester 2: 1st week of November
Special Term: 1st week of March
Course Windows Semester 1: August to December (16 weeks)
Semester 2: January to May (16 weeks)
Special Term: May to July (12 weeks)
All work for the modules should be completed within the prescribed windows. The arrangement with the company or organisation may extend beyond the windows on a mutual arrangement between the student and the employer. Work done beyond the course window does not count towards the course.

*ISE3550 Extended Internship must be undertaken concurrently with SE3550 Southeast Asian Studies Internship.

  1. Internship courses may not be used to delay honours.
  2. Students who have undertaken or will be undertaking the Department managed internship courses under the Semester-in-Southeast Asia exchange programme will not be allowed to undertake Department managed internship in Singapore. You may consider FASS managed internships instead if you want to undertake internship in Singapore.
  3. Students may pursue the internship course concurrently with other courses only with approval from the company or organisation and the Department of Southeast Asian Studies.
  4. Start/end date for internships may vary but all work for the courses should be completed within the module window (see above).
  5. Students will need a Workplace Supervisor (from the company or organisation) and Academic Advisor (from NUS).
  6. Students will submit written assignments to be reviewed by the Academic Advisor, and in some cases, by the Workplace Supervisor as well.
  7. The final grade given by the Academic Advisor will be based on your written assignments and Workplace Supervisor feedback.

Applying for Internship Course

Secure an Internship

Students are encouraged to source for internships with organisations in the industries of their choice. The Department is also on the look out for internship opportunities for our students and will inform students via e-mail when there are opportunities available.

Other resources:
NUS TalentConnect
Employers' websites
CFG website

Submit an Application

Apply for internship course by submitting the SEA Internship Proposal Form to the Department administrator for approval. The following information will be required:

  • Details of host organisation, including address, contact number, email and contact person.
  • Scope and description of duties
  • Intended learning outcomes from the internship
  • Planned work schedule

Once the internship is approved by the Department, please request the host organisation to issue an official acceptance letter with details of the agreed internship arrangements. A scanned copy of this letter must be submitted to the Department.

During the Internship

Guidelines for Students

Please ensure you are clear about your work schedule and tasks early in the semester, after meeting and consulting with your host organisation. Please raise any doubts or concerns you have, and ask for clarification, as soon as possible.

The core tasks of your internship will be explained to you by your host organisation. In addition, you need to keep a written journal of your tasks and learning experiences, which you will use as the basis for your final report, which is to be submitted to the Department of Southeast Asian Studies when you finish the internship.

Assignments

Journal

The journal should be completed during the period of your internship. The Department of Southeast Asian Studies suggests recording weekly entries.

  • Each entry should be at least 300 words.
  • Journal entries should describe the work done, what you learned, and your immediate observations/reflections.

The journal can be in the form of a diary entry, blog etc.

Report

At the end of the internship, each student must submit a final report (and the journal) to the Department of Southeast Asian Studies. Only one final report is required even if you do ISE3550 Extended Internship.

The report should include the following components:

  • Description of the internship (its objectives, schedule and principal activities completed).
  • Reflection upon the internship experience (the learning outcomes, including social, personal and any technical skills acquired).
  • Closing remarks.

The report may be build upon your journal entries to draw some conclusions about what you have learnt as an intern, and how it does (or does not) relate to what you have learnt in Southeast Asian Studies but should not be copied verbatim from them. You may – if you want – include other items that are related to the issues you are covering: pictures, news clippings, or other materials, which you can use to illustrate the points you wish to develop. The report should be no longer than 3 000 words.

Assessment

Evaluation is based on 100% Continuous Assessment.

Your final report and journal for the internship will be assessed by a SEAD staff member with the following criteria in mind:

  • Making sense of your internship experience. This means relating what you encountered to your knowledge of the country and to questions raised in the field of Southeast Asian Studies. These could include one or more of the issues, debates or problems that you have been presented with in the course of your other modules. In general, this criterion relates to being able to put the particular experiences you had in the context of a bigger picture.
  • Reflection. This related to your originality and creativity in thinking about your experiences and in drawing connections, both among the experiences of the internship and with some of the larger issues to which they relate.
  • Analytical skills. This refers to your ability to develop a coherent argument or line of interpretation, to build your case in a logical manner and support it appropriately (and to acknowledge issues on which you are uncertain, or for which you do not have adequate evidence).
  • Clarity and organisation. This means expressing yourself clearly, using language precisely and accurately, and organising your material so that it forms an ordered, structured report that is easy to read.

Enquiries

If you have meaningful opportunities for our students or have enquiries on the Southeast Asian Studies internship programme, please contact Associate Prof Irving Johnson

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