HUMA417 - Arts and Humanities Honours Internship A

Year

Credit points

Campus offering

Prerequisites

Unit rationale, description and aim

This Honours subject involves the completion of an internship within one semester integrating academic learning, skills and attributes related to employability and an improved knowledge of organisations, workplace culture and career pathways in the Arts and Humanities, Global Studies or International Development Sectors. The placement complements theoretical study in the Honours program by immersing students in project work at key cultural institutions, consultancies, government agencies, or local government/community organisations. Pre- and post-placement workshops and/or excursions will prepare students for the internship and work across the Arts and Humanities or Global Studies and Development sectors and will allow students to discuss, debate, question and consider the role of cultural, development, or heritage institutions in public life. Students then undertake a (pre-organised) internship placement with a partner organisation, which can be completed within an agreed period. Prior to the beginning of semester, ACU staff will have identified and engaged with appropriate partner organisations to develop a list of potential internship projects. On completion of the unit, students will have completed and reported on an Arts, Humanities, Global Studies of Development- related project in a discipline that complements the general area of their thesis research. This will enhance employability skills including communication, interpersonal, analytical and problem-solving skills; organisational and time-management; and career planning and professional development.

Learning outcomes

To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.

Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.

Explore the graduate capabilities.

On successful completion of this unit, students should be able to:

LO1 - Articulate and apply advanced concepts relevant to the work of cultural institutions, consultancies, government agencies, or government/community organisations, using scholarly positions and theories in the Arts, Humanities Global Studies or Development sectors (GA4, GA5, GA6, GA8)

LO2 - Demonstrate an independent approach to learning and knowledge (GA7)

LO3 - Identify the training, experience and networking demanded of roles in the type of organisation the internship was undertaken (GA8)

LO4 - Explore key cultural institutions, consultancies, government agencies, local government or community organisations in the Arts and Humanities, Global Studies or Development sectors (GA7, GA 9)

LO5 - Relate advanced cognitive, technical and communication skills to transform information and complete a range of activities as a member of a team in an internship setting (GA5; GA7; GA9; GA10).

Graduate attributes

GA4 - think critically and reflectively 

GA5 - demonstrate values, knowledge, skills and attitudes appropriate to the discipline and/or profession 

GA6 - solve problems in a variety of settings taking local and international perspectives into account

GA7 - work both autonomously and collaboratively 

GA8 - locate, organise, analyse, synthesise and evaluate information 

GA9 - demonstrate effective communication in oral and written English language and visual media 

GA10 - utilise information and communication and other relevant technologies effectively.

Content

The course will be structured in three parts:

Part One: Arts Pathways 

• Preparation for taking up internships
• Workplace culture
• Introduction to the Arts and Humanities sector (key cultural institutions, consultancies, government agencies, local government/community organisations).

Part Two: The Internship 

• Students undertake a (pre-organised) internship placement with partner organisation, which can be completed within the designated period.

Part Three: Reflections on Professional Practice

• Showcasing and presentation skills on internship experiences
• Linking skills to employer requirements
• Presenting internship/industry experience to potential employers in the future.

Learning and teaching strategy and rationale

This unit takes the form of an internship with an external Arts, Humanities, government, community or development organization, framed by pre and post-internship activities on campus.

By engaging directly with these organisations and practitioners (and with guidance and support from ACU staff) students will develop their skills and knowledge of professional practice in a particular field of the Arts and Humanities government, community or development areas, through a series of experiential activities.

At the same time, the student will undertake a range of active learning activities including reading, writing, analysis, debate, discussion and problem solving.  

Attendance Mode: 150 hours, including a negotiated internship that may be completed in one semester (or equivalent summer or winter term), and face to face or online pre and post-internship modules. The balance then becomes private study.

Assessment strategy and rationale

This internship component of this unit will be assessed by a pass/fail grade.

The assessment tasks for this unit will be graded and have been designed to assess students’ developing skills and knowledge over the course of the semester – in relation to both the online or campus-based learning activities and their off-campus internship experiences.

The hurdle requirement ensures that students complete the required internship and associated training and reporting. The Case Study Exercise requires students to develop a case study of a particular role or project in the internship organisation and the types of training, experience and networking demanded of roles in the organisation. The major Written Task requires to students to reflect on their placement and tie their experience into key theoretical and methodological approaches in the Arts, Humanities, government, community or development areas.

Overview of assessments

Representative texts and references

Cauvin, Thomas. Public History: A Textbook of Practice. New York: Routledge, 2016.

Davidson, Graeme and Chris McConville, eds. A Heritage Handbook. Melbourne: Monash, 1991.

Guarise, Desalina, and James Kostenblatt. "Unpaid Internships and the Career Success of Liberal Arts Graduates." NACE Journal 78, no. 3 (2018): 37.

Hodges, Sue. Hands on History. South Melbourne: Sue Hodges Productions, 2006.

Kean, Hilda, and Paul Martin. The Public History Reader. London: Routledge, 2013.

Lang, Caroline, and John Reeve, eds. The Responsive Museum: Working with Audiences in the Twenty-First Century. London: Routledge, 2006.

Neugebauer, John, and Jane Evans-Brain. Making the Most of Your Placement. London: SAGE, 2009.

Rosser, A. Towards Effective International Work-Integrated Learning Practica in Development Studies: Reflections on the Australian Consortium for ‘In-Country’ Indonesian Studies' Development Studies Professional Practicum. Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 2012, 36(3). 341-353.

Sides, Charles H., and Ann Mrvica. Internships: Theory and Practice. Oxford: Routledge, 2017.