Public Policy and Law Internship Guidelines
Internship Objectives:
The required internship in the major has two objectives: (1) to provide students with the opportunity to apply what they have learned in the classroom to the work of an organization concerned with the making of public policy; (2) to engage students in academic projects directly linked to the internship experience and their area of concentration in the major.
Internship Selection:
Students should select an internship placement that is related to their area of concentration in the major. Students should consult with their academic advisor and/or the Program Director to discuss an appropriate placement. Students who intend to fulfill the internship requirement during the academic year should consult the internship listings on the Trinity web site and Trinity CareerLink before meeting with their advisor or the Program Director.
Students will sign up for PBPL 398, Public Policy and Law Internship. Students must fill out the Special Registration Form and have it signed by their academic internship advisor. They must also complete the Internship Contract Form, which is available in the Director’s Office.
PBPL Internship Placements:
• Students concentrating in Law and Society or Politics and Policy should refer to these categories listed on the web site: Legal/Judicial; Legislative; Government/Public Policy; Political Action/Lobbying.
• Students concentrating in Education Policy should refer to the Education listings.
• Students concentrating in Environmental Policy should refer to Environment/Science listings.
• Students concentrating in Arts Policy should refer to the Arts Management listings.
• Students concentrating in Health Policy should refer to refer to the Health Services listings.
• Students concentrating in Human Rights and International Policy should refer to the Foreign Language/International listings
• Students concentrating in Policy Analysis should refer to the Financial listings.
Summer and Study Abroad Internships:
Students who intend to fulfill the internship requirement during the summer or while studying abroad should meet with the Program Director to discuss an appropriate placement, academic supervision, and a schedule for completing the required academic work.
Academic Supervision:
Students should contact a member of the PBPL faculty to discuss supervision of their internships. Each student and faculty member will plan a schedule for meeting times and completion of the required academic work. The faculty member and the Program Director will sign the student’s internship enrollment form.
Required Academic Work:
The written academic assignments for the required internship focus on research directly related to the internship placement and the student’s area of concentration in the major. They include the following:
• One 500-750-word Op-Ed piece on a policy issue or question that is related to the work of the organization.
• One 10-12-page policy memo on a topic related to the student’s work at the internship.
• One annotated bibliography.
Specific guidelines for these assignments will be distributed to students enrolled in internships and will be posted on the PBPL Program’s web site.
Required Workshop:
The Program Director will lead a workshop for all students enrolled in internships each semester.