Important new rules for JMC interns

With the start of the 2010-2011 school year, the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication at ACU has made some key revisions to the required student internship program. All JMC majors will still be required to enroll in JMC 495, the internship seminar class, and complete a pre-approved JMC internship.

The changes go into effect for students taking JMC 495 in the fall of this year (the current semester) and later. Students who took JMC 495 last year and have already begun or completed their internships will not be affected by these changes.

The internship program changes include:

• The minimum required number of hours that a student must work on his or her internship has been reduced from 160 to 120. This will make it easier for students to complete internships during the fall and spring semesters while attending school.
  
• Daily work journals must now be produced in an online format using the "Journals" feature in Blackboard. Students are expected to keep their online journals current at all times during their internships. The completed journals must still be printed and included in the internship portfolio.
  
• After completing their internships, students must write a series of three 1,000 word (minimum) senior essays that cover global diversity, domestic diversity and ethics, respectively. The essays are due at the same time as the internship portfolios.
  
• Students must make an appointment for an oral presentation before a panel of JMC department faculty. Students will be asked to summarize their internship experience and discuss their senior essays during the 30-minute oral presentation.
  
• The internship seminar (JMC 495) will be extended beyond its traditional six or seven week format to include extra sessions to explain the senior essays and give students the opportunity to ask questions. The class will still only meet for one hour each week.
  
• The Intern's Post-Fieldwork Response Form, which is included in the syllabus all students receive when taking JMC 495, has been shortened and will now allow students more flexibility in choosing which questions to answer. As in the past, the answers to these questions are included in the internship portfolio.
• All internship portfolios must be submitted within four weeks of the final day of work on the internship.
  

For questions about these new rules, e-mail me or drop by my office.