HUMA415 - Honours Internship

Year

Credit points

Campus offering

Prerequisites

Nil

Incompatible

HUMA417 Arts and Humanities Honours Internship A , HUMA418 Arts and Humanities Honours Internship B

Unit rationale, description and aim

Scholars in Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences need to establish connections with industry and develop work-related experiences in applying their theoretical knowledge and specialist technical skills in order to transition to a relevant career.

This Honours unit involves the completion of an internship within one semester. The internship will integrate academic learning, skills and attributes related to employability and develop students’ knowledge of organisations, workplace culture and career pathways in the Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences, 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, mentoring workshops and/or excursions will prepare students for the internship and work across the Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences, Global Studies, or International Development sectors. These sessions will also 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 an approved partner organisation, which can be completed within an agreed period. Prior to the beginning of the 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 undertaken and reported on an Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences, Global Studies, or Development-related project that complements the general area of their research. This will enhance employability skills in relation to: communication, collaboration, analysis and problem-solving; organisation and time-management; and career planning and professional development. The aim of this unit is to complement theoretical study in the Honours program with integrative, practical and professional experience, enhancing both academic learning and industry career readiness in tandem.

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 and Humanities, Social Sciences, Global Studies or International 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 where the internship was undertaken (GA8)

LO4 - Critically reflect on the relationship between theoretical and methodological models/approaches in Arts, Humanities and Social Science-based research and the needs of key cultural institutions, consultancies, government agencies, local government or community organisations in the Arts, Humanities, Social Science, Global Studies or Development sectors (GA7, GA9)

LO5 - Apply 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 unit content will be structured in three parts:

Part One: Arts Pathways

• Preparation for taking up internships
• Workplace culture
• Introduction to the Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences, Global Studies, or International Development sectors.

Part Two: The Internship

• Students undertake a pre-organised internship placement with a partner organisation, which can be completed within the designated period.
• Mentoring during the internship will provide students with the opportunity to share developing skills, strategies and approaches to problem-solving.

Part Three: Reflections on Professional Practice and Integrative Learning

• Showcasing and presentation skills on internship experiences
• Reflecting formally on experiences within the Honours academic disciplinary framework
• 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, Social Sciences, Global Studies, or International Development organisation, 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, in government, or in community or development work, through a series of experiential activities. Students will develop a habit of critical reflection over their internship supported by mentor-questioning and completion of their assessment tasks.

At the same time, students will undertake mentoring sessions at ACU focusing on preparation for internships, problem-solving, and exploring industry connections. Students will also reflect on their internship at the end of the semester.

150 hours, including a negotiated internship of a minimum of 70-80 hours, that may be completed in one semester (or equivalent summer or winter term), and three mentoring sessions led by ACU staff, either online-live or multimode before, during and after the internship. The balance then becomes private study. The internship is normally taken in Australia but may be approved in the international setting with permission from the National Head of School or delegate.

Assessment strategy and rationale

This internship component of this unit is the core part of the formative assessment cycle. It enables students to apply 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. As such, students must complete the internship to pass the unit.

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 is an authentic learning task that requires students to complete a work task at the internship organisation or develop a case study of a particular role or project in the internship organisation and the types of training, experience and networking involved.

The major Written Task requires students to reflect on their placement and to 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.

 Gaylin, David H. A Profile of the Performing Arts Industry: Culture and Commerce. New York: Business Expert Press, 2016.

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

 Lingo, Elizabeth L., and Steven J. Tepper. ‘Looking Back, Looking Forward: Arts-Based Careers and Creative Work.’ Work and Occupations 40:4 (2013): 337-63.

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

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