Internship
SC3550 Sociology Internship /
ISC3550 Extended Sociology Internship
The internship provides students with an opportunity to apply sociological knowledge to the workplace. In particular, students learn about the challenges of workplace situations, and reflect upon how practising sociology may provide clarity to problems encountered. Internships must take place in organizations or companies, be relevant to sociology, consist at least 120 hours for SC3550 (or 240 hours for ISC3550), and be approved by the Department to be considered for credit. This course is not compulsory and will be credited as a Major Elective (SC3550) or a combination of Major Elective and Unrestricted Elective.
Eligibility
The internship courses are only available to students who:
1. Have declared Sociology as their Major (including as Second Major)
2. Completed at least 60 units in total (about 3 semesters), including 24 units in Sociology (6 courses)
3. Completed SC1101E Making Sense of Society & SC2101 Methods of Social Research
Workload
Internships will vary in duration but must include a minimum of 120 hours of work at an organization or company accumulated over a Special Term semester to be considered for modular credits. An internship with a minimum of 240 hours at the same organization may earn 8 units, of which 4 units will be credited to Major Elective and 4 units to Unrestricted Elective
Working Hours
Students can work for a maximum of 8 hours a day and up to 44 hours a week (as stipulated by the Employment Act), subject to the partnering organization’s approval, (all of which count towards the total workload.) Students are also expected to dedicate time to reading and writing reflection papers / assignments.
Supervision
The Department internship coordinator and/or a committee will provide supervision, following the format where one supervisor oversees a group of interns. Students are still liable to pay tuition fees for the internship semester.
Administration
The Department internship coordinator, A/P Vincent Chua will lead and coordinate with the SC UG admin team to
manage the courses.
Securing Internship
There are 3 ways of securing internships:
NUS
Students will be encouraged to find potential employers on platforms such as: NUSTalentConnect, Centre for Future-ready Graduates (CFG), Arts and Social Sciences Internship and seek the Department's approval subsequently.
Department
Internship opportunities advertised by the Department. Here students apply for limited positions on a competitive basis and through interviews. Admission numbers are small and entry is selective. Selection may not be solely measured by academic performance. Students may still need to find their own workplace supervisors from these organizations.
Self
Students find internship opportunities independently and seek the Department's approval.
All internships must:
Be relevant to the Major in Sociology;
Be vetted by the Department internship coordinator or committee for suitability and relevance;
Involve an academic supervisor who oversees the internship;
Involve mid‐internship feedback with the academic supervisor, through face-to-face meetings and feedback on journal submissions and the final written assignment.
Be assessed based on feedback from the workplace supervisor
Application Process
A survey to assess the interest level will be conducted in July of Semester 1. This will be followed by an introduction briefing for all interested students in Week 2 (of Semester 1). A smaller cohort of admitted students will then be invited to a second briefing by the Department internship coordinator, in Week 12 of Semester 1, before the start of internships.
As part of enrolling to the course, students are required to submit:
1. Statement of Purpose (1 page, single-spaced) to inform the Department of how they can contribute to and benefit from the internship. Students should express their understanding of how the internship could benefit their sociology-based learning process in methodological and/or analytical aspects.
2. Letter of offer from company / Employment contract (“contract of service”)